Young people and the youth are the future of tomorrow and a group of empowered and skilled youth is even more beneficial for our nation. This is what Peer to peer Uganda attained in their weeklong mentorship program. The program, which was attended by young people from reputable CSOs and different walks of life, the camp was held under theme “unlocking your hidden potential”, with sessions about public speaking, HIV/AIDs, first aid, business advice, gender based violence, but to mention a few.
A healthy body is a peaceful mind so the mornings at the camp begun with work out and drill sessions because work without play makes jack a dull boy, after which the mentees where taken through different discussions and practical classes on a wide range of topics ranging from creation of sustainable businesses, precisely that young people should find what they are good at and be able to create a business from it thus being able to sustain themselves and their communities because the end result of a sustainable business is a prosperous and flourishing society.
youth change champions after a weeklong learning and mentorship camp
“Starting a business does not mean getting capital and buying stock, it means having an Idea, the will and tenacity to pull through with it and most importantly, be ready to fail and learn from those failures and set backs,” Moses Bwire, team leader of Peer to Peer Uganda.
SRHR was also center stage at the camp with multiple sessions HIV/AIDs, gender based violence, how to deal with and over come it, the effects of uncontrolled social media use nowadays and this particularly got a lot of mixed reactions from the mentees. But perhaps the most interesting session was one delivered Abu Baker from Reproductive Health Uganda, which was about the lifestyles the youth are choosing to live which could lead to serious health risks and or loss of life such as gambling, drug and alcohol abuse, and so on.
“Public speaking is an art and a skill that must be attained and once mastered is a powerful tool in advocacy, communication and even day to day life,” says Innocent Nabaasa, the SRHR Alliance Programs Officer.
On the final night of the camp, a bonfire was lit and this was meant for people to network and share ideas about what they had learned during the camp and so share their life experiences.
After a week of fun and learning, final remarks were given from the different stakeholders and organizers. A small awarding ceremony was held where the best pitcher Bashar, from Reproductive Health Uganda was handed the handsome amount of 500,000 Uganda shillings for his creative work and the award for outstanding participate went to Kisakye Patricia, a change champion from Uganda Youth and Adolescent Health Forum and she was awarded a certificate for her tremendous contributions. This then marked the close of the annual program with youth who walked in green but left with a new found confidence and vigor to face life head on and change their societies with he new skills they had attained.