Digital Literacy for Youth Empowerment
Uganda is the world’s second youngest country with a median age of just 15.9[1]. Up to 60% of the Ugandan population is under 18 years. While this could mean unmatched potential, the reverse is also exactly true. Lack of meaningful work among young people is playing into a frustration that has in some instances contributed to social unrest and unmanaged migration. Statistics show that youth unemployment in Uganda stands at 62% representing 4.5 million of 7.2 million youths in the job market[2]. The lack of basic skills such as computer skills play a great role in Uganda’s youth unemployment narrative[3]. Needless to say, the absence of opportunities for avenues of such skills, especially in rural Uganda, is just another lubricant in the unemployment engine.
In the summer of 2014, I returned to my rural birth-place district of Lira - Uganda after a year in Norway, attending the United World College Red Cross Norway (UWCRCN). With me, was my most priced [temporary] possession – a school owned laptop computer I had been leased [at no cost] to use during the 2-year intense International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma program. It could be safe to say I owned the only laptop computer in the entire neighborhood of close to 7,000 inhabitants. It would only take three days for all my village peers to learn that their home-boy had had an unusual comeback; “the brother had a serious gadget” they would say. It was then that I realized I was in for something much bigger than had ever crossed my mind. Growing up with my siblings, my parents instilled in us the proverbial colossus; to whom much is given, much is expected. There had never been a time that this lesson became more alive!
Sooner than later, I had embraced the role of a computer instructor, offering free casual computer lessons to my peers every single day of that summer break. In fact, I always had a couple of friends sleep over at my house to maximize what they could learn in lieu of a few hours of sleep. As for me, nothing inspired me more than the burning desire my friends had to master the art of operating a computer.
Watching the smiles on the face of a friend who could now type their name in Word, the one who could do basic arithmetics using simple functions in Excel, and the ones who dared to make their first slides in PowerPoint were the highlights of that summer.
In the fastly changing world of today, computational power and the internet do drive our global economy. We live at a time when digital technologies are fueling transformative changes all around us every single day. However, several societies across the world have no access to this transformative opportunity of even basic access to the most trivial of technical know-how in this digital age. Economic stability is a sustaining factor in every peaceful society and innovative technology is at its core and several young people across the world are driving the innovation with their youthful energies and intellect. It’s been heartbreaking to see some close friends turn into juvenile delinquents without a sense of purpose in life due to circumstances that are easily avoidable because of lack of access to opportunities for self-development in areas such as digital literacy.
The situation of my friends is the story of several youths in my community and in Uganda at large. As an individual whose life has truly been turned around by numerous opportunities – one of which was access to computer lessons, to simply spectate the circumstance would be an injustice for which I should never be forgiven! The future of several Ugandan communities depends on their youth population. Yet in many, that population is simply a ticking time bomb – waiting to explode! The adage; an idle mind is the devils workshop, explains it best. When young people with vibrant youthful energies aren’t fully equipped with rightful skills to direct their energies into constructive works, they will find other avenues to direct such energy and idleness results of which are unpleasant.
With a deeper understanding of the power of just a single laptop, I strongly believe digital literacy is one effective tool that can be used to detonate this ticking time bomb as it not only keeps the youth engaged but also keeps them in touch with the technological advancements of our time. Computer literacy is a viable gateway to more peaceful societies with productive, engaged and skilled youths. It must be given the attention it deserves!
Technology is the great growling engine of change. It’s power to build peace, challenge those in power and canvass knowledge to prevent conflict are not only undoubted but also proven. In rural areas of Uganda, most schools lack the facilities to gain basic practical computer skills, resulting in an approach that does not equip school-leavers for the workplace.
Computer literacy is a passport to a whole new world of possibilities and opportunities. Yet, for every 10 Ugandans, only 3 have access to a computer[4]. For every 10 Ugandans without any kind of access to a computer, up to 8 of them are under 30 years of age. Barlwala village where I implemented the 2017 Davis Projects for Peace and its neighboring communities account for up to 5,520 youths, about 78% of the population their total population. Several young adults have dropped out of school primarily due to financial reasons and are now engaged in hard unskilled labor. There is no doubt that empowering this fragile population of youths with the power of the mouse click will have a real transformative impact in the general well-being and peace of this communities. More so, computer literacy will now enable them to fully utilize the various opportunities rendered by the digital age.
Davis Projects for Peace Overview
Projects for Peace is an initiative for all students at the Davis United World College Scholars Program partner schools (and a few other institutions) to design grassroots projects for the summer of 2017 - anywhere in the world - which promote peace and address the root causes of conflict among parties. The initiative encourages applicants to use their creativity to design projects and employ innovative techniques for engaging project participants in ways that focus on conflict resolution, reconciliation, building understanding and breaking down barriers which cause conflict, and finding solutions for resolving conflict and maintaining peace.
Projects for Peace was created in 2007 through the generosity of Kathryn W. Davis, a lifelong internationalist and philanthropist who died in 2013 at 106 years of age. She is the mother of Shelby M.C. Davis who funds the Davis United World College Scholars Program currently involving over 93 American colleges and universities. Mrs. Davis’ legacy will live on through the continuation of Projects for Peace to spark initiatives for building prospects for peace in the world. The Davis family and friends believe, like Mrs. Davis did, that today’s youth – tomorrow’s leaders – ought to be challenged to formulate and test their own ideas.
I was honored to be one of the project grantees and leader of a Projects for Peace in Uganda this year. The goal of my project was to establish a computer training center starting with 10 all-in-one computers in partnership with BINDEC Uganda, which would offer low cost computer lessons to opportunity deprived youths in Barlwala village – Lira District, Northern Uganda.
The first of its kind initiative seeks to become the start of a growing resource center that will in the years serve the 5,520 youths and young adults in Barlwala village and its neighboring communities. By offering a low-cost computer literacy program, the project will not only be accessible to every youth who need and truly deserve it but also ensure for the sustainability of the program.
[1] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/05/the-world-s-10-youngest-countries-are-all-in-africa/
[2] http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1319320/crippling-dilemma-graduate-youth-unemployment
[3] http://fontes.no/foundation/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Michael-Pletscher_Youth-unemployment-in-Uganda.pdf
[4] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/03/20/10-facts-about-technology-use-emerging-world/
