Preparations for the 8th Annual National Youth Festival is this Saturday are in high gear and this website has learnt that this year’s edition will focus on the role of young women in leadership.
The festival is a high level youth meeting between ordinary young people, elected representatives and key stakeholders who come together to debate current issues.
At the festival, young people (16 to 30) are able to freely interact and engage with politicians, diplomatic missions, academia, media, the private sector and civil society through customized debates, speeches, exhibitions and workshops.
Since its founding in 2011, according to its organisers, the festival has attracted close to 3000 youth and 100 exhibitors every year with more than 50 high profile politicians and key stakeholders participating. The festival is convened by Open Space Center in collaboration with other partners.
This year’s edition which will be the eighth of its kind, will take place on the eve of the international
youth day on 11th August 2018 at Makerere university freedom square under the theme “Let Young
Women Lead”.
Under this theme the festival will feature debates and discussions around the role of
young women in in politics, business and social enterprise highlighting key achievements, challenges
and future prospects.
The organizers say that despite an increase in women’s leadership (35% of Parliament is constituted of women), the
ratio of women to men leading in the public sphere does not reflect the total population of
women (52% according to UBOS). According to the hosts of the event, the theme is aimed at among others changing the traditional prejudices, rising levels of economic, political and cultural fundamentalism, low literacy levels and
systematic discrimination that restrict their leadership and full participation in public life.