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tranquillous nation, and Africa a more inclusive continent as we all make the world a better
place to be.
Motto: We hold the candles and take the lead with Gods help, youth to glow!
Mission: To propound intellectual and very constructive youth.
Objectives:
To empower the youth by improving their social, economic and political wellbeing in
society.
To enable youth to contribute to the social, economic and political transformation of their
communities and society as a whole.
Core Values:
Equity
Creativity
Integrity
Diversity
This definition does not in any way undermine nor seek to change the legislative definition and
interpretation of a child as stipulated in the children Statute, 1996 and age of consent or voting
as provided for in the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda. It simply provides a basis for
the development and preparation of young people for adult responsibility.
Finally, this definition of youth takes into account programmatic issues and is in harmony with a
number of operational and strategic definitions of major youth programmes in the country
including other International Agencies like the United Nations (UN) which defines the youth as
persons between 15-24 years and the Commonwealth Youth Programme definition of 15-29
years.
The National Youth Council statute was enacted in 1993 as a platform to organize youth into a
unified body to participate in the development process. But still participation or representation
of the youth less than 25 years of age or those who are illiterate or semi illiterate in positions of
leadership at all levels is limited. The low participation of the youth in decision-making is mainly
due to:
Lack of leadership and management skills;
Organizational regulatory barriers and impediments;
Low resource allocation to Youth Programmes.
6) Youth, Leisure, Sports and Recreation
Most Ugandan Youth especially the rural youth and those out of school have not had the
blessing and opportunity to experience planned and programmed physical activities geared to
enhance life and good health. This is a result of lack of an appropriate Sports Policy,
recreational and leisure facilities, sports training institutions and lack of adequate funding to
promote sports for all.
7) Youth, Society and Culture
Uganda being a multi-ethnic country with 56 different ethnic groups has so many divergent
beliefs and practices. These include issues of early non-consensual marriage where many
Ugandan women marry before 18 years, while their male counterparts marry at 23 years. Other
negative practices include wife inheritance/sharing or replacement, Female Genital Mutilation,
with associated rituals and culture that teaches females submissiveness rather than
assertiveness.
The urban youth are also experiencing a lot of influence from Western culture through the
media and are continuously and inappropriately exposed to pornographic materials. This
coupled with changing family structures, disruptions etc. challenge traditional control on
behaviors of youth. This leaves them in a generation with no clear cultural identity or values
often conflicting with society and established structures.
8) Youth and Crime
Over 63% of the in-mates are youth. This locks out a large number of otherwise productive age
group that could contribute positively to national development. Male youth feature more
prominently in crime figures than the female counterparts. The underlying factors in all these
crimes are:
Internal conflicts;
Unemployment;
Lack of guidance and counselling;
Redundancy;
Poverty.
Due to erosion in our culture and social support system, the country now witnesses a lot of
cases of delinquencies, street youth, sex workers, drug addicts, orphans and other
disadvantaged youth who are left to cater for themselves and sometimes their younger ones.
9) Youth and Environment
Youth involvement in environmental degradation in their efforts to earn a living through
uncontrollable charcoal burning, brick making, wetland destruction etc. has had a negative
effect on sustainable environment management.
10) Youth and Gender
The prevailing social-economic environment of the youth mainly favors the participation and
development of the male youth. For example the female youth are mainly involved in
domestic/reproductive work like collecting firewood and water, cooking and caring for the
children and the sick, all activities which confine them in homes and do not expose them to
outside opportunities that would enhance their participation in productive
household/community management and leadership development.
Furthermore in the area of health, female youth are more prone to morbidity and mortality
than male youth. Many female youth have limited access to reproductive health services
especially if they are unmarried and still in schools. The health service providers tend to be
judgmental to them and this discourages them from seeking services.
The purpose here is to target and foster proactivity amongst school going youth through a
wide range of activities including debate & Public speaking, sports competitions, writing
competitions, music, dance and drama competitions, seminars and career guidance drives
and sessions.
Literacy: Literacy is more than just the skills of reading, writing and numeracy; literacy
can serve as a tool for transformation under a broad definition which embraces IT and
other media resources. Literacy is a significant contribution to the material and moral
quality of peoples lives; literacy enables people to have more influence and control
over their own lives as a result of their newly acquired skills and also their increased
self-confidence and higher status associated with being literate.
Africa Youth movement targets non-school going youth, e.g. school dropouts by evolving
various Literacy approaches and strategies for example;
Civic education for youth to actively engage in community issues including local
decision making, demanding their rights, governance, voter education,
participation in democratic processes and environmental responsibility among
others.
Health awareness-raising, prevention and education projects which adopt a
holistic, inclusive and compassionate approaches to health.
Vocational training for youth of low economic status who have limited access to
employment and income opportunities etc.
2) Economic Empowerment
AYM believes that to empower the youth, their economic stability should be strong. With
entrepreneurship and enterprise taking center stage, Africa Youth Movement evolves a
wide range of activities and approaches aimed at improving the economic wellbeing of
youth in the community. Such approaches include though not limited to;
Entrepreneurship
Mentorship
Training (Workshops, seminars, conferences, radio talk shows, magazines, press
features etc...)
Sponsorships and grants
Exhibition
In most of these, Africa Youth Movement plays a mobilization, organization,
coordination and solicitation role.
3) Volunteerism
The youth shouldnt only be seen to be in a position of need. Africa Youth Movement
believes that youth have a lot they can offer their communities and society as a whole. As
such, Africa youth Movement evolves a volunteer program which enables youth to give
back to their communities in order to cement their contribution to the social, economic
and political transformation as stipulated in the organizations major objective.
As such, youth do not only stand in a position of need in society but also in a position of
dedicated and committed service to their communities.
The volunteerism program is enhanced with a cross section of activities where the youth
can dedicate their time, skills and energy to impact others. Such activities include
training, mentorship, mobilization, coordination, community engagement, research and
many others with in the organizations series of activities.
Besides giving back to their communities, volunteerism helps the youth themselves to
boost their careers and profiles and also boost their experience in their respective fields of
expertise.
Also, Africa youth Movement promotes conservation of the natural resources- - soil,
forest, biomass, water, wildlife, wetlands, etc. through such activities as afforestation,
reforestation and proper waste management by the youth.
In communities where peoples attitudes towards their contribution to their own societal
transformation are not receptive, the investment in attitude change is always worth
giving. Therefore, the communities in which the organization operates remain a very
significant resource regardless of anything.
3. Associate Members: These consist of AYMs working partners and sponsors. To
achieve its objectives, Africa Youth Movement derives its third major resource from
partnerships, both short and long term. Such partnerships include those with civil society
organizations, non-government organizations, private partnerships and public
partnerships. Such partnerships are for both moral and material benefit towards the
fulfillment of the organizations objectives.
5) Sponsorship and grants: To further augment its activities, the organization intends
to seek sponsorship and grants from both local and international partners including
government
agencies,
non-government
organizations
and
international
organizations/agencies.
Conclusion:
Africa youth movement is fully committed to the empowerment of youth to improve their
wellbeing, and also to improve the contribution of the youth in the social, economic and
political transformation of their communities and society as a whole.