By Nolwakhe Yvonne Yveslight Sewelo
It is yet another exciting year with new visions and ideas to help empower the young people of Makhanda.
Yveslight, in partnership with Duna Library and various stakeholders, has launched a new initiative, The Rise of Mzantsi’s Code20Mandate Grille. This project aims to help equip the youth of Makhanda with skills and knowledge that will help them overcome the many challenges they face in the community, such as drugs and alcohol. Several schools selected 20 learners each, who will help set a pace for the young upcoming teens and youths of South Africa.
The project is currently in its early stages and opened with a library orientation held at Duna Library from 14 to 16 February. The following schools participated in this initiative: Kutliso Daniles, Nombulelo, Samuel Ntlebi, N.V. Cewu, Makana and C.M. Vellem. Learners were very excited as many of them were unfamiliar with how a library operates.
Photo: Supplied.
160 learners attended the orientation; out of that number, only seven had library membership cards. This means 153 had no idea about library operations or how to borrow books. About 30 learners proved to be usual library visitors but did not hold membership cards. Those without chess boards were unaware that Duna Library had chess boards they could access every once a week.
The next phase of this program includes training learners to be Librarians so they can go back to their schools and help get their school libraries to function.
Yveslight believes that giving incentives, grants, and food packages without providing knowledge and problem-solving skills is raising dependent citizens who will break at the point of hardship. She added that in Makhanda, young people struggle with alcohol and drugs as they use these to deal with personal struggles.
Another trap for young people is smartphones which they use to listen to music, and social media, which steal most of their time. Most learners that own phones can better use them to download YouTube videos to help with complex school subject concepts; use Google to download textbooks, workbooks, and book articles related to their grades.
The Rise of Mzantsi’s Code20Mandate Grille intends to address such matters as well as help develop business-minded individuals who are well-informed. All these programs have been arranged to encourage love and unity. Love is defined in the Bible as everyone being part of a body which is “a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body”.
Yveslight believes there is hope for Makhanda and that the hope lies with the youth, who are the “salt and the light of the world”.
The Rise of Mzantsi’s Code20Mandate Grille principles is the following:
G – Gardener, R – Reader, I – Imaginative, L – Leader, L – Library member and E – Entrepreneur
These principles operate with the following hashtags:
#everylearneragardener #everylearnerareader #everyleanerimaginative #everylearneraleader
#everylearneralibrarymember #everylearneranentrepreneur
To help with the schools’ library project, please donate reading and picture books in the several boxes that will be placed close to the front desk of Duna Library. Community members, NGOs, and private organizations can also contact Yvelight for donations at 066 4171 238 /083 2777 596 or email: yveslightmuse@gmail.com
