Engaging and Empowering Youth as Leaders, Youth at Risk and Youth as Game Changers for Peace and Reconciliation.

Uganda is currently facing a huge challenge of the youthful populations. Today, Uganda is the country with the youngest population in the world, with the highest rate of youth unemployment in sub-Saharan Africa, and where youth make up over 70 percent of those in Uganda’s prisons. Many young people who grew up between 1980-2008 found their lives significantly affected by war and thus were forced to put on hold or abandon opportunities for education, livelihoods and achieving their hopes and goals.

Many youth especially in those conflicts affected regions of greater northern Uganda are currently uprooted, jobless, alienated, and intolerant and have few opportunities for positive engagement, and yet represent a ready pool of recruits for groups seeking to mobilize violence. It is thus extremely important to empower the responsible and effective youth population to build cultures of peace, tolerance and human rights in Uganda, to engage them in the upcoming transitional justice planning and processes, and to contribute to lowering the number of youth involved in criminal activity and increasing youth resilience in the face of violence and poverty.

AYINET’s aim is to promote responsible and effective youth leadership to build cultures of peace, tolerance and human rights in northern Uganda, and to contribute to lowering the number of youth involved in criminal activities. It’s designed with innovative and feasible actions for development, by and for the youth, tackling youth-related issues in a holistic approach.

Youth Leadership Development

 

Background:  There are several social, economic, and political issues that Uganda is currently struggling with.  Uganda’s energetic and optimistic youth are invaluable resources for tackling these various issues.  However, negative political and ethnic stereotypes and indifference among the youth are challenges that need to be overcome before it is possible to move forward and make change.

Objective: To empower Uganda’s youth with the skills and resources that are essential to the social, economic, and political development of Uganda through Youth Leadership Development training and the creation of a strong and diverse youth network.

Strategy

Training

AYINET designs and coordinates training for interested youth.  After addressing negative stereotypes, youth are more capable of collaborating effectively.  The remainder of training consists of providing the youth with business skills, such as utilizing microcredit schemes.   Providing seeds, farm tools, and poultry to the youth encourages agricultural progress.  The youth work for these supplies by helping install a clean water source and opening the road that leads to the school.

Networking

AYINET brings together groups of youth with similar interests and goals and running similar activities.

The youth also take part in social activities such as dance, drama, singing, art, and athletic activities in order to strengthen personal bonds.  AYINET supports exceptional talent.