PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES

Project Soar in a Box:

The Project Soar in a Box (PSB) provides local facilitators with all the tools they need to empower “squads” of teenage girls to understand their value, voice, body, rights and path. Project Soar trains local Facilitators to lead their girls through 35 workshops over the course of the school year. Graduates of PSB go on to join the Project Soar Girl Leader Club, a girl-led initiative that advocates for issues selected by and for the girls. The project was launched in Uganda in January 2019 and currently runs in 5 high schools in underserved communities in Kampala and Wakiso with 10 local facilitators and over 100 teenage girls activated.

See below Important Links about the Program for more information
parallax background

Youth Mentorship Program:

This program provides young Ugandans with the tools and platforms to run for political office and prepare to participate meaningfully in elections. As elections approach, Open Space Centre responded to the growing optimism and desire among young Ugandans to shape the future of the country by designing and implementing a training and mentorship program for young people interested in running for office, establishing an online information service and media campaign and hosting debate competitions and policy dialogues to encourage meaningful youth political participation. This program is supported by the National Endowment for Democracy.

See below Important Links about the Program for more information

SDGs in Reality - Youth SDGs Awareness Program:

This project takes the SDGs to high schools, brings on board youth organisations working with SDGs at an even more local level, builds a pool of mentors for the goals, and provides opportunities for youth to take lead in popularisation of the SDGs. The project seeks to get youth and their organisations in the public policy debate about the SDGs. It is basically, a youth-2-youth mobilization, using a time-tested debate method. This program is implemented in partnership with Crossing Borders a Danish based CSO and is supported by CISU.

See below Important Links about the Program for more information
parallax background
ANYF

Annual National Youth Festival:

The Annual National Youth Festival is more than an event, it is a rallying call to all young people in Uganda to GO BE WHAT THEY WANT TO BE; In a Uganda society where everyone is too busy or too shy to engage with youth, the festival is designed to speak to the youth in their language, tell their stories and celebrate their achievements through innovative exhibitions, inspirational talks, live debates, music performances, various art forms and interfaces with policy makers.

See below Important Links about the Program for more information
parallax background

University Debate Nationals:

University Debate Nationals (UDN) is the biggest annual debate gathering bringing together over 200 students from more than 20 tertiary institutions in Uganda for competitive debating, public speaking and public policy discourse. During the Nationals students give speeches, arguments and policy proposals on topical public interest issues, in the presence of a panel of judges and a preselected enthused audience of fellow students and key stakeholders including; civil society, private sector and policy makers among others. Besides the main championships, the gathering features a revered debate and leadership training academy/camp that involves a series of mentorship sessions and issue based public dialogues with the best debaters and orators in the country.

See below Important Links about the Program for more information
parallax background

Testimonials and Endorsements

  • Through the T.R.U.T.H Debate at Uganda Christian University (UCU), I participated in various inter-debate tournaments which I found very satisfying. My best moment of debate was when Open Space Center organized a National University Championship where my partner and I were the…
    Michael Aboneka
  • For the past four years, I have been involved in the National Youth Festival and my involvement ideally has linking this platform with the creative community especially music and art. The biggest impact for me I can say is that the Festival opened our eyes to the truth that music and art…
    Gilbert Bwette