The Fire Inside the Classroom

From Personal Poetry to Global Goals: How Our Students Are Building Stories to Change Uganda

Henry Sempangi Sanyulye

10/1/20251 min read

We are just finishing our "Laying the Foundation" week, and the transformation inside the Wampeewo Ntaake classroom is palpable. Our students are no longer just analyzing media—they are discovering the powerful stories burning inside them.

The Journey So Far: After successfully learning the SAMS (Story, Audience, Message, Style) framework, our 60 students moved into the highly personal "Story Circle" activity. This is where the magic happens. They are writing personal poems and stories about their own challenges and triumphs, grounding their future media projects in genuine emotion.

The Power of Purpose: But their focus is not just personal; it's profoundly communal. Each of our 12 project teams is now linking their experience to a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)—from promoting Quality Education and Gender Equality to advocating for Peace and Climate Action.

This is the essence of YouthLearn Africa: we are teaching them that their personal pain or passion is a platform for public impact.

What Comes Next (The Pivot): We are now transitioning them from pen and paper to mobile media production. Using the FILMS framework (Story, Image, Message, Location, Feel), they are preparing to use tablets and software to produce their short videos and photo essays. This hands-on process is crucial, and it is why securing the remaining equipment is so vital right now.

The fire is lit. These students have the vision, the passion, and the stories. Help us put the tools in their hands.

#StorytellingForChange #SDGs #AfricanYouthVoice #DigitalSkills