Me as Winnie, I never saw myself as a media person but what I learnt in this workshop is that we do not only need media skills for filming or producing music, it is better for you to have media skills or be media literate because in case of your wedding, graduation day or even birthdays, you need to know how to instruct the camera person on how you would want your photos to look like (e.g long shots, close shots, what background) so that at the end you get what you want.

Another thing is that Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) has not only made me believe in myself as a youth, it has also given me a voice to speak out my concerns. I can now talk about any kind of issue that concerns my community. We as youth have a lot to say but in most cases, we are not given a platform or a go ahead to talk about our concerns. As a person, I think that this is because adults (e.g. our parents) do not believe in us. They look at us as a problem or trouble causers in society. Now that AYV has given us a voice to speak our concerns, we as the youth we will come out and show the adults (parents) that they are wrong about us. We are more than what they think we are and can be responsible with our lives.

 As a person, with the voice that AYV has given me, I will help and reach many young people especially the young positives with different issues that concern them. I will encourage them to have a voice and to talk freely about community issues, their challenges and how to overcome the challenges. I will also encourage them to have a skill of self-discovery, to have role models who inspire them in their lives and be motivated to live as their role models.

While at the workshop, I also learnt some of the 21st century skills which I found very The impact of the 2011 Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) Face-to-Face Workshop on my life by Nansumba Winnie, SchoolNet Uganda AYV site, Uganda The Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) workshop has impacted in me many skills and this AYV workshop has been different from all the workshops that I have attended which were about sexuality. Really my mind had been blank when it came to anything to do with media production simply because I thought that media production was the work of movie producers and cameramen and had nothing to do with me.

Me as Winnie, I never saw myself as a media person but what I learnt in this workshop is that we do not only need media skills for filming or producing music, it is better for you to have media skills or be media literate because in case of your wedding, graduation day or even birthdays, you need to know how to instruct the camera person on how you would want your photos to look like (e.g long shots, close shots, what background) so that at the end you get what you want.

Another thing is that Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) has not only made me believe in myself as a youth, it has also given me a voice to speak out my concerns. I can now talk about any kind of issue that concerns my community. We as youth have a lot to say but in most cases, we are not given a platform or a go ahead to talk about our concerns. As a person, I think that this is because adults (e.g. our parents) do not believe in us. They look at us as a problem or trouble causers in society. Now that AYV has given us a voice to speak our concerns, we as the youth we will come out and show the adults (parents) that they are wrong about us. We are more than what they think we are and can be responsible with our lives.

As a person, with the voice that AYV has given me, I will help and reach many young people especially the young positives with different issues that concern them. I will encourage them to have a voice and to talk freely about community issues, their challenges and how to overcome the challenges. I will also encourage them to have a skill of self-discovery, to have role models who inspire them in their lives and be motivated to live as their role models.

While at the workshop, I also learnt some of the 21st century skills which I found very relevant to my life. I also learnt about the whole process of media production starting with identifying the issue, webbing, story, storyline, script writing, story boarding, hands-on which involves putting photo shots on the computer then putting in words and the narrations.

Thanks to the AYV community, most especially our facilitators. relevant to my life. I also learnt about the whole process of media production starting with identifying the issue, webbing, story, storyline, script writing, story boarding, hands-on which involves putting photo shots on the computer then putting in words and the narrations. Thanks to the AYV community, most especially our facilitators.

The media can be downloaded using the link below

Gained Hope

Monday 10th Jan 2011 was the first day of the workshop. We went through the participants’ expectations for the workshop. Personally, I had the following expectations:

• To enable me develop the skills of editing video.
• To share experience with educators from other AYV project sites in Uganda so as to improve my performance.
• To get possible solutions to the challenges and problems my AYV youth artist encounter in their project work.
• To be inspired in carrying out AYV project activities at our AYV site.
• To discover the process of developing a digital story that can make an impact in and around our school.

All my expectations, were achieved because the training sessions were excellent, involving minds-on and hands-on approaches.

The trainers were knowledgeable, skillful and encouraging from the first day to the last day. Daniel Kakinda in particular was so inspiring and shared his personal experiences that inspired me greatly.

The workshop has:

• Enabled me to understand the concept and the concept and the purpose of Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) better. The explanation given was excellent especially the link between AYV and iEARN.
• Enabled me to develop the skills of video production. I used to have a problem of editing videos. It even became more difficult for me to guide students.
• Helped me too understand how to make the youth develop a digital story. Especially the qualities of a good story, how to write a storyline and doing a storyboard. This was properly presented and I understood it very well.
• Enabled me to understand the concept of “Create With a Purpose”. At first, we used to create media but it was a bit difficult to be focused. I will therefore guide my youth well.

