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GUYCO Youth Conference Fundraising

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GUYCO Gulu Youth Conference aims to transform the mindset of young people affected by the aftermath of war, in order to build a self-empowering & proactive youth.

Help us realise a truly transformative & empowering conference for the youth of Gulu in Northern Uganda! Donate & spread the word!



THE CONFERENCE

GUYCO is an unprecedented event in Uganda's northern region Gulu. The conference will host world-renowned motivational speakers to address local communities laying the foundation for a self-empowered, active & engaged youth.

In capacity-building workshops highly-qualified technical experts & local youth leaders consult on specific needs assessment & capacity-building solutions for local communities.

Finally, a youth fare will host a wide-range of interested businesses, education initiatives, and other local development partners. This aims to offer tangible opportunities for both personal & professional development and growth of Gulu's youth.

GUYCO Gulu Youth Conference is a platform for genuine & lasting youth empowerment, whereby marginalised & disillusioned young people come to realise their full potential and aspire towards greater opportunities. This, in turn, effectively contributes to an ongoing peacebuilding process, strengthening the foundations & future of a still fragile post-conflict society.



OUR OBJECTIVES

Strengthening knowledge and understanding of youth related issues in order to better identify and address current challenges and promote youth development.

Creating tangible opportunities for personal and professional growth, including targeted capacity-building programs and education initiatives.

Transforming the mindset of young people and breaking the vicious cycle of economic dependency, cultural decline and collective trauma.

Building an empowered youth for a more sustainable, positive and peaceful society.



THE FULL STORY

In the summer of 2016, Louise Deininger, a conceptual artist and leadership figure in the Kenyan diaspora in Austria, traveled to Northern Uganda to produce a documentary film on the effects of decades of war and conflict on the local population. There she found that despite some governmental peacebuilding efforts, the traumatic aftermath of war is still felt in the region. Among young people, school drop-out rates are around 30% often linked to early marriages; drug and alcohol abuse is on the rise; betting has become a major obstacle to economic growth; and gender violence is undermining the fabric of society.

Youth in Uganda make up 70% of the entire population, yet decades of armed confict in the North have left a generational trauma among them.The majority of those living in Gulu grew up in camps for internally displaced people. Addressing Uganda's disenfranchised youth is paramount to rebuilding and strengthening the whole society.

Out of this situation, the idea of a large-scale conference for youth empowerment was born. Unique for the region, world-renowned motivational speakers will be invited to encourage these young adults towards self-development, entrepreneurship and a belief in their own abilities. A number of capacity-building workshops will accompany the conference where technical experts and local youth leaders consult on needs assessments and solutions for the local communities. Lastly, by inviting businesses and local development partners, the youth is presented with concrete opportunities for their growth, personal development and success.

This is a challenge as well as great chance to set a paradigm-shift in motion by which marginalised and disillusioned young people come to realise their interests, opportunities and ultimately unlock their full potential. In turn, youth empowerment effectively contributes to peacebuilding and strengthens a still fragile post-confict society.

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ABOUT US

Vienna-based conceptual artist Louise Deininger created the idea for GUYCO in 2016. Since then, she has been working tirelessly – together with local development experts and affected youth in Gulu, Northern Uganda, as well as a dedicated team of professionals in Vienna, Austria – to realise her vision.

Team: Louise & Raimund Deininger, Dr Paul T. Yillia, Martina Jefcoat, Marissa Lobo, and many others.
Uganda Team: Hon. Betty Ocan, Hon. Lucy Akello

Partners: Annabella Johnson (Austria), Artware GmbH (Austria), Diaspora Community Projects DCP-Kenya, EWS Uganda, Diplomat 256 (Uganda) and many more...

Join us! If you want to contribute with ideas, fundraisers, or for more information, please write us at [email redacted]

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THANK YOU

Lastly, we send out a huge thank you to the universe, to friends and family, to organisations and individuals who support us in realising our vision! 

Inspire. Transform. Empower.

Organizer

Louise Deininger
Organizer
Vienna

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