Youth Leadership Project

The Youth Leadership Project, created by the Gulu NGO Forum, has three primary components: university scholarships; grants to youth groups; and youth leadership capacity building.

Scholarships: The YLP provides scholarships to university students from throughout districts in northern Uganda for the duration of their undergraduate studies. Twenty-five beneficiaries have already graduated, 25 will graduate in March 2012 and 31 will graduate in March 2014. A new group of students will be selected this year from the approximately 200 who typically apply. Scholarships allow families to send other children to school and beneficiaries undergo ongoing leadership training, which helps them mature and understand their personal stories and goals in broader context of their society. Students are encouraged to take up leadership positions at their universities and most of them have been involved at the class level, the association level and in the guild cabinet. Graduates have obtained contract and full-time employment, opened their own business, and several have run for local political office.
   
Grants to youth groups: The YLP has supported 60 youth groups (ranging from 30 to 80 members each) with small grants. For three years, a competitive grant process has been held to select the groups for funding. An announcement is sent to Gulu, Amuru, Pader and Kitgum districts and organizations that wish to apply are invited to send two representatives to a proposal writing workshop. Submitted proposals are reviewed by a committee and groups with innovative ideas and well-articulated plans are selected for funding. Support and technical assistance are provided throughout the duration of the funding period and YLP staff work with each group to create a sustainability plan. Group activities are varied and have primarily focused on economic development.
   

Capacity building: The YLP provides training and capacity building to youth in both the scholarship program and the small grants program. Workshops have been hosted on project planning and management; leadership; financial management; and monitoring and evaluation. Scholarship beneficiaries specifically are trained in monitoring and evaluation and, to provide important practical experience, they are tasked with conducting the evaluations of the grantee youth groups. Workshops on leadership and governance; financial management; and a rights-based approach to development are planned for 2011/2012.
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All beneficiaries of the YLP are encouraged to participate in government planning processes where youth priorities can be raised. Much of the rural youth have previously not understood their potential role in government planning. The YLP encourages them to attend community meetings and organize meetings themselves to create dialogue and action on pressing community issues.


For more information about current or projects under development, please contact us at info@ugandafund.org