Through this workshop, I was able to attend and listen to a virtual web conference about iEARN (International Education Resource Network) delivered over the Elluminate platform which was presented by Allan Kakinda from the iEARN-USA offices in New York, USA. This experience made me to develop more interest in the use of ICT in the teaching process.
My life has changed a lot after attending this workshop. I have always wanted to help the youth but in most cases, I lacked the skills and ideas to make them change for the better. From the workshop, I developed the skills of communicating to the youth to empower them carry out their projects concerning the problems in and around Jinja.

My attitude towards helping other people has improved tremendously. Previously, my concentration was on things with instant profit. But from now onwards, I think I have to serve the community first. That is why God has still left me on earth. The spirit of sharing has also increased in me.
The workshop has made to develop confidence in doing our AYV project from the beginning to the end. I can write a script and direct the making of a digital story. I am grateful to the excellent work done by the facilitators.

 I render my thanks to the AYV-Uganda country coordinator, Kakinda Daniel for the wonderful work done. First and foremost, the level of organization, facilitation and accommodation were so great.

There has been an all-time Internet service at the place of the workshop which enabled me reach out to the global AYV community.

The workshop has awesomely impacted a lot on my life. I see the person in me at another level. I see my tomorrow change.

On the first day, I got to know the details of what AYV is and what it about, the process of digital storytelling; coming up with the issue, the need for the issue to be relevant to the community and digging deeper into digital storytelling.

On the second day, I managed to get more of the life skills to make me move in life. Collaboration, technical, critical media analysis skills were some of the endless skills I acquired. I also got to know what it requires to come up with a good media. I got to know the different media production stages: getting the issue, webbing, coming up with a story, story lining and storyboarding.

On the third day, I got so involved in a number of activities that were taking me somewhere into the media production. I seriously got to know and realize the skills of enhancing the expression of the youth and engaging them in discussions on issues concerning them.

Friday marked the end of the training and the different personal experiences that were shared inspired me a lot to make me part of the AYV community.

I promise that I will extend the wonderful knowledge and skills I acquired at the workshop to the youth, local community and the AYV community.

The first day, I got to know what Adobe Youth Voice (AYV) was all about. I also got to learn the steps that has to be followed when creating a media starting with the planning stage, how to create the “Webbing” of the issue before doing media. I got to know how to make a storyline which is like a path you take to reach where you want to be. It’s also like a guide on an issue which gives the media a path to follow making it more effective.  As an aspiring Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) educator and media producer in my organization, making a storyline was a new experience to me but that helped to be more effective while working on any media.

On the second day of the workshop, I learnt how to write a script following a storyline which was also a new experience to me.

On the third day I got to learn something new which I didn’t know before; how to draw a storyboard. It was the most interesting part in a way that a storyboard makes you be sure of what you want and going to do.  I also learnt that its saves a lot of time during the production. I have been producing media but it was a bit challenge for me because I could go to the field when I don’t know what am going to  do and I find myself coming up with other things.  The following day I saw how easy producing a media with a foundation that’s to say when u have a story, a Story line and a story board it gives your media a path to follow while go in production.

In this workshop, I have learnt how wonderful and interesting it is to work in a team.  Sharing ideas with others was a good thing for me for I learnt when you share an idea with someone you get enlightened on it more. I also learned how to collaborate with others while doing work which was all another achievement in my life.

Having been equipped with knowledge and skills on how to “CREATE MEDIA WITH A PURPOSE”,  I will now go on and reach out to the youth and teach them the same skills I have learnt in the Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) workshop so that they get a voice using media to speak out their concerns.
The youth artists at our AYV site are currently working on a media on Drug Abuse which is an issue of growing concern to our community.

We at SchoolNet Uganda Uganda are happy to say that the WSWM 2010 Student Peer Educator camp went succesfully. The activities were very enganging and the students produced excellent poems, role plays, speeeches , testimonies and skits.

1st skit can be downloaded from the link below.

I wish I knew

2nd skit can be downloaded using the link below

Unexpected damage

The invited schools will each send a student to be trained as a WSWM Student Peer Educator at the WSWM student camp to be held (Mon 6th Dec   – Frid 10th Dec) 2010 at Gayaza High School.

The invited schools will be responsible for setting the selection criteria for the student to represent the school but the criteria should include among other things, a student who has a passion for WSWM, knowledgeable about the WSWM curriculum, has good interpersonal and communication skills, practices what WSWM stands for, well behaved , trainable and good at mobilizing other students.

