To start off day one of the training, Dr Nansozi K. Muwanga, Director of JNLC, welcomed the students and thanked RP SIPODI East Africa for the opportunity to conduct the training. She encouraged the young leaders to build the ethos to serve in their respective communities. On behalf of KAS, Angella Kasekende, Project Manager at RP SIPODI East Africa, emphasised the importance of such trainings for youth leaders to gain an understanding of the vital role they can play in promoting peace in their communities, not only in Uganda, but the region.
Prof. Phillip Kasaija from the Department of Political Science at Makerere University started the first training session by extensively addressing the status of peace and security in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa. He encouraged the youth to create their own spaces, where they can advocate for peace and conflict resolution. Dr Edward Silvestre Kaweesi from the Department of Political Science at Makerere University enlightened the students about the practical execution of conflict analysis and peace resolution. Thereafter, David Nyaribi from Action Aid-Uganda, stressed the meaning of socialisation and peer influence in conflict. Furthermore, Dr Gardner H. Rwakiseta, Programme Coordinator at JNLC, brought in the aspect of emotional intelligence and conflict resolution while Gloria Namata, Financial Literacy Consultant, delivered an insightful presentation on financial literacy in conflict and peace building. Dr Solomon Winyi from the Department of Political Science at Makerere University addressed the usage of social media for peace advocacy. The students learnt skills on how to effectively disseminate information on peace and security using different platforms. To conclude the first day, Mr. Henry Kasacca from the Trading Centre for Democracy and Governance, and Ms. Teddy Namutebi, Financial Literacy Consultant, encouraged the youth to localise peace and security advocacy right within their communities.
The second day began with remarks by Nils Wörmer, Regional Director of RP SIPODI, who implored the student leaders to continue learning more about peace and conflict and encouraged them to acquaint themselves with methodological tools and analyses. Thereafter, Prof. Phillip Kasaija and Dr Edward Silvestre Kaweesi took the student leaders through a session on crafting and evaluating local peace building initiatives and the review of successful peace initiatives in the East African Community (EAC). In the afternoon, the students participated in an interactive workshop where they role-played conflict scenarios which heightened their problem identification and conflict management skills. Subsequently, they developed their own action plans with supervision of the facilitators. The day’s guest speaker, Dr Simba Sallie Kayunga, Representative from the Electoral Commission of Uganda, concluded the second day with a presentation on Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s ideas and ideals in relation to discussions on peace and conflict.
The final day of the training programme had cross generational roundtable talks discussing topics on the root causes of conflicts, the role of regional institutions, and the impact of conflicts on specific groups. Following this, Robert Muhangi, Country Representative of EAC Youth Peace Network, highlighted the role of young people in fostering peace and security. Finally, Falade Olutoyin, Peace Fellow at Rotary Peace Centre, addressed the different gender dynamics in peace and security, and Coviiren Akamutuha, Youth Speaker of EAC, outlined the gender specific initiatives, challenges, and opportunities for peace and security. The three-day training ended with closing remarks by Angella Kasekende and Dr Nansozi K. Muwanga where they both thanked the students for their enthusiasm and contribution towards training sessions. In the end, each student leader received a certificate as a token of appreciation for their participation.
About this series
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, its educational institutions, centres and foreign offices, offer several thousand events on various subjects each year. We provide up to date and exclusive reports on selected conferences, events and symposia at www.kas.de. In addition to a summary of the contents, you can also find additional material such as pictures, speeches, videos or audio clips.