Enhancing young people’s participation in development.

The leadership process in Uganda today still marginalizes women, the poor and young people. Young people especially young women are being marginalized in formal participation in politics and in influencing public policy. The reasons fro this include inherited legacy from the colonial past and the patriarchal foundation upon which much of Africa society stands. There is need to prepare young leaders to understand the leadership challenges that affect them at different levels so as to be left out in decision making.

Over the past twenty years, there has been a steady rise of women in decision-making from the local and national levels. From the conception of the 1995 constitution, women activists were involved in ensuring that women‘s issues were not left out at the national level. Young people being crucial in shaping the future should inherit this legacy of activism from their predecessors. FOWODE would like to develop a cadre of young leaders committed to gender equality to eventually take over from the older women leaders.

The current political system is tainted with corruption and injustice. Bribery is the currency of the day and power is concentrated in the hands of a few unscrupulous individuals. For development to take place, there is need to offer an alternative leadership that is inclusive and promotes principles and values of gender equality and social justice. Such a leadership needs to be nurtured to generate a cadre of leaders who would emerge to confront issues of social injustice and inequality. FOWODE will train young men and women in leadership so that they become change agents in transforming the institutions in which they will be working.

Because of patriarchal norms, young women have been excluded from participating in decision making at the domestic and public levels. Furthermore the existing governance structures are highly patriarchal and influencing public policy especially from a gender perspective has become a daunting task for the women legislators. In such an environment, many have internalized male norms and values and have not advanced the gender equality agenda. FOWODE realizes by training young female councilors at the district level, they can influence the governance structures to adopt principals and values of social justice and gender equality.