There
are several social, economic, and political issues that Uganda is currently
struggling with. Uganda’s energetic and optimistic youth are invaluable
resources for tackling these various issues. Uganda being one of the countries
in the world and more so in sub-Saharan Africa with the youngest population,
currently with a labour force that is estimated to be 9.8 million for persons
aged 14-64 years, of which 53% are female and about 75% of the labour force is
below 40 years.
A
lot of efforts have been done in addressingyouth issues that involved anumber
of key stakeholders that stem from Government, CSO, private sectorand
Development partners etc. However youth hood is a transition from child hood to
adult hood and is a stage of potential destruction and development.
Uganda’s
youth sector has been developing with great potential and constraints. There is
internal brain drain and transfer of human resources across other sectors
partly due to limited recognition. Thus, the need to professionalize and
institutionalize youth development in Uganda.
On-going Efforts. In
response to the need to support the growth and development of practitioners in
Youth work occupation, in addition to customized workshops/trainings for the
senior government officials, youth workers and youth leader, the Commonwealth
Youth Programme has been providing a special training programme for youth work
practitioners through a Commonwealth Youth Diploma in partnership with Makerere
University. The diploma in Youth Development was initiated in 1974 by the
Commonwealth Youth Program which was an important step in professionalizing
youth work. As of today Makerere University has step-up to a Bachelors degree
in Youth Development work which was launched last year
In
addition, there are key global efforts in development of youth Work Ethics and
Standards by the commonwealth Youth Program and putting together networks of
Youth Workers associations, developing competency standards and parallel
qualifications for youth works. However Uganda has lagged behind in these
efforts and process that are shaping today’s global agenda and focus on how to
approach youth development.
Professionalization
of youth development being a strategic objective for the commonwealth
Secretariat and in recognition of the GNOP key focus areas of working towards
coordinating stakeholders including youth experts, academicians, CSOs,
Government in the youth sector towards the process of establishing /developing
Occupational/Competency Standards for Youth Development Work for Uganda and in
the East African Community.
While
we focus and advocate for Professionalizing Youth work in Uganda, must consider
towards achieving:
i. A
Country where youth work is recognized and valued for its contribution to development
and democracy outcomes.
ii. A
Uganda where youth workers are in place, recognized and supported in their
work.
iii. A
nation where youth workers are well trained and equipped, and have access to
quality education and training.
iv. A
sector where youth workers and practitioners work together to influence youth
and national development Policy.
However
is recognition of youth work, we must define key terms for clarity to those who
are involved in youth Programming and practice.
Key Terms: Among
the key important terms to define, is
“Youth Work” and “Youth Sector”
a) Youth
Work:
Given
the diverse range of work, training and expertise in the youth work field, it
is difficult to arrive at a simple definition of youth work. However, there are
a number of definitions presented by many youth experts, however for purposes of
this concept we could consider the three definitions of Youth Work from
different agencies;
Definition 1: “The informal social and political education and
empowerment of young people within a matrix of care, including enhancing young
people’s participation in issues that affect their lives” (CYP).
Definition 2: “Youth work is a practice that places young people and
their interests first. Youth work is a relational practice, where the youth
worker operates alongside the young person in their context. Youth work is an empowering
practice that advocates for and facilitates a young person's independence,
participation in society, connectedness and realisation of their rights.” (Australia)
Definition 3: “Youth work is a field of practice that focuses on the
holistic development of a young person.” (South Africa).
b) The
youth sector:
This
is a part of the national social and human development framework. It comprises
of those agencies – organizations, programs and workers, government and
non-government, paid and unpaid – who work with, or to the benefit of, young
people as a significant part of their work. It includes volunteer and paid work
in face to face youth work, management of service delivery, advocacy, research,
training, evaluation and policy formation.
Those
working in the youth sector possess a variety of skills, experiences and
qualifications and the sector includes, but is not confined to, professionals
who have formally trained in youth work. Most importantly, a significant
proportion of the sector’s work involves working with or to the benefit of
young people (CW-CEP).
Professional Youth Workers Associations. Professional associations provide a resource, a backup and a
foundation for professionals who may share common interests and values. They
are typically created to provide an organized structure for a group of
individuals, usually from a specific range of employment background. Volunteers
can sometimes also be members of a professional association. Professional
networks also play a crucial role in defining and regulating the nature of
practice, validating, qualification and certification, acting as a gateway to
the profession. At the foundation of a successful professionalizing process
lies the collective strength of youth work practitioners participating in
defining the parameters of their profession.
In
conclusion as a Country, we end up missing the benefits of professionalizing
youth work to look to address enable of challenges faced in the sector and
practice which include but not limited to:
- Youth work is not recognised as a profession/field of study.
- Dispersed, common work and competencies, but no common identity – lack of association building.
- Inadequate qualifications pathways.
- Inadequate supervision of professional practice.
- Inadequate, sometimes decreasing, investments in youth services and youth service management.
