Teens Up Initiative is a Nonprofit Organization incepted in 2010 and was officially registered by the government of Uganda in 2020. We train teenagers in skills for economic empowerment, good health, self-management and interpersonal management. Teens Up also empowers teenagers as advocates and agents of change who defend the rights of children and adolescents, encourage them to keep healthy, inspire them to keep in school to completion, and to positively impact their communities.

The high intellectual development, adventure and curiosity nature of adolescents presents a great opportunity to instil in them positive behaviors before lifelong habits are fully formed. Given the high un-employment rates among both male and female youths in Uganda, equipping teenagers with skills to for early self-employment against poverty while at the same time keeping them busy and focused on their studies is a timely strategy. Some schools however lack funds and trained human resource to give meaningful and high-end competitive skills to learners, and Teens Up bridges this gap. Upskilling schooling teenagers enables Teens Up to support Uganda’s vocationalized new lower secondary curriculum.

Through its ACT Model and Theory of Change, Teens Up works on the philosophy of advocacy for inclusive education and health, education that is innovative in nature, and behavior change for the wellbeing of teenagers and communities. Teens Up uses hands-on entrepreneurship skills as a mobilization tool and vehicle to hold,  guided meaningful and intentional small group conversations with teenagers on health-related issues including personal hygiene and management, positive family/school/community relations, and safety amidst HIV/AIDS and, drug and substance use. All this helps teenagers to value themselves and others, use their hands to innovate, and appreciate and monetize the products made.