Youth in Dialogue - Nelson Mandela Foundation

someone will listen.
If we’re going to sit and
talk about “HIV is this, HIV
is that,” they’re not going to
listen, they are just going to
walk in and out.
But if we do it through
dance, poetry and such things,
they’re going to stay and listen
and the message is going to
come across.
The problem that I have
identified is that poverty is the
basis of everything. People are
not confident, confidence is
what we lack and that’s why
people can date a grown man
and sleep with them without a
condom and then contract the
disease. That’s our problem,
lack of confidence.
Stars, can’t wear this and can’t
wear that.
And then, when someone
says have a smoke, they are
going to smoke because they
have no confidence, they
don’t see themselves as worth
more than that. If we tackle
the mind and show them that
they are worth it, we are done
with them.
national day it is. I will send
the message across and I do
motivational speaking, in
every programme, in every
event, there’s motivational
speaking. So that’s what we
need, we need motivation.
Les
What is your community
involvement
Les
So what you’re saying is
poverty is the main thing
and as a result of poverty
young people don’t have
the confidence to look into
themselves
Zachariah in the Soshanguve group interview.
Pulane
Exactly, and now what
happens is that, I’m thinking
that the solution is to start
them from a young age, target
them and teach them about
confidence, especially.
We must start with the
girls because they are
more vulnerable, because
they become pregnant and
biologically we contract HIV
faster than men, it’s just a fact.
If we can have a programme
at school that deals with
confidence and teach these
kids to be proud even if they
have nothing. The thing is for
confidence to be lost, a child
grows up not being able to get
All Stars [shoes] or whatever,
now that child automatically
looks down on themselves
because they can’t wear All
At a young age, at 11, start.
That child must know “I can
always say I don’t want to
talk to you.” She must be
confident like that. When we
are finished with girls, then
it’s easy. Guys know that
when they go to the girls they
will get this response and then
we start with the guys.
Les
What is your personal
commitment from here on,
in terms of what you’ve
identified
Pulane
In my poetry sessions that
I organise around here in
the township, I identify the
national days, like Heritage
Day and all that and I theme
it in the style of whatever
Zachariah, 20
I’m involved in a lot of ways;
sports; I teach chess and coach
netball and that way I keep
them from the streets.
A challenge that we get is
that they play and they play
and then there are no groups
to play against so these people
get bored.
If I see kids playing
something, I make sure that I
encourage them. Sometimes
I try to find sponsors for
them, which is very hard to
do. We lack funds here in
Soshanguve.
Les
They lack encouragement,
facilities and direction, so they
find that when they are bored
during holidays, they have
sex
YOUTH IN DIALOGUE 47