The trained WSWM Student Peer Educator (SPE) will be responsible for mobilizing students for WSWM activities and lessons, assisting the WSWM teachers in conducting some of the WSWM lessons under the teachers’ guidance and for mobilizing students to produce artifacts (e.g. poems, skits, and Art pieces) for communicating SRHR messages to other students in a youth friendly way at school assemblies and at the WSWM exhibition – Lesson 14.

The schools are advised to send a student who will be in school at least two more years.

WSWM Student Peer Educators’ Training Workshop objectives:

The training of the WSWM Student Peer Educators (SPE) will be conducted in such a way as to achieve the following objectives:

• To provide the WSWM students from different schools across the country an opportunity to interact both formally and informally for the purpose of networking and knowledge sharing.
• To provide WSWM students an opportunity to brainstorm some of the SRHR faced by the youth in schools and out of schools, share possible consequences and possible solutions to the SRHR issues with purpose of building their capacity to avoid risk behavior and situations, make independent but informed healthy decisions about their lives.
• To provide students with an in-depth knowledge of some of the Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) issues covered within the WSWM curriculum in particular Lesson 6: “Fight for your Rights” , Lesson 7: “Sexuality and Love”, Lesson 8: “Pregnancy for Girls and Boys too”, Lesson 9: “Protect yourself against STIs and HIV/AIDS”, Lesson 10: “HIV/AIDS you have a Role to Play” ,Lesson 12: “My Future Dreams” and Lesson 14” “The Exhibition”.
• To clarify some of the myths and misconceptions regarding youth Sexual Reproductive Health particularly with regard to pregnancy, STI and HIV/AIDS prevention.
• To develop and enhance students’ ICT skills and capacity to use Internet as a learning resource and a resource for health information.
• To introduce the WSWM student peer educators to the WSWM online support centre (http://www.schoolnetuganda.sc.ug/wswmonlinesupport/).
• To build students’ knowledge and skills in communication, public speech, script writing, skit acting, video filming and editing.
• To involve students in developing and producing multimedia youth friendly Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) materials.
• To provide career guidance to the students and build their self-esteem through the use of role models and inspirational talk by young people.
• To get students’ suggestions and ideas of how to improve the WSWM program in schools both quantitatively and qualitatively.
• To create a national network of WSWM students who will continue collaborating using ICT even after the camp.
• To collect WSWM student voices and testimonies.

Invited Schools

Arua Public Girls SS (Arua), Amuria Secondary School (Amuria), St. Mary’s College Lacor (Amuru), Masheruka Girls SS (Bushenyi), Gulu College (Gulu), St. John Buwaya SS (Iganga), Busedde College (Jinja), St. John SS Ikumba (Kabale) , Bishop Dunstan Nsubuga Memorial SS (Kalangala), Namirembe Hillside High School, Muyenga High School (Kampala), Karambi SS (Kasese), Kitgum Comprehensive Girls SS (Kitgum), Aloi Secondary School (Lira), St. Herman SS, Kaliisizo (Masaka), Masindi S S (Masindi), Gombe Community Polytechnic (Mpigi), St. Balikuddembe SSS Kisoga (Mukono), Lweru Sec. School (Mukono),St. Steven Secondary School (Soroti), Rock High School (Tororo), St. Bernadette SS Kyengera (Wakiso), Buwule Memorial High (Wakiso), St. Kizito High School Kireka (Wakiso), Yumbe Secondary School (Yumbe), Kings College Budo, Muni Girls School (Arua), Mt. Rwenzori Girls SS, Arua Town College Girls SS (Arua), Pope Paul VI Anaka (Amuru), Banda Secondary School (Bugiri), Alliance High School (Gulu), Trinity College Gulu (Gulu), Nakanyonyi Girls SS (Jinja), St. Thomas SS, Kashaki (Kabale), Sselwanga Lwanga SSS (Kalangala), Angel High School (Kampala),  Emma High School (Kampala), Trinity High School (Kawempe), High Standard Christian SS Kateera (Kiboga), Central Secondary School (Lira), Holy Family Kyamuliibwa SS (Masaka), Kako Secondary School (Masaka), Kibibi Standard School (Mpigi), St. Lwanga Vocational and SSS (Mukono), Springfield College Nakifuma (Mukono), Namaalu SS (Nakapiripirit), Orungo High School (Soroti), Trinity College Nabbingo (Wakiso), Nkoowe High School (Wakiso), St. Elizabeth SS Nkoowe (Wakiso), Kireka High School (Wakiso), Aringa Secondary School (Yumbe)., Lubiri Secondary School (Kampala), Bugongi Secondary School (Bushenyi)

A generic invitation letter with the camp programme can be downloaded using the link below

Invitation to the 2010 WSWM Students Camp

While in iEARN, I have been involved in two projects: Adobe Youth Voices; and People to People.

