19 Sep 2013

For 36-year-old, Ms Rachel Esterhuizen of Bokspits in Kgalagadi District, the day she attended the boot camp initiative under the Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES) was the day her life changed for the better.

In an interview , Ms Esterhuizen testified about the transformation and the life lessons she got from the boot camp and expressed gratitude to government for giving her an opportunity to partake in the boot camp.

“I attended the boot camp from July 1 until August 3 in Kang. During the camp, I realised that I am actually a treasure, a raw diamond that only needs a bit of polishing to become a ravishing jewel. After the camp I transformed myself into an asset for my community,” she said.

Ms Esterhuizen said she learnt a lot of life skills and theories, which enabled her to view life differently and develop a positive attitude. For instance, she said, the map reading lesson made her realise that she might lose direction as she navigated through life and also encouraged her to look back and see where she went wrong so she can follow the right direction and reach her destination.

“I was taught to reflect and identify the errors that made me fail so that I correct them and reach my destiny. The boot camp taught me discipline, endurance, patience, good work ethics, punctuality, good health and fitness,” said Ms Esterhuizen.

She revealed that initially she hated the army officers for making them wake up at 04:00 am to do physical training. She said at first she thought the army officers were harsh, but gradually realized that they were teaching her to persevere during hard times, to be time conscious and to be physically and mentally fit.

She further explained that the youth were expected to provide their own entertainment, which enabled them to discover their hidden talents. “The entertainment was also a mind distracting skill that taught me that you can change an unpleasant atmosphere using your talent to distract your mind and to reduce stress,” said Ms Esterhuizen.

She revealed that she is currently serving as an intern in the Department of Immigration of Services where she is using the good lessons that she got from the boot camp to provide satisfactory customer service to clients. She described herself as a model citizen who is now an inspiration for the youth in Bokspits.

“The youth of Bokspits now know that they have to act responsibly and dream big. I even used my talent discovery skills to encourage my 12 year old son Ayu Esterhuizen to play volleyball, and he has now advanced to the under 13 national volley ball team,” said Ms Esterhuizen.

However, she encouraged government to address a few challenges that could hinder youth empowerment, especially poor project monitoring by the Department of Youth. Lastly, Ms Esterhuizen applauded government for the empowerment schemes and called for continuation of the boot camp.

She also commended the youth for embracing the boot camp and advised parents to encourage their children to participate. “The boot camp is a noble initiative that will enable us to attain our vision of becoming a prosperous, productive and innovative nation,” said Ms Esterhuizen. Ends