Youth Parliament

GLOFORD first designed and implemented the youth parliament model through a consortium project (Community Empowerment For Good Governance-CEGG) implemented with Lira NGO Forum and Lango Samaritan Initiative from April 2014-March 2016. Owing to great learning from this project, GLOFORD modified the model and has now adopted it as youth development and leadership mentorship program-YoDEL model.
Youth Parliament was used to design another project dubbed Youth in Governance and Leadership-YoGAL funded by USAID Governance Accountability Participation and Performance Program running in the period 2015-2017.

The Youth parliament model uses the three-lens approach adopted from the World Bank It takes rights-based approach to encourage citizenship and educated and organized advocacy, and have proven effective in projects targeting young people implemented by GLOFORD.

Three key factors are responsible for youth and community development:

  1. Decision making
  2. Participation
  3. Empowerment.
    GLOFORD Youth programing employs this World Bank’s three lens approach as it engages with the youth.

    1. GLOFORD works with youth for their benefit (as target beneficiaries),
    2. We also work with the youth as partners,
    3. We work with the youth as leaders.

This is an assets based approach to youth participation in development that appreciates and mobilizes individual or group talents and strengths, rather than focusing only on deficits (needs), problems, or threats.

We normally ask 8 guiding questions when starting a relationship with the youth.

  1. Who are these youth? (target beneficiaries)
  2. What are they doing/not doing? (participation)
  3. Which youth are involved or are supposed to be involved? (limited participation)
  4. Why are they doing what they are doing/not doing what they are supposed to do? (reasons why they are doing what they are doing)
  5. Who amongst them can we work with? (leaders)
  6. What can they do and what can we do? (mutual contribution)
  7. What can we do together with them? (Partnership)
  8. How do we know that it is working? (evaluation)

The Youth Parliament is among others designed to achieve the following:-

  • To build the capacity of potential youth leaders in their targeted communities and rally them to lead change at the local level.
  • To act as mentoring hubs for youth and youth leaders
  • To act as a think tank on youth issues and generate innovative approaches and activities that can be implemented to drive change
  • To create dialogue platforms with local leadership on issues affecting the youth and youth leadership.
  • A platform to create dialogue and a sense of unity and work cohesion, relevance and identity among the youth

Youth Parliament (YoP) Composition: Number of members, literacy, and age

Currently, GLOFORD is running Youth Parliaments at sub county/municipal division level. The total number of members range from 25-30 youth

  • The elected youth representatives to the division/sub-county councils are automatic members of this parliament.
  • Active youth (in the spheres of politics, business, social, groups, cultural, religious institutions) especially those in progressive activities) identified from every parish of the division together with the youth leaders. They should be individuals who are active in their communities and part of community level activities (groups, churches, mosques, etc.)
  • Leading or members of Youth CBOs
  • Influential youths whose decisions are honoured and respected.
  • At least 1 male and 1 female will be selected from every parish
  • Whenever possible, at least one member of each YoP shall be a PWD
  • At least 1/3 of the YoPs will be composed of female representatives.
  • Literacy levels of the members shall be considered. The YoP members should be individuals who can read, write, conceptualize and communicate in Lango and Basic English.
  • YoP members shall be aged 18-35 years
  • Individuals of good repute without criminal records of any kind.
  • Willingness to volunteer and support community initiatives without the drive for material gains

YoPs meetings and regular engagements.

  • It’s hoped that YoPs will design different research, policy, lobbying, etc. activities that they can carry out in their communities. This can include community level discussions with other youth and engagement with local leaders and mentors of different
    professions.
  • It will be critical that YoPs meet periodically. Each YoP is required to agree on the least number of meetings they can have in a year. These meetings are conducted monthly, bi-quarterly or quarterly.
  • GLOFORD Uganda will support the YoPs to design their work plans including meeting schedules.
  • The meetings shall be held at parish, sub-county and district levels depending on the
    scope of the subject of discussions identified by the parliaments.

Roles and Responsibilities of YoPs

  • All YoPs will be required to conduct regular meetings. Each member of YoP will be required to participate in all meetings and if he/she doesn’t attend, prior communication should be forwarded to the Speaker of the Parliament and recorded by the clerk. Any member who absconds for more than five meetings without communication and shows dissatisfaction in continuing to engage on YoPs activities shall be discussed by the parliament and a motion of replacement or inquiry moved and adopted by at least 50% of the members present during the session.
  • The Speaker will there after inform the said member of the outcome of the motion.
  • If it’s the speaker, the same procedure shall be followed after consulting with him or her and a response documented by clerk.
    Elect their members in to agreed roles proposed below if adopted by the YoPs:

    • Initiate divisional/sub county level meetings with the LCIII Chairman, SAS, LCIII
      secretaries, NGOs etc to seek for clarifications/feedback on youth issues/projects/programs and task the leaders on specific actions pertinent to youth affairs.
    • Participate in sub county/division and district youth days jointly organized by or together with other YoPs but facilitated by GLOFORD Uganda, District Youth Leaders and or
      other partners.
    • Generate activities to be implemented by YoPs and facilitated by GLOFORD Uganda and or other partners.
    • Generate a quarterly plan of action and a report and share with GLOFORD and division/sub county leaders (political and technical).
    • Participate in monitoring of government and development partners projects/programs, generate report and raise during YoPs sessions/with leaders.

Roles and responsibilities of GLOFORD Uganda

  • Guide and facilitate the process of YoPs formation, capacity building and leadership across the program areas
  • Provide minimal resources for orientation of the YoPs on their roles as youth representatives and leaders.
  • Train the YoPs on different capacity areas (leadership, communication,governance, transparency, advocacy, project management, social accountability etc)
  • Source and facilitate mentoring sessions with and for the YoPs members
  • Create linkages of the YoPs to different actors and institutions for further opportunities in different sectors with different actors.
  • Support the YoPs to generate actions and plans targeting the wider community of young people both in and out of schools.

Initiatives to drive and strengthen youth Parliaments

  • Several strategies will be used to strengthen the capacity of the YoPs to drive change.
  • Community level dialogues
  • Service delivery expansion through youth efforts
  • Youth-youth parliament meetings/debates
  • Public dialogues/lectures
  • Youth Advocacy forum engagements
  • Post primary school debates
  • Capacity building (mentorship, training, coaching)
  • Youth voluntarism