Divinity Barkley Matovu Announces Resignation from AGYA

Dear AGYA Friends & Supporters,

I am writing to formally announce my decision to resign from my position as Executive Director of the Amagezi Gemaanyi Youth Association, an organization I co-founded in 2008.  I am so proud of everything that AGYA has accomplished under my leadership in the past 3 years, including impacting more than 2,000 Ugandan youth through initiatives like the AGYA Girls Program,  the Recording Our Dreams Studio, Reel Talk: Confronting Global Gender Disparities Through Digital Media as well as exciting partnerships with great institutions like TOMS Shoes, One Laptop Per Child, and the University of Southern California. 

Although this chapter of my life has come to an end, I  am thrilled to share with all of you that I will begin a new chapter in less than 3 months when I will welcome my first child - a baby girl due in April 2012. As I prepare to begin my journey as a new mother, I have relocated from Uganda to my home state, Wisconsin,  where I will be working with the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee as a Youth Development Coordinator. I am excited about continuing my career in the non-profit sector and the opportunity to utilize my extensive international youth development experience to make a positive impact on urban youth in my home state, Wisconsin. 

Effective February 1, 2012, Abraham Matovu has taken over all duties and responsibilities related to the management of AGYA. This is consistent with our original vision for AGYA to be an organization run by and for native Ugandans. It is my hope that AGYA's leadership team will continue to make strides towards achieving our mission of creating safe, supportive, sustainable learning environments where African youth can develop leadership skills and express themselves creatively.

Thank you for supporting AGYA and sharing our strong belief that youth have the potential and power to be the main drivers of social change, ethical leadership, and economic development in Africa in the 21st Century.

AGYA to Partner with Los Angeles-based, ImMEDIAte Justice for Girls Media Training Program in Uganda

AGYA is thrilled to announce our partnership with ImMEDIAte Justice (IMJ), an organization devoted to revolutionizing sex education through filmmaking. IMJ operates in California and empowers young women of color with the knowledge and skills "to generate new images of reproductive freedom that inspire community action and global dialogue." IMJ and AGYA will work collaboratively to implement Reel Talk: Confronting Global Gender Disparities Through Digital Media an AGYA project funded by UN-Habitat as part of their Youth Fund Initiative.  

Reel Talk aims to train 48 teen girls to use film, digital media and photography as a platform to provide girls ages 15-20 with the training, artistic license and communication skills to transform attitudes and behaviors about critical gender issues among disadvantaged youth living in urban poverty in Kampala.  

On March 3, 2012, Reel Talk will launch a four week video production training with executive director of imMEDIAte Justice, Tani Ikeda and Lead Animation instructor at imMEDIAte Justice, Laura Yilmaz. Both instructors are professional LA based filmmakers who are passionate about empowering young women to speak their mind through film. The 48 young women in the program will learn screen writing, cinematography, sound design, and editing utilizing ipod technology. At the end of the four week intensive, the youth participants will continue to undergo 3 more months of additional training under the leadership of Project Coordinator, Happy Namutebi. After completing the training program, the youth participants will work together to create short films focused on critical gender issues. The participants will premiere their films at a community screening as well as share their stories online. 

AGYA & TOMS Shoes Announce Long-Term Partnership

AGYA is pleased to inform all our supporters about a new long-term partnership with TOMS Shoes, a company based in Santa Monica, CA. TOMS Shoes has contributed a container of new shoes to AAH to support our youth education and outreach programs.  The AGYA youth leader team, led by Country Director Abraham Matovu, are in the process of distributing the shoes  to AGYA members as well as local partner schools and NGOs in Kampala and Masaka districts. Among the beneficiaries of the shoes will be children at Nabulagala Good Hope Primary School in Kampala and participants active with Uganda Rural Fund programs in Masaka as well as AGYA members. For many beneficiaries, their new pair of TOMS will be the first or only pair of closed-toe shoes they own.

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AGYA Presents "Where We Work" Video

The latest AGYA video features images of the community where we work. Much of the footage was shot by AGYA Youth Leader Happy Namutebi. Enjoy!