New Vision Monday, 2nd March, 2009
BY REHEMA AANYU
Kampala-With her hands on the lap, Susan Kangumean environmental science student, sat pensively as she watched other students speak. She is one of the 100 students who were selected to from Ugandan universities to attend the Gilrs2leaders National Conference in January.
Under the theme Shaping the Future, Redefining the Ladership Potential of Young Women in Uganda, the conference aimed at encouraging young leaders to make a difference in society. I want to contest for a political office in 2011. 'I crave to influence society positively by listening to people's concerns'.
Once a leader stops listening to his people, he ceases to be important to society. Leadership is a bridge between the people and policy makers, said Kangume, a student from Kabale University.Catherine Ikiria, a student at Kumi University, said: I was curious; I wanted to know what the conference was about, but I ended up learning a lot and can now speak in public.The Girls2leaders Conference was launched by James Kinobe, the former state minister for youth and child affairs. It was held at Pope Paul Memorial Centre in Kampala.
About 40% of Uganda?s population is composed of young people aged 18-30. Unfortunately, they are left behind in the development of the country. Our target is to reverse the trend, conceptualise it and launch business and social ventures in a peer supportive environment, says Deborah Kaddu Serwadda, the patron of the Girls2leader movement in Uganda said.
Monica Amoding, the founder and team leader of the movement, said women movements in Uganda are being frustrated by senior activists and the lack of interest by younger women,? she explains. 'Senior women leaders do not want to leave their offices for younger women'. Amoding says Girls2leaders plays a supportive and facilitation role in enabling young people acquire technical skills to discover and develop their leadership potential. Similarly, the aim of the conference, which will be hosted annually, is to build a vibrant community of women and girls to participate in multi-generational and cross-gender leadership dialogue and action.
Kaddu says the movement draws on the basic approaches of the African family informal education, which emphasises an individual?s responsibility to family and the community. We help individuals and groups reflect on their rights and responsibilities,Kaddu says. Our desire is to see that every young person also has a sense of self-confidence,he explains.
Kinobe applauded the initiative, saying it recognises the importance and potential of young people as leaders of a new day. Young people's leadership is important and is supposed to be the cream of the young top brains and national leaders in the making. As leaders, you must be morally upright and intellectually prepared. He called upon university women to be role models and inspire their colleagues. Kinobe cautioned them against corruption and sectarianism, saying it would dent their image and character.
The conference is affiliated to The Young Women African Leaders Movement of Uganda. It was organised by ICON Women and Young People?s Leadership Academy in association with the Centre for the Advancement of Gender Equality.
This article was published in the NewVision Monday 2, March 2009. Please check it out at
