“It is now so clear, why every person should be actively involved in all matters concerning the community, without involvement your life’s outcomes are vested in those that are involved. ”
said a Participant at Youth Peer Facilitators Workshop
This was after a two day workshop for youth peer facilitators organised by the Nnabagereka Development Foundation (NDF). The workshop that attracted over 36 youth from the Acholi, Alur, Buganda, Busoga and Bunyoro aimed at preparing youth mentors, to mentor student leaders in four schools in each of the stated cultural institutions. Under this programme, supported by the Ford Foundation, NDF seeks to harness the power of culture in building leadership capacity to raise the voice of youth in Uganda.
The peer facilitators demonstrated confidence and civic mindedness after the training. The training focused on: Obuntubulamu as a tool for development; role of youth mentors and volunteers; life, facilitation and communication skills; raising the voice; servant leadership and violence against children. The facilitators are going to be deployed in 20 schools, where they will facilitate workshops for student leaders.
Mr Andrew Mukiibi, NDF’s Foundation Manager, talking to participants at the Youth Peer Facilitators Forum in Kampala
Our ultimate hope is that through this project, the Foundation will enable the youth to become civic conscious and engaged. It is premised on the Athenian conceptualisation of citizenship as both a form of consciousness and as a call to duty.
This will be manifested in an increase in the youth voice and engagement in all aspects of their community life be it religious, political, cultural or enterprise. Aware that as members of a community we influence the course of both civic and natural events.
