Youth urged to network to overcome unemployment challenges

Founder of the FK youth mentoring network Mr Farid Karama (R) speaking to some of the youth who turned up for their breakfast meeting held at Mackinnon suites Hotel in Kampala on Thursday . Photo by Joseph Kiggundu

Kampala
Youth in Uganda have been advised to network with their peers in the country to gain exposure in current affairs and also overcome unemployment.
According to the founder of the FK youth mentoring network Mr Farid Karama, problems affecting youth are universal and therefore should network and share experiences and approaches in solving problems.

“These people have lots of problem and it’s through these meetings we hold as FK Youth Mentoring Network which has helped them to understand their challenges and seek approaches in solve them,” he said.
Mr Karama was speaking on Thursday during a youth breakfast meeting held at Mackinnon suites Hotel in Kampala.
The network is a youth-led organization focusing on youth development and empowerment through mentoring.

He noted that networking is a really valuable way to expand ones knowledge, learn from the success of others, attain new clients and tell others about your business.
“ As a founder of this network, I highly recommend business networking as a way to gain new clients and to build a sustainable business because I have seen it helping other youths where I have travelled and many youths from different countries like Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, south Africa and others. I have seen it working and that’s why I encourage our youths to do the same and utilize the FK to change our country’s employment status, ” he said.
Under the theme creativity and sustaining opportunities, Karama said the great news is that the referrals that one gets through networking are normally high quality and most of the time pre-qualified.

“You can then follow up on these referrals and turn them into clients or employers yet you are getting much higher quality leads from networking than other forms of marketing. He added that it’s through these referrals that youths have got clients and even leart different ways of building their own capacities of becoming entrepreneurs than being job seekers ” He noted.
Karama told the youth that it’s not what they know, but whom they know adding that this is so true in business.
“Networking provides you with a great source of connections, and really opens the door to talk to highly influential people that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to easily talk to or find,” he told the youth.

Head of agency development at prudential assurance Uganda John Abakah, told youth that people they hang around with and talk to do influence who they are and what they do, so it was important to surround themselves with positive, uplifting people that help them to grow and thrive as a business owners and potentially quality employees.
He also advised the youth to use acquired practical skills to start up their own businesses other than moving from one company to another searching for jobs.

“You have been empowered through several mentorship programs and attained skills that are going to raise your confidence and esteem, these skills are a ray of hope, have self-drive and use them to start up your own businesses and also employ others,” Abakah advised.
“As young entrepreneurs, we do not only develop our selves, but contribute towards our country’s economy. There is more need for increased young entrepreneurs in the country, I therefore implore you to start up own businesses to employ yourselves,” he added.

Juliana Lanyero one of the youth applauded the network for their efforts geared towards uplifting the standards of the youth by equipping them with entrepreneurial skills.
“Networking is great for people that aren’t confident as it really pushes them to grow and learn how to make conversations and lasting connections with people they don’t know.
“I was certainly not confident when I started networking. In fact it completely petrified me! But as I do it more, the more confident I get and the easier it becomes, and the more benefit I get from it,” she said.
She also advised the youth to organize themselves into groups in their respective areas and ask their leaders to help them access money under the government program.