First lady urges youth to adapt to change

The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Mrs Janet Museveni, has asked the youth to learn to be adaptable to all situations, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when situations are changing globally.

"You need to add one more skill to your set of skills and that is adaptability. My concern as an elder has been how ready you are to face change when it happens," Mrs Museveni said. She said adaptability is a trait that determines how one responds to change.

"How willing are you to change, how flexible is your attitude? Are you open to change, or are you a creature of habit?" The First Lady, who is the founder and patron of the Uganda Youth Forum (UYF), made the remarks as she officiated at the high-level dialogue, which she hosted at State House, Entebbe.

The dialogue was to commemorate International Youth Day, under the theme, "Positioning Urban Youth for Socio-Economic Transformation."

The event was also attended by the Kampala Capital City Authority executive director, Dorothy Kisaka, UYF executive director Leonard Imanishimwe and chairperson of the board, Dr James Magara. Others were senior pastor of Worship House Wilson Bugembe, Makerere University vice-chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe and youth representatives. 

Mrs Museveni also said: "We live in a world where there are risks and instability. For example, during this period of the COVID-19 pandemic, many things have happened which have upset our normal way of life. Many offi ces, businesses and institutions of learning were forced to close and many have since downsized and laid off many of their employees.

"Even as we speak, human resource officers in many organisations may be re-thinking what type of employees they will require when they re-open. They are coming to terms with what has come to be known as ‘the new normal'." She said there are many things that might never go back to the way they used to be.

She asked: "Given the new level of uncertainty, how can we adapt and survive? Have you, as a person adapted to ‘the new normal', or are you waiting and hoping that the pandemic will end and things will return to the ‘normal' you were used to?" Mrs Museveni also noted that the youth have capacity to be good leaders.

"If you want to excel as a leader, you must learn to be adaptable." She added that during times of adversity, all youth who want to be leaders must have "a rapid, but appropriate response to minimise the adverse effect for the organisation you may be leading. How well a leader handles crisis is an indicator of flexible and adaptive leadership." She added: "As a leader, you will face situations that require you to make quick decisions about whether or not to change course.

If you are not able to pivot quickly, your actions could hurt people and your enterprise as a whole." The First Lady said the youth's reaction and decisions at that critical time can mean the difference between life and death, between financial ruin or gain. "Being adaptable means not feeling hopeless and helpless in the face of change.

You have the ability and the skills to change yourself even if you cannot change the situation. "When you suddenly lose your job due to a decline in your industry or some other reason, what is your first move?

Do you give up and resign yourself to months of fruitless job hunting? Or do you take stock of your current skills set and think about how you can reposition yourself and find work in another industry or another role, thus increasing the scope of your skills and your experience," Mrs Museveni said.

She also reminded the youth that if they add adaptability to their other skills, it will enable them to bounce back more quickly from adversity. "Bad things happen in life to all of us. But if we learn to be flexible and adaptable, we will take adversity in our stride and not let it destroy us or our destiny."

She added that there is growing domestic violence in homes because of the children's long stay at home. "The lockdown measures put in place by the Government to mitigate the spread of the virus included and necessitated the closure of all schools and educational institutions. Unfortunately, this particular measure has exacerbated already existing challenges for the most vulnerable segment of our society — the children," she said.

Mrs Museveni added: "Since the closure of schools, organisations that work with communities have all confirmed that they have witnessed a significant increase in the risks for children, adolescents and youth. The risk the young people face is both about contracting the virus and other problems that make them extremely vulnerable to the social and economic impact, which has been brought about by the pandemic."

The First Lady said there is a notable increase in underage girls drawn into commercial sex for money, food, and other material needs. "Child marriages are also now used as a way of coping with financial hardships. Some families marry off young girls in exchange for dowry or bride price.

"This not only destroys the future of the young girls but also means that there will be an increase in the birth of unwanted children and consequently abandonment or unsafe abortions. It is painful to note that some parents and family members have become the main perpetrators of violence against children," Mrs Museveni said.

She called upon parents, communities, and local leaders to step up the protection of children and bring back the communal upbringing of children.

She also thanked the leadership of UYF and KCCA for organising the dialogue. Pr Bugembe cautioned the youth against living without big dreams, and to always be cautious of the ‘thieves' who are always ready to steal their dreams.

"Youth should protect their time, age and dreams since it is their greatest resource." Kisaka thanked the First Lady for the various initiatives which she has started in the last three decades. "These will live to stand the test of time for generations."