{UAH} 2014 UNAA Convention - Day 2 (My Observations)

2014 UNAA CONVENTION – DAY 2

My responsibilities on the second day of the convention (Saturday) revolved primarily around the youth program planned for the Middle to High School age group.  As I had indicated previously, my sons had proactively engaged other youth they saw in and around the hotel and circulated a program detailing the scheduled youth programs. 

The first event was a forum titled "Youth to Youth" on Saturday morning.  A group of about 10 or so youth members met in a round-table environment and discussed issues of specific interest and concern to them and their age group.  I was particularly impressed to see the group moderate itself without any adult involvement for the first hour before being joined in the second hour by Mrs. Fiona Crabbe and Mr. Eli Aongo, both of whom work professionally with youth in the San Diego area.  The discussions covered a wide range of topics including peer pressure, teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, physical and cyber bullying.  The discussions also covered more positive topics such as character building, education and career development.

Now remember, the participants in this discussion ranged in age from 10 to 18 years old. 

I will post a separate commentary in the coming days on a program that some members of this group have recently formed called The SHIFT (Save Humanity in Full Throttle) Campaign, to both combat negative challenges and provide positive guidance to their friends and other members of their peer group.

Towards the end, the group was joined by HE Ambassador Oliver Wonekha for a frank one-on-one discussion on her role as Uganda's Ambassador to the United States.

The group was also subsequently joined by an official from the office of the State Minister for Youth and Children's Affairs in the Government of Uganda and two Members of Parliament for more frank one-on-one discussions about their jobs and responsibilities.

This was an incredible opportunity for the UNAA youth members to interact with, hear and ask pointed questions of these senior members of the Uganda Government.

Now let me confess to a growing sense of unease I felt throughout this morning.  As an active participant in the planning process for this convention, I knew the number of people for whom the Saturday lunch had been contracted for.  However, by this time I also knew that the registration numbers had already far exceeded all expectations which made me very concerned about the adequate provision of lunch for all attendees.  Fortunately, the UNAA Executive Committee had recognized this trend much earlier and already made appropriate adjustments with the hotel. 

To quote a popular saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words." 

In terms of attendance, I estimated about 400 people sat down for a scrumptious buffet lunch at this event.

After lunch, short presentations were made by representatives from the International Community of the Banakigezi (ICOB), the North American Masaba Cultural Association (NAMCA), the Lango Association of North America (LANA) and Basoga Twegaite.  These were followed by a Health Awareness presentation by Dr. Susan Nyanzi, various recognitions by the UNAA President, and presentations by the Rt. Hon. Amama Mbabazi (Prime Minister of Uganda) and Hon. Rebecca Kadaga (Speaker of Uganda's Parliament).

Meanwhile, during this post lunch speech session, UNAA youth members had assembled in a meeting room upstairs to plan for and rehearse for a talent show that was scheduled for that evening.  And it was to this very room that I also went following the speeches.  However, of the roughly 15 youth members there, I quickly determined that only about 6 actually planned to participate in the talent show while the others were quite content to watch and cheer.

Soon thereafter I descended to the main lobby where I found team members adjusting to another interesting challenge.  The number of people who had registered for the Boat Cruise far exceeded the number that had been anticipated and planned for.  However, here also the Executive Committee had noticed the trend and secured an upgrade to a larger boat that ultimately accommodated all attendees in comfort.  More details about the cruise will be presented in the official convention report being prepared by the UNAA Executive Committee.

I personally did not go on the boat cruise as my family and I had decided to stay behind and ensure the provision of entertainment for UNAA youth members during this time.  Approximately 20 youth members ranging in age from about 5 to 18 years old showed up for the talent show which went well, albeit somewhat smaller than I had hoped for.

Following the talent show, "free" child care, complete with dinner and age-appropriate entertainment was provided until 2 AM.  I excused myself at about 11 PM and went to help with the scheduled late entertainment events.

Revelers continued their evening with a choice between two concert events.  One was decidedly "old school" while the other was definitely more "new age."  Being a member of the "old school" generation, I concentrated my efforts on the concert by the Boston-based Ugandan band Touch 'n Soul.  As anticipated, the band did not disappoint attendees as they played a variety of favorite hits from different artists including those from the legendary Ugandan band Afrigo.  By the time the concert ended, the hall was standing room only and the entertainment continued with DJ dancing until 4 AM. 

I retired to my room at about 2 AM once again exhilarated by another spectacularly successful day.

Moses R. Wilson

Member – UNAA Board of Trustees