Dear fellow young people,
I have decided to raise my views again on the responsibility that this country holds to create the best environment for you to flourish, not because anyone else has greater bearing on your future, than yourselves.
Every year, the international youth day is commemorated globally to showcase the great efforts by young people around the world in making the world a better place for everyone. The theme of International Youth Day 2021 is, “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”, with the aim of highlighting that the success of such a global effort will not be achieved without the meaningful participation of young people.
It has been acknowledged that there is a need for inclusive support mechanisms that ensure youth continue to amplify efforts collectively and individually to restore the planet and protect life, while integrating biodiversity in the transformation of food systems. The global 2030 Agenda which includes poverty reduction; social inclusion; health care; biodiversity conservation; and climate change mitigation, is still a mere dream if the young people cannot take to the occasion and champion these efforts.
Basing on these global facts above, I wish to send a message of encouragement to the young people of this nation, we all call home (Uganda).
I wish to remind young people that whereas we are 78% of Uganda’s current population, we are undoubtedly 100% of Uganda’s future, and am personally motivated by this reality every day. We also ought to appreciate that the current drivers of our Country, in every sector be it politics, be it business, be it Public service, Tourism, Religion, and the like, did not sit and wish. They struggled to break the barriers and today, they are the movers and shakers that we adore.
Government has put in place some reasonable governance infrastructure for the involvement of young people, although with a few implementation challenges here and there. There is for stance a fully-fledged youth leadership stricter from Local to National Level with an annual budget of 2 Billion Ugx, and we have been advocating for this budget to be increased and recently I know that there was a commitment that this would be increased to 5 Billion. It remains a task of the youth though to show cause and use this enabling environment.
The youth – serving programs like the Youth Livelihood Program, the Youth Capital Venture Fund, among others have always been designed purposely to enable the young people to meaningfully participate in the social, economic and political affairs of this country, but we are still seeing young people lagging behind in the affairs of this country.
Now as we set to commemorate the International Youth Day of 2021, I wish to challenge but also encourage the young people of this nation to use all the infrastructure and resources available within their means to change the course of things. Through innovations, young people should explore low cost solutions to some of the pressing needs in our societies. Through association, young people should come together and unite in thought and aspiration. It should be easier for young people to buy into dreams by fellow young people and own those dreams together.
By appreciating the urgency that comes with today’s questions for every citizens, young people must seek to redefine the future of our country through imagination and dreaming. Young people must plan and seek to give our country a new and better image using all the untapped talents and resources out there.
See every time I am going to my village Kigarama, on my mind, are the over 68,881 people in the four sub counties (of my focus) of Maziba, Buhara, Kyanamira and Kaharo, who are below 35 years of age. My mind keeps rotating about what I can do better to ensure that these young people are engaged to be sure we have a better community tomorrow since today is the right time for them to impact their community.
As I wish you (all the young people of Uganda and the young people in my area of focus in particular), I wish to remind you that yesterday is gone and what you did not do yesterday you definitely lost it, tomorrow will also be too late, but you have today to make key decisions to do what you can with what you have. Decide today, purpose to live a more impactful life and stand to be counted. The responsibility of tomorrow is definitely on our heads, and we will answer hard questions when our children will fail to understand how certain things happened under our watch.
I wish all young people in Kigarama, Ndorwa East and the whole country, a meaningful international Youth day experience. Stop and think and let us build our communities.
Greetings from Kigarama!
Alexander Kyokwijuka, Humble Citizen, Kigarama, Ndorwa East.