In Adobe Youth Voices, I have been involved in producing different kinds of media like proper garbage disposal, street children, climate change, and other small videos. Because of Adobe Youth Voices, I have acquired a number of soft skills like team work and technical skills like photo and video editing, video shooting, and a lot more.

As part of the People to People project, we have in collaboration with the Mathematics club in Gayaza High School moved to a neighboring Universal Primary Education (UPE) school to assist them in the learning of Mathematics since the school faces high rates of teacher absenteeism. This is one of my best projects because it involved directly creating real impact and relationships on the people in my society. Again, through participating in this project, I got to appreciate life more because I came to realize that there are people in much worse situations that me but living happily and contented.

Also under the People to People project, we embarked on a movement to provide safe & clean drinking water to people around our communities. In this movement, we get out to the community supplying water cans and Aqua Safe tablets that are used in purification and cleaning of water.

My most memorable highlight in my iEARN project work was on the World Teacher’s Day (5th October 2010) when we got an opportunity of exhibiting our work to the President of the nation.

“Thank you for being a good and concerned citizen.” said the President after listening to what I had to say.

I believe at t at that point, we moved iEARN – Uganda to a whole new level.

It was a great experience to be able to talk to the President of Uganda and show him the great work iEARN is doing for the nation through students.

The testimony with graphics can be downloaded using the link below

My life changed because of iEARN

On average, I have been receiving about 3 emails through the mailing lists per fortnight. These emails are about various subjects including but not limited to scholarships, job opportunities, and workshop reports.  On several occasions, I used not to read through those emails – and the few times I did, I wouldn’t bother following up the opportunities and information passed on to me through the mailing lists.

Around mid-2009, I eaves dropped a conversation between Daniel Kakinda and Ronald Ddungu about their international exposure and how they have utilized the communication through the mailing lists. I was really challenged by their talk and decided to start taking shots on all those opportunities that were coming afterwards.

The first opportunity I took up that was passed on through the SchoolNet Uganda mailing list  was participating in the Global Virtual Classroom (GVC). In GVC, students from three schools across the world collaboratively work together on developing a website about an issue of their choice. I participated as an educator in the 2009/2010 project cycle. My team had students from Gayaza High School (Uganda), Athens District High School (Canada), and Mt. Pleasant High School (California). Our students produced a website about “Violence in a teen’s world.”

Early 2010, I took up another opportunity that was again passed through the SchoolNet Uganda’s mailing lists. This opportunity required interested people from all over the world to apply to assist the World Bank Institute run the “EVOKE (http://www.urgentevoke.com/) – a crash course in changing the world” online game.

Luckily enough, applying for this job opportunity didn’t require any formal CVs – they were interested in applicants that had experience in moderating online communities and also those that were able to consume lots of digital media.

With my skills in media production – that I acquired while in Adobe Youth Voices and my previous experience in the Global Virtual Classroom project, I applied to work with the World Bank Institute. Luckily enough, I was taken up as a Game runner.

EVOKE was a ten week (3 months) social network game whose goal was to help empower young people all over the world, and especially young people in Africa, to come up with creative solutions to our most urgent social problems.

While in EVOKE, I got to interact with over 2000 people from different cultures and races around the world. It was such a great experience to work with the World Bank Institute at 19 years old.

Apart from getting a honorarium as a game runner, I was invited to a 3-day EVOKE workshop which was held (28-30) Sept 2010 at the World Bank offices in Washington DC, USA. The World Bank met my cost of accommodation and ground travel while in the US. My family and I contributed my air travel costs.

Recently,  another opportunity was again passed out on the SchoolNet Uganda mailing lists from the African Commons Project  calling youths from all over Africa to submit their applications for the “My Bubble, My Space” workshop for Digital Natives to be  in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 7th -9th November 2010.

I didn’t hesitate to drop in my application since I had tasted success in such opportunities. The organizers received 450 applications of which they selected 25 successful applicants. I was one of the six successful applicants from Uganda.

I was actually invited to attend the workshop. The African Commons Project is covering my costs of air travel, accommodation and part of the ground travel while in South Africa. I am now anxiously waiting to see what experience this workshop brings to me.

I urge all of the subscribed members to the SchoolNet Uganda mailing lists to always take up the opportunities passed on.

Thanks to the SchoolNet Uganda family.