SMARTER Goals

“Happiness is the progressive realization of a worthy idea or goal” 

– Earl Nightingdale.

Many people today when asked what they desire in their lives will tell you they want to be happy.

According to the fifth edition of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, the word Happy has many definitions. I chose to go with the one that describes it as – feeling or expressing pleasure or contentment.

Happiness or being happy in itself is not a goal to be attained. A goal, we know should be S.M.A.R.T (specific, measurable, attainable and time bound); of late there is a newer version referred to as SMARTER goals where E stands for exciting and R for rewarding.

As a result of all this vagueness and illusion of what happiness means, we find that we are chasing after wind by building castles in the air which crumble the moment we realize it was just a dream.

We ought to pursue something that will bring the happiness we desire as opposed to pursuing happiness. A worthy goal or idea is one that brings fulfillment and satisfaction. It is tangible and its effects should outlive you.

At Kyusa, our heartbeat is for the youth to live their lives in pursuit of worthy goals that will empower their lives and cause them to transform their communities.

In the words of Paulo Coello, “success is being able to go to bed each night with your soul at peace”. And this state can be achieved by knowing what you want and going for it all the way.

Silver Linning

It is greatly emphasized that “Every cloud has a silver lining”. A silver lining is a metaphor for optimism. Simply put, there is good in every bad! It is a huge bump on the road when one drops out of school and cannot continue with formal education for whatever reason. Most youth often feel like their dreams have been shattered, no more careers and all hope is gone. Well, Kyusa is here to encourage you that there is some good in being a school dropout: there is a silver lining on this dark cloud; don’t give up yet! Cheer up.

We believe that everybody is passionate about something and it is against this background that we empower youth to develop passion driven, sustainable careers. Being a school dropout does not eliminate or even reduce the passion that one has for something. We therefore encourage you to look within yourself and excavate that passion that is deeply buried; it’s about building onto what already exists and affirming it.

Kyusa looks to empower Out of school youth in urban slums and rural areas with employable skills, life skills and entrepreneurship skills including business development through our 8 weeks training program. We turn your mindsets of hopelessness to hope by encouraging you to take on passion driven careers that are able to earn you a living. So don’t lose hope; dream big!

A Go-Getter

The ability to stand by one’s word is in itself a gift not everyone possesses. It breeds a spirit of principle consequently enabling one stay on the right path towards the realization of their dreams.

Ephrance Nanyonga has been blessed with this gift. Passionate about swimming, travelling and nurturing people, the 20 year old, S6 leaver envisions a future bigger than eye has seen.

Before the Kyusa intervention, Ephrance was involved in a poultry project with a group of friends in pursuit to realization of her vision. This experience turned out to be the bench mark on which the interest in the Team Dynamics module arose.

While taking the program Ephrance was empowered to set SMART goals, manage herself, boost her confidence and foster her own independence which has made her a stronger leader among her peers at the Maisha Community Clubs where she serves as a manager for the kitchen section. The financial literacy training also empowered her to manage her finances and as a result her saving culture has greatly improved as she saves for future investment.

 As she intends to advance her studies with a Tours & Travel course. Ephrance has identified Piggery as a business venture, made a standard business plan and is taking necessary steps into its breakthrough so as to realize her immense vision for life.

Our Society is filled with a lot of leadership potential such as that within Ephrance. Only when we create platforms for them to blossom do we better the lives of the generations to come.

You cannot create a future for a generation, but you can create a generation for the future.

”Raising Generations of Change Agents”

SKILLS BROUGHT TO EFFECT

One may have the most skills and greatest of strengths but such is an unfortunate man until they master how to use their skills as a raw material to earn them a living.

This vividly describes Andrew Ssemombwe before the Youth Outreach Program with Maisha &Kyusa. Richly blessed with cookery, electrical wiring, swimming & shoe making skills, Andrew lacked the knowledge on how to earn from them. All his businesses ideas in this regard did not live to turn into business opportunities consequently keeping him in the rat race.

While partaking the Kyusa program Andrew was greatly intrigued by the Business development module where he learnt how to turn his ideas into opportunities from whence he could earn a living. The records’ keeping in business training was a wake up call for him to track the happenings and earnings of his shoe making business.

Fortunately, he has been involved in shoe making business and intends to apply all the entrepreneurship skills that he has attained through the program effective immediately. He has also set his goals clearly and is steadfastly working towards accomplishing them.

The world has many Andrews today that need our intervention. Only with Kyusa can this intervention be made.