Every year
on 16 June we as South Africans commemorate Youth Day. But what does it mean,
other than another public holiday?
Youth day
is a day dedicated to the youths of a particular country, and is observed in 18
countries around the world for various reasons, and on many different dates
throughout the year.
In South
Africa, Youth day is meant to remember this date in 1976 when youths started to
protest Bantu education in schools across South Africa. This protest in Soweto
resulted in a wave of protests across the country,
which eventually lead to the abolition of Bantu education and equal education
for all children.
These days, June is known as
Youth month, which is celebrated each year under a different theme. The theme
for 2021 is: The Year of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke: Growing
youth employment for an inclusive and transformed society.
This theme addresses the concern around
unemployed youth, and urges the entire country to recognize the present and
future role of shaping the socio-economic landscape of the country.
Kouga
Express asked a few youths what they think they could do to make sure that they
are employed in the future.
Luko Zide:
Being an entrepreneur and starting a small business can help insure that you
are employed and help you to employ other youths
Candice
Marais: Work hard at the little things and do well at school. Always ask
questions. Never stop learning.
Joshua
Simms: Take part in extracurricular activities that builds critical thinking.
Being a problem solver in addition to education will put you ahead of the
competition one day. Start as soon as possible.
For younger
children it may be more practical to teach them that they, as youths have a
responsibility towards their communities. Here are a few ideas on how they can
do so:
- Go
and visit at an elderly care home and spend some time talking to the elderly
people. Sing to them or play a game of cards with them. Many of them are very
lonely as they don’t get very many visitors. Even though this may not be
possible during our current pandemic, making cards or sending gifts or treats
may brighten up their day. - Have
you got old books at home that you have finished reading or books that you read
when you were much younger? Take all these books and donate them to a school to
add to their library. There are many schools in our community who have no extra
money to buy new books and for many children, the books at school are the only
ones that they have to read. - Collect
all your old toys, clothes and school books, put them into a box and donate it
to a charity which works with children. Lots of charities would be delighted to
receive your donations. Even though your donation may be small, it can make a
big difference in another child’s life. In the Kouga district there are many
charities such as Joshua Project and Tharos child and youth care centre, to
which these donations can go. - Start
recycling at home. You can start with glass bottles. Put a strong, empty box in
a place near to the kitchen. Each time your family finishes the contents of a
glass bottle, rinse the bottle out so that it doesn’t start to smell and put
the bottle into your collection box. When the box is full, you can take your
collection to the nearest glass bank for recycling. One such a place is the
Jbay recycling project. There you may be able to help a child get things that
they need such as school shoes or toiletries, by donating your recyclables.
