Young Leaders: Drivers of Change
A young leader reflects on his participation in the Global Youth Leaders program 2015
On September 17, 2015, I left Uganda for a three week study trip to Canada as part of the Global Youth Leaders program 2015, an inaugural youth-centred program at the Coady International Institute, in Nova Scotia. The Coady Institute, housed at St. Francis Xavier University, inspires development leaders with critical thinking, practical skills and tools to support communities organizing for change.
My participation in this program was made possible through the generous support of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development Canada (DFATD), as well support from friends and organizations including: The MasterCard Foundation, Restless Development-Uganda, John Magnay, Ruth Silver and Reagan SSerwadda. I am indeed very grateful for all their support.
During the course of my stay and study at the Coady Institute, I met 13 exceptional young leaders with diverse backgrounds from nine different countries across the globe that are driving change in their communities and countries.
It was such a great honour, as I was introduced to a number of development tools and learning based on Coady’s three core thematic areas: strengthening local economies, building resilient communities and promoting accountable democracies.
During this training, I also had a chance to learn about the history of the local Mi’kmaq people, attended a public lecture on child soldiers by Retired General, Roméo Dallaire and Stephen Lewis, and visited the Milbrook Cultural and Heritage Centre as well as the Africville Museum. It was also during this training that I learned about the great work of Rev. Dr. Moses Coady and the Antigonish movement principles, which are the foundations of the Coady Institute.
This three week intensive course provides a space for collective exploration of self, community transformation and developing our roles as advocates of social justice and change. With all the learning and experiences gained during the training, I was able to develop an action plan that will contribute to a positive social change in my community and country at large.
This is an exceptional learning opportunity that I would recommend other young leaders to attend. I would encourage more support to be provided towards increasing the number of young leaders who go through this training, as we are the masters and drivers of change in our communities, countries and in the world.
Arnest Sebbumba is Program Coordinator, Countryside Youth Foundation and a participant in the STRYDE program through our partnership with Technoserve.
