Boys and Girls Club hosts a youth summit to discuss the gains and flaws of the country’s two decades of democracy
ALEXANDRA – The majority of youngsters who participated in the event believe that the freedom that was achieved in 1994 was not complete.
Scores of learners from different schools of Alexandra participated in the Freedom Day Youth dialogue summit recently held at Three Square Sports Complex under the theme ‘Are we free or doomed?’
The event that was organised by a youth development organisation that deals with a variety of youth activities, and includes the Girls and Boys Club, was aimed at bringing together future leaders to discuss and reflect on 25 years of the country’s democracy.
The summit kicked off with a learning session of the bill of rights in the constitution which was facilitated by Realogile Secondary School Grade 12 learner and public speaker Doppei Ramabulane who spoke about the importance of the constitution and rights enshrined therein.
The majority of youngsters who participated in the event believe that the freedom that was achieved in 1994 was not complete. They said the high rate of crime in the area was evidence that freedom was only political and it did not bring economic and psychological freedom.
They believe that a lot needs to be done to bring true freedom. They pointed to issues of human trafficking and safety at schools as some of the challenges faced by our democracy. The inability of youngsters to secure funding to further their studies after matric was also raised.
Sandra Makola, an information technology (IT) specialist at South African Revenue Service (Sars) told the youngsters to keep their eyes fixed to their dreams and not allow themselves to be diverted by circumstances. She said achieving dreams need perseverance and focus at all times.
At the end of the summit, all participants pledged to say no to bullying, use of drugs and alcohol.
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