STEPS IN ESTABLISHING THE YVSP

INTRODUCTION

The overall mandate for the Youth Volunteer Service Program is established through its Policy Framework. It outlines a Programmatic implementation strategy. The YVSP Steering Committee facilitated a number of activities in 2017-2018. Various processes over the past year have led to the development of a range of initiatives. 

Contextual Readiness for the Youth Volunteer Service Program

Within each of the target groups identified for Youth Volunteer Service Program, various processes contributed to preparing the ground for the introduction of such Programs. These provided important foundations for taking forward the recommendations made from the initial activities. 

Unemployed Youths

The Jobs Summit process took forward the work of the Steering Committee, and agreed to a resolution that supports the need for Programs that involve the unemployed youths in service activities whilst enabling these young people to access accredited education and training through these Programs. The proposal emerging from the Jobs Summit were adopted.

Youths in Conflict with the Law

The YVSP is engaged with the responsibility of rehabilitating young people in conflict with the law. There is support expressed in the judicial system, for the potential that service offers as an alternative sentencing option, and as a mechanism for realizing the strategy of restorative justice. Relevant government departments (such as the Departments of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Defense and Security, Rehabilitation or Correctional Centres and others) have already begun collaborating on these issues and this provides a forum in which to take forward these proposals.

Action Plans:
Project Activities

In order to implement pilot projects for the four target groups, the following steps are necessary:

a) Stakeholder Involvement

For the Youth Volunteer Service Program to be successful and to reach large numbers of young people, close involvement of different stakeholders has been necessary. Therefore, in implementing projects, the Project Team has ensured broad stakeholder participation.

b) The Training of Trainers (T.O.T) Course

The T.O.T was done which emphasized on mobilizing the participants for capacity building and orienting them into the Program, preparing the grounds and creating awareness of the need to participate in the YVSP activities.

This has helped to produce well-grounded Youths to meet the challenges of Uganda’s Socio-economic Transformation through an adequate empowerment programs which are designed to be imparted in the Youths to augment the existing academic and skilling gaps.

c) Monitoring and Evaluation

The T.O.T also set up projects and community Development strategies that are linked to monitoring and evaluation activities seeking to find answers to medium-term considerations such as the required institutional and funding arrangements to be devised by the Youth Volunteer Service Program.

d) Costing and Financial Planning

The Project Committee set up activities that requires labour intensive and a few which require capital intensive to ensure the development of a medium-term financial plan based on costing models derived from pilot and other related activities.

e) Building Awareness

An advocacy campaign was launched to create awareness of the need for a Youth Volunteer Service Program and its benefits to Communities, Young People and the Economy. Such a campaign included a Celebrations on National Youths Service Day, radio and TV talk shows, debates, participating in youths forums and formations, organizing summits and symposiums at institutions of higher learning and public gatherings among others.