The Meaningful Youth Participation program
The Meaningful Youth Participation Program (MYPP) is a highly targeted program that seeks to contribute to the attainment of an effective, accountable, and transparent local government that is representative of youth at all levels. This project is being implemented by the Open Space Centre with support from the British High Commission in 3 districts: Kampala, Wakiso, and Mukono. This project is aligned with the centre’s strategic objective of leadership development. It focuses on empowering current and prospective youth leaders at sub-regional and national levels with knowledge and skills on the local government planning, budgeting, and accountability processes to influence and advocate for the interests of the people they lead.
The Strengthening Youth Civic Participation Project(SYCP)
Following the multitude of barriers like inadequate knowledge and insufficient evidence-based resources encountered by youth when undertaking their civic rights, Open Space Centre is implementing a 3-year civic engagement project that aspires to address the numerous existing barriers youth in Uganda face when undertaking their civic right to participate in governance and democratic processes. The project is being implemented in the central region, particularly in Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso districts. The project seeks to strengthen and re-awaken young people’s belief in violence-free elections and offer them meaningful opportunities at the community and national level to generate genuine feedback around pro-youth policy commitments aligned with their aspirations. In addition, the project is premised on three interventions namely (i) Research and Policy Analysis around youth participation in governance processes, (ii) Education and Information Campaigns for youth in grassroots communities and (iii) Dialogue platforms at district and national levels for youth engagement with key stakeholders.
The Nile Explorer Bus Program
Open Space Center, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Embassy in Uganda is implementing the Nile Explorer Bus a mobile programming platform. This project is designed to contribute to a reduction in school dropouts among secondary school-going students through educational opportunities that emphasize the use of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths to enhance young people’s innovative capabilities to solve some of their local school and community challenges. In addition, the program’s health component is designed to reinforce age-appropriate health information for students on the topics of HIV/AIDS, School gender-based violence, Menstrual health management, and Malaria. The sessions are designed to enable students to understand how they can make healthier choices to complete their education.
The Nile Explorer Youth Summits (NEYS)
The Nile Explorer students’ Leadership Retreat is designed to complement the training that takes place during the week-long bus stop sessions within the schools. The main objective of the Nile Explorer students’retreat is to nurture outstanding young leaders and their teachers across secondary schools in Uganda through a complimentary program that reinforces their innovative and leadership capabilities as well as their ability to make healthy life choices both in school and their communities. The retreat emphasizes 3 main pillars: leadership development, awareness creation, and student-led innovation. Students from underserved schools across the country have the opportunity to visit the American Centre in Kampala, share experiences with notable YALI alumni and personalities in the American Space, and enjoy impactful sessions in both health and STEM components.
Localizing the SDGs
Open Space Center with support from Crossing Borders, has been implementing the Localizing SDGs project that is centered around creating a deep-rooted understanding of the Sustainable development goals in grassroots communities in Uganda. The project uses a youth-centered approach that is hinged on empowering young people and their leaders within the three districts of Kampala, Wakiso, and Mukono to take action toward the localization of the SDGs and further advocate for supportive policy frameworks for SDG action within their schools and communities. The project also emphasizes the role of building synergies through a multi-national platform to share best practices on the localization of SGDs in various contexts.
Annual National Youth Festival.
The Annual National Youth Festival is more than an event, it is a rallying call to all young people in Uganda to GO BE WHAT THEY WANT TO BE; In a Uganda society where everyone is too busy or too shy to engage with youth, the festival is designed to speak to the youth in their language, tell their stories and celebrate their achievements through innovative exhibitions, inspirational talks, live debates, music performances, various art forms and interfaces with policy makers.
The Youth Debate Support Program
Open Space Centre with support from the US Embassy in Uganda has been implementing the Youth Debate support program in schools/communities and institutions of learning across Uganda. The youth debate support program has been designed to enhance efforts toward contributing to good governance in Uganda by encouraging youth debate and dialogue around topical civic issues including human rights, democracy, peacebuilding, leadership, media literacy, and access to information. This project is also rooted in developing young people’s debating and critical thinking skills so that they have the relevant expertise to be civically active and contribute positively to the country’s good governance.
University Debate Nationals.
University Debate Nationals (UDN) also dubbed "The Nationals” is the biggest annual debate gathering that brings together over 200 students from more than 20 tertiary institutions in Uganda for competitive debating,public speaking, and public policy discourse. Each year, The University Debate Nationals brings together a total of over 200 participants comprising University Students from all over East Africa, the media, members of parliament, and policymakers. The University Debate Nationals’ aesthetic involves students giving speeches, arguments, and policy proposals on topical public interest issues, in the presence of a panel of judges and a preselected enthused audience of fellow students and key stakeholders including civil society,the private sector, and policymakers.
Philanthropy for Development.
Open Space Centre with support from the Uganda National NGO Forum implemented the Give for Good Campaign that was aimed at meaningfully engaging youth in community philanthropy awareness and initiatives in their communities. Building on this campaign, each year, Open Space Centre in partnership with the Uganda National NGO forum participates and organizes initiatives such as the philanthropy symposium that brings together stakeholders from civil society, development partners, government ministries, the private sector, and academia, to share innovations, best practices and stories on how young people are using philanthropy as a means to advance positive development in their schools and communities.
The Green Eco-lab project
The Green Eco lab project is a 5-month pilot project that will be implemented in rural schools/communities. The project will establish a unique Green Eco-lab that will suffice as a unique; learning and demonstration center for climate knowledge sharing and skills building so that students can become climate resilient and therefore help their families adapt to an uncertain climate and related disasters. The Green Eco-lab project seeks to strengthen climate change adaptation practices in underserved communities and schools in Uganda by building the capacity of young people (both male and female) to come up with practical solutions to support climate adaptation at the grassroots level in their communities. Additionally, through the establishment of a Green Eco-lab as an in-school training and experimentation hub, young people in school will be able to increase awareness of climate change and the need for climate
adaptation through evidence-based solutions realised through conducting experiments around air quality, weather variability, soil, biodiversity, and water resources.
