By Njapidi Joel and Babirye Brenda
The cool afternoon of 6th May 2021 was one of a kind for some students of Kyambogo University who attended the “Skills for the modern Youth” discussion in the Central Teaching Facility auditorium. The event organized by AIESEC Uganda in partnership with the United Nations Association of Uganda (UNAU) among others gave chance for the students to learn from the experiences of various speakers. These included Mr. Baguma Richard (The Secretary-General of United Nations Association of Uganda), Mrs. Tusiime Sharifah (The Founder of Zimba Women), Mr. Namanya Brian (Founder of Tubayo Travelling Agency), Mr. Mugerwa Moses Maurice (The Operations Manager Bolt Uganda), Mr.Kafeero Aziz (The Founder of Kafeero Foundation) and Mrs. Nabuuma Shamim (The Founder and Executive Director of Chil Artificial Intelligence Lab).
Mr Baguma of UNAU cautioned them against their growing mindset of entitlement. Being young doesn’t entitle one to anything. Rather, young people should make good use of their time because “youth is a transient stage in life” he said. As for being too busy to get involved in activities that can give them additional skills beyond academic qualifications, he encouraged them to participate in various activities to attain soft skills like; communications, networking and interpersonal skills.
The various skills required by the modern youth to thrive were further unpacked. “Life calls for flexibility, accountability, agility and adaptability” said Moses Maurice from Bolt Uganda. These traits are also key in business success for example, flexibility is needed in identifying business needs in society. Mr.Aziz also told them that “Business isn’t for making money. It is for making meaning to everything you touch.”
Ms.Sharifah of Zimba Women further advised the participants to have online presence for their organizations or businesses and not to limit their scope to only what Ugandans want. “Those going to win are those who have embraced efficiency and digital marketing” emphasized Mr.Amanya of Tobayo Travels. Amidst all these, Ms.Abeja Linda of Amariatek Life Couching tasked young people to understand their strengths so that they aren’t left at the mercy of other people. They should also develop emotional intelligence even if “Nobody is born with emotional intelligence, you learn to grow it” Ms.Abeja noted.
Through this session, we have learnt one can work not just for money but to gain experience, youths need to be persistent and always hopeful in life. Importantly, we appreciated the big role internet plays in marketing and boosting businesses in the digital era.
We recommend that every youth learns and adopts computer skills since the world is getting more and more digital. We are grateful to AIESEC for organizing this event and the partnership of UNA Uganda that made it possible for us to participate.
Written by: Njapidi Joel and Babirye Brenda (Members of UNAU-Kyambogo Chapter)
Edited by: Destiny Gladys Chaiga (In-Charge Clubs and Chapters at UNAU).
