Fly “Do Your Thing”, a new campaign targeted at teens to harness their skills and passions has been launched. The campaign is aimed fighting harmful habits like smoking cigarettes, shisha and consumption of kuber.
“Youth will always experiment with drugs unless you provide them with an alternative. You all know an idle mind is the devil’s workshop,” Dr. Sheila Ndyanabangi the Ministry of Health’s Focal Person on tobacco control said while addressing the press at the launch of the campaign at Riders Lounge in Kololo.
“Fly is a programme with the aim of building confidence and resilience amongst teens so that they can resist temptations to engage in harmful habits such as the consumption of shisha, cigarettes and kuber,” Amanda Kamugisha the programme’s spokeperson said.
The campaign is the brainchild of Good Business, a consultancy that specialises in creating initiatives to promote positive social change and it was made possible thanks to a grant they were awarded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Tobacco Control Programme.
“We have spent the past six months working with a team of bright young movers and shakers. They have shown us that their future is important, but they also have brilliance and light that shines today. We came across an amazing diversity of skills and talents, united by an irrepressible passion to be the best they can be in the future, but also today and everyday. And so Fly was born- a movement that recognises the brilliance and talents of teens, and helps them stay on the right path to fulfil their potential,” Kamugisha said.
Kamugisha said that Fly will join Good Business’ other programs like SKY in Botswana and a soon to launch brand in Ghana, each designed to build an empowered, resourceful and tobacco-free generation.
“All teens have something they really like- that’s their thing. For some it’s football, for others it’s music, or even fashion, cars, farming, chess, maybe even robotics. Many call them the leaders of tomorrow, but they are already winning hearts today. We want to celebrate this love amongst teens for things that empower them, their genius for making it their identity and fun they have while doing it,” Kamugisha said.
Over the next few months FLY will be asking teens across the region “What’s your thing?”, celebrating teens who are making positive choices in their lives and providing a platform for them to showcase these choices, skills and capabilities.
The campaign was launched at Kati Kati Grounds on Saturday with a day-long teen celebration that had performances by Mun G, Kenzo, dance stunts, art installations and an attempt to break the record for the largest ever acapella performance.
The Fly anthem, created by a team of SupaFlys in collaboration with Mun G to capture the spirit of the movment was also launched at the event.
There will be several on ground activities that will be directed through schools and a number of communities in Kampala, Entebbe and Masaka, providing teens a platform to showcased their capabilities.
“We will invite teens to participate in a number of activities and showcase their capabilities to the nation through our media partners”, Kamugisha noted.