This weekend was filled with hope and encouragement as youth took to the Career Day Kampala event at the Clarke International University where many young people were urged to leave their “comfort zones” and embrace every opportunity that comes their way.
Held to celebrate and showcase key career opportunities and also call upon alumni from Global Health Corps (GHC) and CIU (Clarke International University), the Career Day Kampala event is set to become an annual event that aims to rally support and action toward strengthening career development.
The event saw panellists and leaders from Global Health Corps and CIU recognize and champion various impactful initiatives on health equity, leadership, and other critical societal roles. Alumni from the respective regions gathered at the university in Bukasa, Muyenga on Saturday 1st October 2022 to interact with the community, with a special focus on secondary school and university students, including young corporates too.
The online event which saw engagement on social media focused on showcasing lived experiences of alumni while pointing out key strategies youth can use to advance their careers, challenge stereotypes around certain careers and also connect young people with national-level decision-makers so that they can professionally network and get support for their ideas and visions.
Speaking at the event Beatrice Bonita Nanziri, a Venture Associate at StartHub Africa, said that those who are lucky enough to get support from their parents after school and even invest their ideas are quite a few which is why is called upon the youth to leave their comfort zones and embrace every opportunity.
“Unfortunately, those are the few, who actually walk away from your comfort zones and explore opportunities because life after school is not easy,” Nanziri said while giving her keynote address, during Africa Career Day Kampala at Clarke University in Kampala.
“The majority of students focus on their class degrees and forget about their social capital yet the society we associated with is a great pillar for our development,” she added.
Nanziri, who is a Software Engineer, entrepreneur, patent innovator, and Business Coach rallied students to always learn a skill because artificial technology is taking over the majority of the work, “degree holders are currently doing.” She further added: “Are you able to sustain after school? Take risks and say yes to opportunities that come your way. At your age, you can take risks because there will come a time when you won’t be able to, so do it now.”
Youth encouraged to embrace every opportunity at the Career Day Kampala event
The Career Day brought together different alumni from different professions such as medical, engineering, business entrepreneurial, and the student’s fraternity as well to celebrate and engage in an open discussion about career opportunities and development.
Speaking during the engagement, Sylvia Achebet the Chairperson of the CIU Alumni and also an ED of Masha Coffee, said that they will continue organizing such engagements to ensure that the students are guided and mentored in the right direction.
“As Alumni, we had very many students go through this University and want to assure you that we shall work hard to see that all people’s lives are improved,” she said. Achebet also called upon young people to always venture into businesses that will improve their lives.
The Career Day Kampala event had several activities which included the mobilisation of GHC alumni, CIU alumni, community leaders, schools, CSOs and universities. A mentorship forum/webinar, media discussions, Twitter chat and a panel discussion to top it off.
The Global Health Corps and Clarke International University hope to continuously hold the Career Day Kampala event annually with the hopes of identifying gaps in leadership and career pathways while creating opportunities for youth through their various programs.
Other interesting reads: The Power of Youth Leadership and Why It’s Vital for Our Community
Author: Allan Bangirana
Allan Bangirana has a taste for all kinds of topics and usually writes about tech, entertainment, sports and community projects that make a difference in society.
He writes for Newslibre and Spur Magazine. He is also the co-founder of the Innovware project and a freelance consultant passionate about technology and web.
