Uganda
ABSTRACT
Young people possess the know-how, passion, drive, and dynamism to provoke significant change around them. Yet youth are rarely included in civic dialogue, poorly represented in political spaces, and often sidelined from decision-making. This is the case in Uganda, where approximately 75% of the population is under the age of 35. In response to this, Extremely Together Uganda has organised a range of activities to promote youth engagement in democratic processes and civic discussions. This included multigenerational dialogues between young people and their broader communities, workshops for young politicians and the creation of ‘peace committees’, working to prevent the onset of electoral violence amongst young people. These activities have contributed to legitimising the concerns of young people, helping them build their confidence and placating their relationship with the authorities. This was particularly important among those young people who are not used to engaging in political spheres, particularly those from marginalised groups or ‘charged youth’. As a result of these activities – and the frank discussions that took place – young people from a larger variety of socioeconomic classes and political leanings took part in civic dialogue. At the same time, participating politicians showed greater sensitivity to youth issues.
ENABLING FACTORS
Our youth engagement strategies proved successful for several reasons:
We adopted an inclusive approach that stressed the importance of dialogue and collaboration with wider communities and government entities. Overall, we found that working with instead of against the system helped us achieve greater impact, and it allowed us to challenge precedents without being perceived as a threat by the very political spheres we are attempting to reform.
We relied on a research-based understanding of different actors’ priorities, developed in collaboration with young people and other relevant actors. This allowed us to prepare and lead discussions in a way that remained cognisant of political sensitivities and helped us understand where possibilities for compromise lay. In turn, this showed how to achieve the most productive outcomes.
We adopted a mixed strategy, including both advocacy and capacity-building work. Multigenerational dialogues and campaigns by our ‘peace committees’ sought to sensitise youth and politicians alike to issues linked to political violence and the alienation of youth from democratic processes. At the same time, workshops with young politicians and advocates incorporated a capacity-building component, providing them with the tools to prevent electoral violence.
PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION
A lack of political will and socioeconomic constraints hinders the civic and political participation of Ugandan youth. As in many other countries, COVID-19 had dramatic repercussions on livelihoods, with young people bearing the burden of supporting their families. In addition, enforcing lockdown measures by government security forces, the closure of schools and bans on gatherings led to a reduced civic space and growing frustrations amongst young people. This, in turn, has provided fertile ground for violent outbursts, manifested in the lead-up to the parliamentary and presidential elections of January 2021, and was characterised by high levels of violence, human rights abuses and increased polarisation.
Extremely Together Uganda positions itself as a solution to polarisation and limited youth engagement in democratic processes. In recent years, Extremely Together Uganda has put in place activities that seek to inspire young people to participate meaningfully in policymaking and advocate for change through innovative solution seeking.
- Multigenerational dialogues
Extremely Together Uganda has created spaces for multistakeholder dialogues to address mistrust between generations. These dialogues allowed young people to air their grievances and share their aspirations with the larger community and local officials. The success of these dialogues can be attributed to their multigenerational and cross-sectional nature.
Young people rarely have the opportunity to express their opinions outside of their peer group; indeed, 93% of the youth who took part in these dialogues said it was their first opportunity to meet and exchange with local authorities on issues affecting them. Holding these discussions with the wider community in the presence of authority figures therefore served to legitimise their concerns and to build their confidence through showing them that their voices matter.
For this type of dialogue to be truly productive, it is, however, crucial that they be carefully framed as collaborative. This will avoid exacerbating the trust deficit between generations, particularly regarding the relationship between young people and their leaders. Ahead of these dialogues, Extremely Together Uganda spent time building trusted relationships with both various youth groups and authorities, through their local youth representatives. They also researched youth priorities to shape the conversation around main issues of concern like unemployment or access to good health services. This helped retain youth interest and focused the dialogue on concrete outcomes.
- Workshops with young politicians
During the 2021 election campaign, Extremely Together Uganda organised a series of workshops with young politicians and other young people from the districts they represented. Although young politicians are favourably positioned to act as a bridge between youth and politics, they can become detached from the reality their constituents experience. In some instances, young politicians have also been known to encourage behaviours that go against youth interests, including inciting violence during electoral cycles.
These workshops aimed to raise awareness of the importance of preventing electoral violence and exposing politicians to the realities faced by many young Ugandans. The workshops owe their success to their informal nature and the proximity they have established between young people and their elected leaders. Participants were encouraged to ‘come as you are’, with no dress code imposed or linguistic formalities demanded, aspects which usually characterise formal meetings with officials. Discussions were held in local dialects, allowing young people to express themselves freely in their most conversant language. This led to more frank and authentic discussions which, in turn, made young officials more attentive to youth issues and provided them with concrete policy objectives.
It was equally important that these workshops be designed in a way that all parties saw benefits from attending. For the politicians, the incentive lay in the possibility of gaining greater support and momentum during the critical season of elections. For the young constituents, this provided an opportunity to express their frustrations while at the same gaining insights into the inner workings of democracy. This experience also provided them with role models with whom they could relate. In fact, three members of the Extremely Together network contested for various positions during the 2021 general elections.
- Peace committees
In the build-up to the 2021 elections, Extremely Together Uganda also established two peace committees in low-income areas of Kampala and Bugiri. The committees comprised of youth leaders, representatives of diverse youth groups (such as school clubs, female youth leaders and youths in business), selected local leaders from the council and representatives from certain parishes. Together, they worked to dissuade ‘charged’ youth from engaging in electoral violence, through appearances on local radio and at candidate meetings, political rallies and other activities destined to sensitise and educate young people. Members of the committees also highlighted the issue of electoral violence; at policy level through the Youth Coalition on Election Democracy and by contributing to the discussions around the National Youth Manifesto.
The perception of inclusiveness was a critical factor in enabling the effective rollout of these committees. These committees strived to be non-partisan and representative of society in the broader sense – all ages, genders, tribes, and political leanings were to be included and respected. We were particularly successful in reaching youth from isolated communities and marginalised backgrounds, such as the Salaf community in Bugiri. As a result, young people felt more confident expressing their opinions and were provided with greater space to develop their knowledge and learn from others. The committees also recruited inspiring figures (such as young candidates in the elections) to spread messages of unity and to counter any divisive narratives that young people may have been exposed to in the past.