Youth4Policy Fellows headed off to their second policy learning mission

Workshop für Youth4Policy Fellows

From Thursday, July 25th to Saturday, July 27th, the current cohort of Youth4Policy fellows came together for their Second Policy Learning Mission in Kampala. The programme was designed to provide practical first-hand experience of policy processes and to enable the fellows to interact with policy decision-makers and implementers. Moreover, the mission offered the fellows a chance to develop their preliminary policy research further by providing them with insights on professional writing and presentation tools.

“The peace agreement is in the hands of all of us”

Public Dialogue on ‘Political Settlements, State Building and Peace Making in South Sudan’

On the 23rd of July 2019, a section of South Sudanese members of civil society as well as various stakeholders met at Makerere University to discuss the importance of Political Settlements and State Building in South Sudan. Furthermore the aim of the event was to point out possibilities to actively get involved in the implementation of the peace agreement.

A Media Reporting Trip to Bidi-Bidi to Reframe the Negative Narrative about Refugees

The Media Challenge Initiative Fellows went to a 5-day reporting trip to Bidi Bidi site, the world’s second largest refugee settlement. Their aim was to report and explain solutions based stories exclusively on refugee issues. This trip offered these young journalism students an experience of a lifetime to reframe the negative narrative and perception about refugees.

“You are the future of South Sudan”

Workshop on the R-ARCSS peace agreement for South Sudanese Students

On the 5th of July 2019, a section of South Sudanese youth met at Cavendish University to discuss the content of the Revitalized Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS) and furthermore to point out possibilities to actively get involved in its implementation. The Workshop was organised in partnership with the South Sudanese Students’ Association.

Professional Writing as a Key to Successful Policy Work

Training on Basics of Professional Writing for Youth4Policy Fellows

The workshop on professional writing offered the 2019 Youth4Policy fellow class a chance to actively work on their written presentation of their policy ideas and to receive experts’ advice on their work. Throughout the weekend, the fellows gained a deeper understanding of writing techniques, which will help them to sharpen their research focus as well as presenting their policy ideas in a convincing academic format.

South Sudan University Students debate on Active Citizenship.

On Wednesday 26th June students from the Catholic University of South Sudan and Juba University held a public debate on the role of South Sudan youth as active citizens. The dialogue was meant to expand and foster a better understanding of active citizenship among the students and encourage the youth to actively and constructively participate in governance activities by working together to influence the quest for national unity and development.

2019 SOCIAL MEDIA CONFERENCE: THE PROSPECTS FOR DIGITAL POLITICS IN AFRICA

On 25th June 2019, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Uganda held the 5th annual social media conference at the Xanadu Collection hotel. The theme of this year’s conference was: Social Media and the Prospects for Digital Politics in Africa. In attendance were journalists, Media experts, bloggers, social media influencers, representatives from government, political leaders, Civil society and representatives from the academia. The conference followed a multifaceted program with parallel workshops in the morning, a keynote address and panel discussion in the afternoon followed by a series of parallel activities including lightning talks, digital campfire conversations and round table talks.

“Peace starts in our homes!” – The Role of Women in Peace-Building in South Sudan

The prevalent underrepresentation of women in peace-building processes is one of the reasons for the failure to achieve lasting peace in South Sudan. For that matter there are increasing voices in calling for the greater role of women in the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCISS). The Workshop organised, by Mer Christian Women Fellowship, seeked to explore why women’s role in peacebuilding is critical and what the opportunities for women to participate in peacebuilding are.

“If you don’t actively engage in your council, then you are as good as an empty chair”

The two-day follow-up training on the women caucuses in Kabale District offered participants a chance to refresh their commitment towards implementing gender-responsive policies, programmes and budgets and strengthened networking and knowledge sharing among the councillors from the sub counties and district.

Promoting Access to Information in Bunyoro Sub-Region

‘Access to information is the engine of development’ – It is a right guaranteed under the article 41 of 1995 constitution of Uganda, which is again operationalized by the Access to Information Act (ATIA) 2005. In Uganda, most district officials and the general public are unaware of this law. Consequently, the key components of the ATIA are not effectively put into practise. To tackle this challenge, Hub for Investigative Media (HIM) and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) conducted a Workshop from the 28th to the 30th of May in Hoima to provide an insight in the ATIA as well as to deepen the understanding of access to information for a functioning democracy.