WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE ARE THE SOLUTION…

Picture by Noma Radebe, a presentation at the Sport against Drug Abuse
Organized by Robotong Brotherhood  Fraternity at Tladi Skills Center - 22 June 2018

As I reflect on the chapter: Young people and accountability, from the book As We Think: Redefining the struggle for young.

I would like to strongly encourage the importance of making young people part of the solution rather than making them a problem that must be dealt with.

I believe that we must make young people part of any solution.

There are so many interventions at the moment that do something to our young people rather than with them. The problems we have with our young people in society will not be solved by us, the adults.

How can we solve something that we know nothing about ourselves, only young people understand young people problems. 

There is no amount of research and statistics can really tell us or express the reality of the challenges that young people facing than young people themselves. If we want to make society a better place for them, we need to make young people part of the solution and not part of the problem. They need to be engaged, consulted, to be given the opportunity to lead and be included in any decisions that are made about them.  

Participation is the key to societal change.

Only through participation will we get a very clear understanding of the challenges and problems and be able to support young people to go about finding their own solutions. Only through participation will we give youth the authority, agency, and ability to feel and be empowered to create change in themselves.

Young people are the key driving force, they understand what they are going through, what they need and want. They should be the ones who decide and champion solutions for their daily challenges, as the definition says! A process where all youth is engaged in attempting to solving or preventing a problem. If we advocate this to our fellow youth, then they are also accountable when failure arises in the attempts to solve issues that affect youth in South Africa. Pg39-40.

Greatest thoughts from the book:  As We Think: Redefining the Struggle for young people by Paballo Diboke.