This past Saturday on Youth Day, I had the honor of presenting a speech on youth at the residence of South Africa's ambassador to the United States, Mr Ebrahim Rasool. Also present at the wonderful gathering was professionals from around Washington D.C. The theme for this years speech was youth uniting for economic freedom.
Greetings to the ambassador Mr Ebrahim Rasool, his wife Mrs. Rasool, all professionals present and the SAWIP team.
My topic for today is Youth leadership and economic empowerment. Before i start discussing this topic, I would like to first define what leadership and empowerment means to me. Leadership to me is the ability to influence for positive change. And empowerment is creating space or platform or entity that will enable people to obtain knowledge and skills to better their lives. So throughout this speech, please keep these definitions in mind. I will be discussing this topic from a personal point of view and share my stories related to youth empowerment and leadership.
The meaning of this Youth Day is that in 16 June 1976, South African students from Soweto protested against the introduction of Afrikaans as the medium of instruction in local schools.
South African youth today are faced with different kinds of challenges such as access to opportunities for growth and development, unemployment and lack of good youth leadership.
While studying for exams one night these past weeks, I took a short break and I happened to listen to a song by Youssou N'Dour, "Seven Seconds". Inspired by the song, I came up with a quote that says," You won't change the whole world, but you can make a difference in your lifetime." Growing up in the township, I have always been exposed to different struggles of people and I have always felt and wished i could help everyone with their problems. But now, I have come to realize that I cannot help and change everyone's life, but I can make a difference in some people's lives, not matter how small the difference may be.
Involvements and contributions I have made to youth empowerment is that I am part of an organization named Umakhi which focuses on youth development. The organization seeks to create an entity and space where youth can be stimulated and engaged in a positive way. The organization is run by youth and focuses on creating after-school programs that will keep young people from the township out of the streets and engaged in activities that positively contribute to building their lives.
Another contribution I make to empower businesses from the townships is that I assist them in their growth and development. Many business owners and young entrepreneurs in the township do not have knowledge and skills to competitively manage and grow their businesses, and many of them also lack access to information about government agencies that can assist in their development. In 2010, I then decided to start assisting these businesses with business registration, business plan writing and consulting. I was and am still assisting these businesses free of charge. What motivated me to do this is that I want to use my education to contribute to the growth and sustainability of township businesses.
This year I am also writing a grade 12 motivational speech program for the high school I went too. The program aims to do something quite simple but one which is powerful, and that is to teach a person how to dream. The grade 12 students will be encouraged to dream big and to reach their full potential. Having went to the high school myself, I have realized how little we were encouraged to dream big. With this program, I seek to create an opportunity where young people will be motivated to reach for their dreams.
In both Umakhi and the businesses I assist, I need to influence for positive change, stay true to my values and empower the youth I work with and the entrepreneurs I assist. The South African government has recently launched Youth Parliament to empower youth and offer them a space to debate & discuss issues that directly affect them.
In conclusion, we as the youth need a voice and need to be heard. To be empowered, youth can become part of already existing organizations that empower and build youth leadership, or we as the youth can create our own space and entities to address the challenges we face. We must not always wait for government or other organizations to create platforms for us. As South African youth, we can unite and create entities and platforms that will enable constructive discussion & debate of issues that directly affect us. We need to believe that we can make a significant difference to our lives and our country.
Thank You
