09 Mar 2016

A group of 30 unemployed youngsters have formed a Mokomoto and Hosanna group to keep themselves away from the streets.

In an interview with BOPA, the chairperson of the group, Zibanani Lamai said that the group was formed in 2010 after they discovered that a lot of young people were just roaming around the village with nothing to do due to lack of recreational centres.

She said that the objectives of the group is to give young people a platform to socialise with their peers, work as a team, give them the opportunity to let off steam and to get regular exercises.

Lamai explained that they approached the village Kgosi about their idea of starting a youth group, where they could meet as peers to entertain themselves as well as learn positive life skills from each other.

She said that he approved their idea and also allowed them to use the kgotla, adding that they had many ideas but decided to concentrate on Mokomoto and Hosanna as a way of preserving their Kalanga culture and show other people the importance of knowing and respecting one’s culture.

Furthermore, she explained that they meet every Monday to Thursday at 430 pm for practise, noting that the group performs in different functions such as weddings, corporate parties, price giving ceremonies and kgotla events.

She said that they get a lot of support from village elders as some assist with food and transport for them when they have to travel outside the village.

Kakale Mphani, the vice-chairperson of the group said that their mission is to engage and develop diverse young people to positively impact the world, adding that their goals include; having a safe space for youth, promoting open youth-to-youth communication and enhancing leadership development among young people.

She said that the group does many different things to try and attain these goals, such as holding a weekly coalition meeting where they bring together diverse groups of young people to explore cultural, racial, and sexual issues.

Mphani also noted that the group is involved in many aspects of youth’s lives, and offers opportunities for leadership development and guidance for both education and careers, adding that most of the members have now enrolled in the National Tirelo Setshaba programme.

When commenting on the importance of the youth group, the Village Development Committee (VDC) chairperson Mosupi Thata said that youth groups have been part of many communities for decades and have shown that they have many benefits.

He said that the group gives the youth a sense of identity as they are designed to help children who perhaps struggle to feel part of a wider community, or have been disadvantaged by an adverse family situation or lack of opportunities.

Thata explained that these children are often hurt, isolated and unhappy, adding that youth groups can be great places for kids to get back on their feet, with renewed confidence and a real sense of well-being.

Furthermore, he mentioned that allowing youth to form groups can benefit the community as they can help change public perception of young people from being the problem to an important part of making life better in the community.

He said that involving young people in the community helps them see themselves as part of the whole as they really do become less likely to cause problems and more likely to want to look for solutions, develop their leadership potential, so that as they grow and learn they can become thoughtful, prepared leaders of the society.

Thata also noted that other community organizations can partner with youth organizations for mutual benefit.

“Young people can bring a tremendous amount of life to an organization; often, their energy, enthusiasm, creativity, and perspective are invaluable to members of larger community initiatives that choose to actively involve them,” he said. Ends