Effective youth participation is about creating opportunities for the youth to be actively involved in designing, shaping, and influencing policy development and implementation processes. From a development perspective, the involvement of young men and women in participatory planning and policymaking processes at all levels plays a pivotal role. It ensures that their rights are promoted and that their voices are heard; that inter-generational knowledge is shared; and that innovation and critical thinking are encouraged at all ages to support transformational change in people’s lives and communities. Valuable resources that can contribute to the advancement and quality of development are lost or underutilized when young men and women are excluded from or insufficiently engaged in formal decision-making processes and institutions.

This program area focuses on increasing youth participation in decision making processes and also their full participation in government programs in Uganda. YEC envisages engaging the state and non-state actors to create a friendly youth environment that flourishes youth participation and their decision making process.

YEC will embark on series of training activities in alternative and transformative leadership to raise the level of gender consciousness among the youth to manage the consequences of conflict more efficiently; define their identity as individuals and as youth; monitor the development programmes in their areas; participate in the decision making processes; analyse their local government resource distribution and prepare themselves for leadership roles in their communities.

The youth require access to information, communication and technology (ICT) to enhance their knowledge and skills for effective participation in the development process. Internet, mobile telephones and computer services that enhance access to information are mainly concentrated and visible in the urban centres. Low levels of access to ICT in rural areas inhibit young people’s potential as creative digital innovators and as active citizens, eager to positively contribute to sustainable development within their respective communities and districts.  Youth access to and use of ICTs in Uganda is still insufficient, and this is attributed to numerous factors namely disadvantage in financial, educational and/or cultural resources; inadequate ICT infrastructure; and low literacy levels; among others. YEC intends to tap the potentials of young people to design innovative technologies that will enhance their meaningful participation in programs of government and also bridge the information gap between the rural and urban youth in Uganda.

Through this Program, YEC will delivers ICT and Business to young entrepreneurs and university students who have a small business concept they want to develop as well as those who want to gain experience using technology to expand and grow their new business, make market connections, access capital, and develop business plans.

The organization boosts of strategic Networks and alliances both nationally and internationally particularly with youth focuses agencies which has brought about recognition of her expertise. The organization boasts of an efficient and effective membership, a well established pool of resource persons including facilitators, trainers, researchers, volunteers and an efficient oversight structure and the organization’s Board of directors. YEC has also been able to attract support through fundraising drives and by ensuring that all her activities are conducted with knowledge of the relevant bodies and continuously maintaining a non partisan image in all its activities. This initiative has been appreciated and embraced by the community members and has created a sense of community ownership as well mobilized the required resources like training spaces where local authorities.

According to the UDHS 2011, 46% of young women and 42% of young men in the age group of 15-19 are sexually active. Consequently, Uganda has the third highest teenage pregnancy rate in the world now at 25%, which has greatly contributed to the high maternal mortality rate of 360 per 100,000 live births (WHO, 2013). Unsafe abortions are estimated at 300,000 per year. This is further compounded by the fact that 58% of young unmarried women and 54% of young unmarried men have high risk sex.

With the availability of youth-friendly health services unacceptably low in Uganda, there is need to commit and invest adequate resources towards making new and existing services more accessible and attractive to young people. They must be able to choose the number of children they want; obtain the information and services needed to avoid unplanned pregnancy, HIV, and STIs, and to make informed choices. Such effort will lay a more realistic foundation for building a more stable, prosperous, and hopeful future for Uganda and her younger generation. YEC intends to strengthen collaboration with stakeholders to promote the sexual reproductive health and rights of the young people in Uganda.

This is aimed at providing timely, accurate and up-to-date SRHR and family planning training, information and services among Adolescent and Youth in Uganda in addition to providing CSE. The overall goal is to raise awareness, increase access and demand for SRHR and family planning information and services among young people and linking them to available service points using a range of online and mobile tools.