THEY SHOWED UP AND NOW THEY MUST RISE; YPMP 2026 IS HERE
On an ordinary day that may one day feel historic to those in attendance, the Young Professional Mentorship Program (YPMP) welcomed its 2026 Cohort with a message that was equal parts encouragement and challenge: you have taken the first step, now grow. The orientation that took place on Sunday 15th Feb 202,6 was not designed to impress but rather to prepare. From the several applicants, YPMP 2026 enrolled 54 young people from different professions in Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Turkey and Norway.
At the centre of the session was Chief Mentor and Patron Ms Agnes Igoye, whose steady, warm and unapologetically direct voice set the tone for the year ahead. “The first step to growth is to do it,” she told the new mentees. “If you don’t apply, you don’t progress.” In a world where many hesitate, the simple act of applying was framed as an act of courage. But the applause ended there. Acceptance into YPMP, she made clear, is not a reward. It is a responsibility. A message grounded in a philosophy that has become synonymous with YPMP: growth is intentional and growth is personal.
“We will meet you where you are,” she said. “If you are crawling, we will help you walk slowly, steadily, step by step.” The reassurance was real. So was the expectation. But in one of the most striking lines of the afternoon, she declared: “Humble beginnings have an expiry date.” The room virtual yet attentive paused. The statement cut through sentimentality and landed squarely on accountability. Background may explain a starting point, but it cannot define a destination. “Growth is up to you,” she continued. “Regardless of the support and speakers given to you, it is up to you to take it up.” Moreover, at YPMP, certificates are not ceremonial souvenirs. “If you do not show up and do the work, we cannot give you a certificate. A certificate must represent growth.”
Alumni are the living proof of transformation
Furthermore, alumni gave the above articulated philosophy flesh and hope. They shared their YPMP journeys with the new mentees.
Carolyn Ayango, a 2025 alumna from Kenya, described her own entry into the program as uncertain and underconfident. Before YPMP, she admitted her communication skills were weak, her online presence unfocused, and her professional life driven more by obligation than purpose. What followed was what she called an awakening.
Through policy research assignments, structured blogging, volunteer engagements and intense one-on-one mentorship sessions, her confidence sharpened. Her discipline strengthened. Her voice grew clearer. She recalled a lesson that stayed with her: “Compete with yourself, not with other people.”
At their 2025 graduation held in November 2025 at Hotel Africana, she was voted Most Outstanding Mentee of the Year, a recognition from peers who had witnessed her growth firsthand. But for Carolyn, the award was secondary to what she gained. “Mentorship is not a luxury; it is a lifeline”, she told the 2026 cohort. Today, she continues to volunteer, mentor, and speak on youth development platforms proof that the program’s impact does not end with a ceremony.
Joshua Ahimbisibwe, another alumnus from the Class of 2024, spoke with striking honesty about his own shortcomings before YPMP. Discipline, he confessed, was not his strength. Consistency was a struggle. The program confronted those weaknesses head-on. “You are not here by accident,” he told the new mentees. “There is more inside you.”
He described YPMP as uncomfortable by design. Team projects stretch patience. Policy presentations demand research. Volunteer activities require initiative. Feedback is sometimes difficult to hear. “Growth and discomfort move hand in hand,” he emphasised. “On the other side of discomfort is expansion.” His words reframed pressure not as punishment but as preparation.
More than a program, YPMP is a culture
What distinguishes YPMP, according to both leadership and alumni, is not merely curriculum but culture. It is a community where mentors, program and department leads are former mentees, where accountability is matched with empathy, and success is collective rather than competitive.
“This is a family,” Igoye reminded them. “We are a happy people. We show up. We smile. Our joy is not dependent on circumstances.” It is a culture that values both ambition and compassion. “It is not only about you,” she added. “If your friend is struggling, check on them. That is what makes us strong.”
The program’s digital footprint showcasing alumni in leadership roles, policy engagement, entrepreneurship, and community service, reinforces that this is mentorship with measurable outcomes. Many alumni speak of a turning point: before YPMP, doors seemed closed. After YPMP, options multiplied. “Before the program, they say nothing is working,” Igoye noted. “After the program, they say, ‘Madam, I now have three opportunities. Which one should I choose?” It is the kind of problem YPMP aims to cultivate.
The 2026 cohort enters a program with a track record and a challenge. They are students, professionals, volunteers, and dreamers. Some arrive confident. Others arrive cautiously. All arrive having decided to show up. And showing up, as the Chief Mentor made clear, is only the beginning.
November now stands in the distance as graduation month, a symbolic marker of endurance and achievement. Between orientation and graduation lies the real story: the assignments submitted late but corrected, the feedback taken seriously, the volunteer initiative launched, the blogs published, the conversation that shifts a mindset.
One day, members of the class of 2026 may stand before another cohort, telling their own stories of uncertainty transformed into clarity. For now, they have done the most important thing. They showed up. And at YPMP, transformation begins.
Join us in welcoming YPMP Cohort 5 to our mentorship family, where they will be challenged and supported to rethink, refocus and succeed in life.
