AGYA Receives Grant Funding From Clinton Global Initiative

Former President William J. Clinton addresses young activists at the 2010 CGI U Conference.

AGYA is honored and humbled to announce that our project, “Recording Our Dreams: Empowering Ugandan Youth through Music Production” will receive $6,000 USD after winning an Outstanding Commitment Award from the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U). The award is funded by the Wal-Mart Foundation.

According to CGI U, AGYA’s plan to empower youth economically and artistically by establishing a solar-powered recording studio was as an exemplary entrepreneurial and environmentally-sustainable approach to alleviate poverty and joblessness among youth in Uganda's urban slums.

AGYA Girls Program Leader Enrolls in United Media Consultants and Trainers (UMCAT)

19 year old Mulekatete Sarah was recently re-elected to serve as the Director of the AGYA Girls Program. Sarah's dream is to become a journalist and we are proud to announce that, with the support of AGYA, Sarah has enrolled in a degree program at United Media Consultants and Trainers (UMCAT).

Sarah was recently interviewed by Zora&Alice, an online women's magazine which hopes to empower young women to be leaders and entrepreneurs, in business, non-profit, writing, film, fashion.

To view the article, click here: http://zora-alice.com/2010/07/sarah-mulekatete-victim-to-leader/

18 New Youth Leaders Will Lead AGYA Into 2011

The involvement of youth in leadership positions is a central aspect of AGYA's philosophy. This approach is a departure from traditional Ugandan culture, which maintains the supremacy of elders, a point of view that often diminishes the capabilities of young people and renders their opinions irrelevant or unimportant. In AGYA, youth leaders gain valuable leadership experience and earn a monthly stipend which allows them to supplement their family's household income and be economically empowered young people.

All youth leaders have decision-making authority, contribute to the organization's overall strategic plan, conduct outreach and advocacy in the community, lead meetings, facilitate classes and workshops, and serve as Ambassadors to friends of AGYA. The inclusion of these powerful young voices has helped to set the organization's agenda and introduced new, innovative solutions to key problems affecting the thousands of Ugandan's living in urban poverty.

AGYA Youth Use Stop-Motion Technology To Create Animated Promo Video!

After only 6 weeks of intensive media training with Point Youth Media volunteers, a team of AGYA Youth have filmed and edited the following promo video in Uganda. This short video (which features "Long Time," the original composition written and recorded by AGYA youth in the opening scene) serves as a testament to the ways in which access to resources and training can truly open up a world of possibilities for children and youth. Enjoy!

AGYA Measures Impact of 2 Core Programs

Organizations often highlight what they do and how they do it; however, many organizations struggle to qualitatively and quantitatively measure the impact of their programs and activities. Although AGYA is still in the process of solidifying and streamlining our evaluation procedures; we are proud to report that, within the last 6 months, our Free Lunch Program has provided more than 500 kg of food and 76 gallons of clean drinking water to children and youth living in Uganda’s urban slums. AGYA’s Staff has contributed more than 1,500 volunteer hours to ensure the success of the Free Lunch Program, which has served 323 children and youth from 5 urban communities in Uganda.