Youth are the foundation of the future. Sadly, in South Africa, education is not a priority leaving thousands of youth feeling hopeless and frustrated. At the Ntonga Music School, Pokie and Sam, two board members, are taking action to empower teenagers.
This past Saturday I participated in the first "Life-Skills Course." Sam the creator and teacher has travelled internationally and feels thankful to have the chance to offer youth of his own country the same skills and knowledge. Being present at the introductory meeting, it was incredibly rewarding to see teenagers from Guguletu interested in this course and committing to making changes in their own life. Living within a post apartheid environment and mindset, youth seeking happiness and belonging join gangs and use drugs. Sam used the introduction time to remind youth, that these external stimuli bring BRIEF pleasure with negative consequences. Those present nodded in acknowledgement. Each teenageer was asked to make a verbal agreement to pursue music as a mode of seeking happiness and working towards a healthy and sustainble future for themselves
Sam asked me to speak briefly after introducing the course himself. This was an incredible opportunity to let these teenagers know that we are all in this together --drugs, gangs and life challenges are not confined to one nation or one skin color!!
I felt my contribution mattered and everyone in the room came closer to understanding themselves, recognizing the vulnerable environment they live in and that they are the agents of their own destiny.
Hope and love from Ntonga, Guguletu!
To return to PFCF main page or make a donation, click on the below link:
www.playingforchange.org
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment