The project provides empowerment and practical for social action using technology for: Public Engagement- Training tools in; leadership, Research & Documentary photography so as to create a traveling exhibit for galleries, libraries, and other public spaces within the 5 Divisions of Kampala District to advocate for solutions to challenges facing youth in low-income slum communities in Kampala, and; Youth Empowerment-train participants in; ICT literacy, entrepreneurship skills development and digital image editing, help them use acquired skills competencies for empowerment.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Kawempe Division in Kampala City
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
Our community was involved in discussing concepts behind this project to develop a platform through which they can relate their stories, concerns, perspectives, struggles and visions for better communities. They expressed ideas and interest to engage in training activities to acquire skills for individual empowerment as well as develop their capacity to champion for change through photo imagery. The community is under-served with high unemployment levels and low education completion rates especially amongst the female population. There is
limited access to meaningful free or affordable training and youth promotion opportunities. 78% of Ugandans are youth and the majority live in slum conditions around urban centres. KYCL seeks a grant so as to advocate for change.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
Jonathan Butemba is a social researcher and available on facebook at; butembalokerisjonathan.
Esther Kyazike is a librarian and she is available on twitter at; ekyazikestar and on facebook at kawempeyouthcentre.
Robert Kayiki, a representative from KCCAL, with which KYCL has a partnership is available on twitter at; rkayiki.
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
A Communities Weblog & an Annual Traveling Photo Exhibition. This empowerment project aimed at creating awareness & accountability for social change will enhance community capacity to develop and share personal stories and images through photography and ICT. This project will utilize multimedia narratives consisting of text, voices and images that create candid and artistic accounts of their lives, experiences and perspectives on different arrays of socioeconomic realities. It will provide new opportunities for traditionally disenfranchised communities to use their own images to reach out and communicate directly with the world about issues that profoundly affect their lives. Youth will get ICT & computer literacy, empowerment &
integrated digital technologies.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established or plan to establish that will contribute to the success of the project.
KYCL has worked with the community and obtained its participation on various occasions through the engagement of Local Councils (LCs). KYCL has worked with Kampala City Council Authority in the past to engage in youth activities with our communities, in the area of health promotion. KYCL is a member of Uganda Youth Network (UYONET) and this platform will enable us in carrying out guided community work with other youth
serving organizations working within operational areas.
KYCL and Kampala Capital City Authority Library (KCCAL) hold joint membership with Beyond Access (www.beyondaccess.net and www.beyondaccesscampaign.org). Beyond Access is an initiative supported by EIFL-PLIP (www.eifl.net/plip) aimed at supporting and promoting the role of libraries in changing communities.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
KYCL seek to empower 50 youth and since the call of application for this micro grant was opened, it has taken effort to reach out to leadership through Local Council youth representatives. Reason was to gain insight and guidance into how best field activities under project this nature can be carried out since most work is to be grassroots based. The
engagement of the council is essential in identifying individuals that have the capacity to be actively involved in implementation activities for the success of the project. Twenty (20) selected youth will receive further training for project work as community advocates and will engage in the first Social Action through Photo-Images Exhibition to be held in Kampala Feb 21st 2015 at the close of project for its first year.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
Cameras, A weblog & Exhibition will be used. I have a passion for photography,, transferrable ICT and Digital Editing skills. I worked with youth long enough to meaningfully support participant's project training needs. I have good skills at site development tools like Word
Press. I use facebook to promote KYCL, fundraise, etc. I have more than 7 years of youth mentoring at KYCL, where I worked as a volunteer in the beginning of my career. Over the years, have developed youth livelihood promotion initiatives and my capacity to; initiate, implement, monitor and evaluate projects. One of my initiatives was an eifl-plip award winner in 2011. Information about the 2011 project is available at; http://www.eifl.net/eifl-plip-innovation-award/award-1-economic-wellbeing#uganda.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
