Mentoring Young Adults in Uganda into Innovators

"I am really happy that Dr. Ben Jones has reprogrammed my mindset and has made research more relaxed and very interesting," shared Innovator Jimmy Ezra Okello.

Further insight into how and why Dr. Jones has succeeded in positively impacting our lives was provided by Innovator Robert Oluka, who testified that: "working with Dr. Jones as a research assistant, I am getting to know the best techniques of data collection, like participant observation. In this approach, I learnt to be simple, friendly, and use psychology to get quality data."

Some may take it for granted, but to us here in Uganda, the impact of us working alongside Dr. Jones is hugely significant. Consider, for example, the impact it has had on Innovator James Opolo, who enlighted us as follows: "I knew data collection as using questionnaires. Through the mentorship of Dr. Jones, I am learning ethnographic data collection - about getting concrete and detailed data from the field." 

Similarly, Innovator Vicky Alum shared: "Under the supervision of Dr. Jones, I have learnt so many ways in which one can collect data - like mapping, observation and hanging out; which have simplified our work. I know know that research does not have to be the most difficult thing to do."

And for making an activity that we prior thought difficult simple, Dr. Jones has enhanced our lives beyond our work and has as well impacted our individual personal development within our communities. Acio Sharon Enon, for example, shared: "As we do data collection under the supervision of Dr. Jones, I have developed friendships with people within my community who I did not know before. I am getting business ideas from our interviewees."

Observing Dr. Jones do fieldwork in an extraordinary manner, which is not the norm among Ugandan academics, is refreshing. He is actually out there, deep in a rural setting, living there in humble abode, blending in and doing hands-on data collection, working side by side with his research assistants, young innovators, beneficiaries of our project, whom he is at the same time mentoring.

For me, as well, a budding academic who is revisiting my desire to restart and to pursue studies for an award of a Doctorate in Philosophy (PhD), Dr. Jones is an inspiration. He has made me believe again that I can do it simply, albeit with hard work. Dr. Jones has completely demystified academic research for us. 

By his effective mentoring, Dr. Jones has enabled us to significantly achieve on the objectives of our project that we would mentor young adults into persons with an inquisitve mind, and with an affinity for critical thinking for the purpose of effectively taking note of what is happening in their surroundings; analysising it; and propose solutions for their own good and for the greater good of their communities.

For this reason we are eternally indebted to you, our supporters and donors, for both the financial contributions that you have made to our project, as well as the advisory support - knowledge and skills that you have shared with us. THANK YOU!

Links:

• Video (2 minutes) - Overview of Challenging Categories Research

We are delighted to report that our Lira Learning Centre has been fully repaired, renovated and security systems beefed up, thanks in part to the unrestricted COVID-19 relief microgrant that our organisation received from GlobalGiving. While we still bear the emotional scars, the physical scars from the May 2020 break in, theft and vandalization of our Lira Learning Centre have been erased and it is now as good as new.

The icing on the cake is that we innovated and we were able to utilize some of that which was vandalized by bad people who took advantage of the COVID-19 induced lock down to break into our Lira Learning Centre. We were able to utilize wood from most of the damaged wooden door shutters and frames, for example, to make shelves and cupboards and to establish reading stations in the Innovator’s Hall, the Reading Room and the Guest House, at our Lira Learning Centre.

Better still, young adults under our mentorship actively participated in bringing back to life our Lira Learning Centre. Some, provided labour at a very modest cost; while some provided their expertise, such as Emmanuel O. who utilized his artistic talent to paint murals on the walls of our outdoor sitting shed (vehicle parking shed converted); and on the walls of our perimeter fence.

It gets even better, our newly refurbished Lira Learning Centre is currently, for a 21 months period starting March 2021, hosting our research and advocacy project: “Challenging Categories: Educated Unemployed Youth as Institutional Innovators in Rural Uganda,” which we are implementing in partnership with Lira University and the University of East Anglia; and with funding from The British Academy utilizing the British Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund.

Seven young adults under our mentorship are directly participating in the implementation of our Challenging Categories project. They are working alongside two distinguished academics, the Principal Investigator and the Co-Investigator, through whom they are being mentored and are getting knowledge and skills on how to conduct empirical qualitative investigations from start to finish. They are also benefiting from the expertise of a media consultant and his team, who are enhancing their media content and navigation skills.

Three young adults from our first cohort of mentees who are continuing their mentorship with us, we have employed on probationary contracts, and, based at our Lira Learning Centre, they are working alongside our Managing Director. They are learning how to do publicity for a nonprofit organisation; and to profitably operate an innovators hall, a small reading room, a small guest house and a kitchen that are owned by a nonprofit organisation to raise funds for our organisation’s charitable work.

We are forever indebted to our donors for without your contribution we would not have the financial resources and the peace of mind to innovate, to implement and to make a significant positive difference in the lives of our direct beneficiaries - young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds, and ultimately their wider communities. To you our donors, we say thank you.

Links:

• Beneficiary Testimony from Innovator Sharon
• Beneficiary Testimony from Innovator Robert
• Beneficiary Testimony from Innovator Ezra