Namataba, UGANDA: On 18th June 2022, Open Space Center, under the Localizing SDGs project, partnered with the National Prefects’ Council for the Annual High School Leadership Workshop hosted by Limkokwing University of Creative Technologies in Namataba – Mukono.   The workshop was held under the theme: Enlightening High School Leaders’ Role in Enhancing the Development of Sustainable Development Goals. The event was attended by over 80 student leaders from the schools of Code High School, Mukono; Kings High School, Nakifuma; Modern Sec School; St Lawrence S.S Sonde; Namataba S.S; Dynamic Secondary School; Mpoma Girls’ School; and Mukono Islamic S.S.   Previously, Open Space ran the “SDGs in Reality – Uganda,” a comprehensive youth mentorship program in secondary schools and local communities designed to provide information to secondary school students to facilitate the creation of an endless chain of social change to meet the SDGs.   Under this program was the Inter-School SDG Awareness Debate Championship – a Ugandan secondary school debate program running in the central region, attracting a total of fifteen schools over its two years of existence. This consequently resulted in the production of several pro-active SDG ambassadors in the project schools, contributing to the localization of the SDGs and the development of position papers that portray the debate cases prepared by the students, among other things.   The Youth SDGs Symposium was under the program, too – an inspirational gathering dedicated to celebrating, showcasing, and mobilizing youth action around the SDGs. Organized under the theme “Delivering Together,” the Symposium brought together students from high schools and universities, youth leaders, youth organizations, and key stakeholders actively involved in the implementation, monitoring, and promotion of the sustainable development agenda, including the Government of Uganda, development partners, academia, media, private sector, policymakers, and civil society.   This year, in partnership with Crossing Borders Denmark & CISU, Open Space is implementing the project Localizing SDGs. This platform focuses on the crucial task of localizing the UN Global Goals (SDGs) at the grassroots level. The overarching aim of the project is met through; mobilizing and engaging our direct target groups (youth) by enabling them to create and take ownership of localizing the SDGs through grassroots activities; facilitating the building of synergies, good practices, and success stories about localizing the SDGs through a collaborative platform.   At the Annual High School Students’ Leadership workshop, Open Space conducted interactive sessions with the school leaders on how they can contribute to realizing the SDGs in their capacity as student leaders in their schools. These sessions inspired the leaders to think creatively of ways to activate the SDGs in their schools. Have you also read Localizing SDGs In High Schools in Uganda ‘Sesaamu’ Sessions with Community Leaders to Localize SDGs in Uganda. Update: Digital training week under Localizing SDGs in Ghana, Uganda and Zambia project Update: leave no one behind – Localising the SDGs in Ghana And this is how we localize the SDGs! When people on the grassroots level can influence policymakers Contact us if you have any question Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Comment or Message * Submit

Kampala, UGANDA – According to the United Nations (UN), Uganda is still a part of the least developing countries and, just like most countries, is subsequently characterized by slow development due to several issues like escalating poverty, hunger, high rate of unemployment, poor health conditions, poor governance, shortage of clean water & sanitation, insecurity, poor waste disposal, and so much more – all of which are currently affecting at least 90% of the Ugandan population irrespective of the standards of living.  In May 2022, Open Space Center conducted the second phase of the “Sesaamu” Sessions – a local term to mean Youth Parliaments focused on youth leader representatives in Kampala, Nakawa, Mukono, and Makindye. During these sessions, there was an interaction with the youth leaders from various parishes who came together to discuss the issues they face in the various communities and brainstorm solutions, all guided by the localized Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Like the UN, Uganda is on a journey to achieve Agenda 2030 – goals that were carefully set up in 2015 – and subsequently aligning them with the third National Development Plan NDP (III) to ensure the achievement of the goals for the development of the country. Open Space believes strongly in involving the locals in underserved communities as a forte for owning the problems and their inclusion to come up with better solutions. The Sesaamu sessions were therefore convened by the Community Task Force members (CTF) who wholesomely participated in capacity-building trainings much earlier to bring their fellow youth together for a greater cause. The four communities that were brought together presented similar issues, including high poverty levels – a crisis Uganda has been fighting from time immemorial. Community leaders attribute poverty to high school dropouts, hunger strikes, and high crime rates. Sadat, a member of the CTF and Youth Councilor Kampala Division, expressed that the rate of crime among the youth is because they are striving for a living. “The young people in Kampala Division have opted for crimes like theft, burglary, and petty activities that bring in money to survive the current state of the economy,” she said. Unemployment, one of the uncomforting aspects eating up the young people of Uganda, was also one of the issues raised and dominant among the different divisions. As many aspects lead to this, youth leaders say it is due to the negative mindset of the youth towards the existing jobs today. For context, the opportunities available in these communities include carpentry, welding, pottery, and brick making, to mention a few – most of which are hands-on skills. According to the youth leaders we interacted with, the mindset has since set the youth back, leaving them with the only option of petty crimes as a means of survival. While the quality of life can be accomplished in healthy environments, this is not the case in most Kampala Suburbs due to poor waste disposal, which hinders the excellent health and well-being of the locals in these communities. Youth leaders attest to the level of sanitation through the poor disposal mechanism, hindering the growth and development, respectively. The health conditions in these different divisions are also characterized by early teenage pregnancies, drug abuse, and the lack of sexual reproductive health services – which in the long run has led to a high crime rate, school dropouts, and high levels of infections among the youth. Context The Localizing SDGs is a project implemented by Open Space Center in partnership with Crossing Borders and with support from CISU. This project aims at popularizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in local communities and schools in Uganda to ensure that the 17 goals are achieved by 2030 and to also focus on harnessing local opportunities, priorities, and ideas, including lobbying for supportive policy frameworks for SDGs in Uganda. The SDGs were goals that were developed by the United Nations to ensure development in her member states. Have you also read ‘Sesaamu’ Sessions with Community Leaders to Localize SDGs in Uganda. Open Space Holds 'Sesaamu' Sessions with Community Leaders to Localize SDGs in Uganda. Update: Digital training week under Localizing SDGs in Ghana, Uganda and Zambia project Update: leave no one behind – Localising the SDGs in Ghana And this is how we localize the SDGs! When people on the grassroots level can influence policymakers Contact us if you have any question Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *FirstLastEmail *Comment or Message * Submit