KYCL has a fully functional computer lab that runs 15 computer terminals. The flat screen monitor terminals are connected to network server using S-Technology through cable connections that link using thin client units attached to each. The server is a DELL Optiplex-3010 with a 1.8GiB memory with an Intel Core i3-3220 CPU processor that runs at 3.30GHZ. The internet connection speed approximates to 10/100 Mbps using a router with a
dedicated Y-max connection while there is an option of using USB Modems. A white board and a three one full color printer and 5 digital cameras are available. A projector is in place for overhead display. This features should be adequate to provide a platform for running all levels of training. The lab can comfortably accommodate 60 participants at a
sitting
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
KYCL has worked within the community for the past 10 years in the areas of education and youth promotion. In addition, there is a lack of awareness and documentation of under served, alienated population groups living in the slums around Kampala despite any economic gains and from that perspective, Its clear the plight of many is unnoticed. I have been involved with KYCL for 7 years and a longtime witness to these social
realities. If lives will change, advocacy for change in slum life and conditions must be a priority. KYCL and Kampala Capital City Authority Library (KCCAL), which is under the Directorate of Education and Social Services are a joint member of Beyond Access (www.beyondaccess.net). Am supporting the organization with partner and program development focusing on youth work.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
High initial expectations from communities in respect to participant financial benefits, Unexpected power outages during practical training sessions and Community sensitivities. KYCL will ensure community engagement so as to share the financial
aspects of the project and what available funding is for. This disclosure will also ensure that participants get a clear understanding of what is expected of them and what they should expect in return. Backup power units will be made available since they retain power to ensure prolonged use during outages. Identity tags in addition to police authorization letters will be provided for field work and t-shirts with project details and name of organization will be availed to those undertaking community work for
promotion and visibility purposes.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
The level of empowerment and competencies gained by project participants through practical training sessions. The levels of public awareness and attendance at the first ever traveling Exhibition reflecting communities through images that will be opened in Kampala at the end of the initial cycle of this project. The competencies with which trained participants can use acquired skills to independently engage as advocates in continued community documenting and online contribution through established social platforms. A completed online and vibrant weblog that reflects stories and conditions from slum communities around Kampala by project end will be a good measure of success and equally will the established capacity to undertake advocacy 2015-2016 activities.
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
July 5th 2014 – KYCL will communicate the decision from its application for a Raising Voices Microgrants 2014.
July 7th – Project meeting to set up ground implementation team
July 14th to 19th July – Project promotion (Local Councils, Municipal and other stakeholders)
21st to 26th July – Select 40 participants
28th to July 29th – Project Activities Orientation of participants
Aug 4th 2014 – 3 months Youth Empowerment Initiative (ICT literacy, enterprenuership skills development) training starts
Nov 3rd – End of 3 months Youth Empowerment initiative
Nov 5th and 6th – Evaluate initial training
Nov 8th – Selection of community advocates
10th Nov 2014 – 3 months training for 20 community advocates in; leadership, Research & Documentary photography starts
Feb 13th 2015 – End of advocates training
Feb 21st 2015 – First Annual Travelling Photo Exhibition
Feb 23rd -25th Final Project Evaluation
Feb 27th – Project Documentation and Reporting
Feb 28th 2015 – Project Close
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
BUDGET ELEMENT Total
PERSONNEL COSTS
2 Project Assistants 960
PROJECT ADMIN & TRAINING COSTS
Equipment, Repair & Maintenance 120
Supplies, Printint & Stationery 90
Communication 130
Bank Charges 15
Internet Subscription 260
OPERATIONAL COSTS
Promotion and Publicity 160
Public Transport 40
OUTREACH
Monitor & Evaluate 140
Exhibition 460
NGO CONTRIBUTION
Project Coordinator 1320
Fixed Assets (Assorted) 7740
Utilities 192
NGO contribution is what KYCL has in place valued in US$
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
KYCL could use 4 extra external hard data storage drives.
Voice/Sound Recorders if possible.
If there is a possibility, we can be supported with some photographic
materials onto which exhibition images can be printed for display in
2015. This will reduce operational costs.
Publicity-Rising Voices can support KYCL by connecting it to organizations or institutions and individuals that may be running such programs or could be interested and in position to support us with developing a program aimed at working with photography and ICT for youth empowerment in Uganda. We are also interested in receiving short-term volunteers that have the capacity to work with us as trainers or tutors to develop the initiative.
Contact name
Walsh Arthur Timothy
Organization
Kawempe Youth Centre Library (KYCL)
