Youth initiatives that would pave the way for a brighter future (Q and A)

Youth initiatives that would pave the way for a brighter future:

Interviewer: Meyuri Pillay

Interviewee: Claire Bright of the Clairebright Youth Desk Forum based in Bluff, Durban.

Q] What does the Organisation and its programs offer young people?

A] “ We accommodate people from the age of six to thirty five, so its not only a youth program but we provide services for parents as well as older people whom require our help. Our programs aims at helping mainly young people realize their mistakes and help them learn from them, and make a positive change into their lives.

Q] What steps do the programs entail?

A] “Our programs are formed to help reform children who have possibly partaken in theft, violence or victims of rape, to help them either reform or cope with their experiences. We provide them with skills for employment and educate them on consequences of crime. We take them on tours to prisons and mortuaries, by doing this they will realize that crime can never solve anything, it only makes things worse.”

Q] Do you have external facilities that cater for special cases?

A] “Yes we do, the organization has links to the Trauma Unit, Special Victims Unit for rape cases. We provide the youth with counseling facilities to help them deal with various issues.

Q] Who are the hands behind the organization and how do you drive the campaign?

A] “We do work with Provincial Government to get the programs implemented, also with the support of community services. The organization drives the program by visiting schools and partaking in drug busts that would search students for potential criminal materials. We talk about the importance of education and the consequences of crime.

Q] Why have you joined the UN Habitat program?

A] “We hope to get as many people involved as possible to support this good cause, to encourage young people to join and show them that good things are being done to help our future.

Latin America: Untold Fears

Latin America: Untold Fears

By: Meyuri Pillay

The twin issues of Crime and Politics regularly make the headlines, but when young people from vandalized communities express their fears for safety how often do we take notice? Latin America has some of the most shocking statistics related to violent crime on the planet. These days Latin America struggles to uphold the values that were once considered important in making us realize the truths that are so often shadowed with denial.

Xiana Garcia, a keen youngster from Guatemala City, Mexico, traveled to South Africa in search of informed minds and receptive ears. She won a competition by writing an essay that told the story of Mexico and the constant struggle of the youth in everyday life. The Mexican youth are facing a growing epidemic of drug addiction and gang violence where they are often confused and mis-lead by both their peers and the community at large into precarious situations. Gangsterism is rife, offering a sense of belonging in their difficult lives; many of these youngsters come from poor backgrounds with broken homes and have a constant need to prove themselves.

Movies often portray Latino-gangs as rough, powerful groups, commanding respect from members by incorporating six-on-one beating sessions that render a couple of scratches and bruises. The reality of the situation however paints a grimmer picture where by the initiation requires the potential candidate to steal, rape and murder to prove their loyalty to a cause that is likely to claim their own lives. Parents in these communities struggle to find ways to keep their children in schools and with a growing amount of young people being recruited into gangs and partaking in criminal activities, communities are often paralyzed by fear. “We don’t come out of our homes after dark, the roads and paths are unsafe and dangerous especially for women.” Xiana is one of the Latin American youth delegates and wants more youngsters to hear that Mexico is not all about drugs, poverty and gangsterism; instead Mexico is a country that holds much hope for the future of its people and its youth.

“Like Mexico, in South Africa the poor are separated from the rich and able from the unable,” says Xiana, and so often these discriminations may very well lead to crime. Criminal offences and neglect often occur in the poorest of areas within the poorest of families.

The United Nations Habitat Program aims to help change these circumstances by saving public spaces and allowing these communities to regain their place of comfort and activity. The program welcomes ideas from similar communities all over the world that will unite to find solutions that would hopefully initiate the beginning of a prosperous future for these communities.

Youth are partners in our desisions

YOUTH ARE PARTNERS IN OUR DECISIONS

by Amanda Onamandla Mathe

'Youths are partners in our decisions.'Those where the main words of wisdom conveyed by the United Nations representatives at the opening of yesterday's International Summit on Youth Crime prevention and Safer Cities in Durban, South Africa. It was further pointed out that often youths in nations across the world feel out place and not part of the decision process of the government and various organizations.

The International Youth Crime Prevention & Cities Summit has opened up a number of discussions and debates amongst the youth as well as the leaders of the many countries represented at the conference. The speeches seemed to carry one goal in mind: the inclusion of the youth in the decision making process , as often has the youth have been blamed for either causing constant disturbance to society or not playing an effective role in building society. However one needs to consider where the line of communication begins between the leaders of the world and the youth and why it is so difficult for our voices to be heard amongst the politicians who don’t seem to understand our views and concerns.

A lecturer from the Assumption University in Bangkok, Thailand said she was here to learn to improve her knowledge and gain a better understanding from this summit, in order to be able to apply it in her country of Myanmar. She believes that the conference provides exposure for a better understanding of society and an experience of the world in one place. Interestingly her main aim is to gain knowledge from information presented to her through the presentations held at the summit. She said there is need to observe, process and learn the information before you can come up with plans to change the youths in many societies. Her scope came across clearly as she said it is to help to make the citizens of her country better as person who is a teacher. I asked her what faculty does she represent and it was the Faculty of Nursing Science and she basically teaches her student community health. The factors that she focuses on are factors leading to alcohol, drug use and delinquency among the youth of Myanmar.

Mr. BH Cele stated in his speech that 'youths are dying alive', re-iterating the fact that crime is no longer a situation or a problem but a generational pandemic that was destroying the futures of the world when children are killing children. But, my problem is, if there is such increasing amount of violence; what is being done to break the chain? Is there a weakest link that leaders of the world are missing, or simple the vicious cycle of poverty? The lessons that need to be observed, processed and learned in order to better the youths of our country are lessons that need to be considered carefully, because its not only about being part of the decision making process but being part of the change that the youth would want to take part in. It seems that all the youth want is to be heard and given straight answers by the leaders that govern them and their futures.

Welcoming Luncheon 17 June 2008

Welcoming Luncheon 17 June 2008

By Shavika Maharaj

Attended by over 1000 international delegates, Your City conference held in Durban South Africa, aims to provide a platform for discussion and deliberation over issues relating to youth, crime and policies that contribute to making our cities safer, and by extension more habitable.

Hosted by eThekwini Municipality, and working in conjunction with the provincial government of Kwa-Zulu Natal and UN – HABITAT, this event started off with an opening welcome address by eThekwini Deputy Mayor, Logie Naidoo who gave a warm introduction of Durban to international delegates, urging the public and all delegates to make the most of the conference and in essence benefit from the information received. Whilst the orchestra signaled for the next speaker, the MC for the event (Ms. N. Masondo– Director of Social Crime Prevention in the Department of Community Safety and Liaison for the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal) g delivered an introduction to the night’s guest speakers. A panel of interpreters was available to assist with translation into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Zulu and South African Sign Language.

The first speaker, a Mr. Lous Zamorano, Director General of Urban Infrastructure and leader of the “Rescue for Public Spaces” Programme, Mexico provided an inspiring account on the utilization of public spaces for social and community development whilst Ms M Shaw, the Director of Analysis at International Centre for the Prevention of Crime chose to demonstrate her presentation on the Summit’s background paper via a slide show that worked effectively with visuals ranging from a railway station in Cape town, that street kids are forced to seek shelter in to a representation of the grime in Durban’s very own Warwick Avenue.

Closing remarks were made by Mr. B.H Cele, member of the executive Council for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, KZN, South Africa, who emphasized the importance of communities recognizing youth as having the potential to change societies around the globe for the better. He then invited delegates to join VIP’s at a Welcoming Cocktail Function branded ‘A Hip-Hop Celebration’ at uShaka Marine World.

Naomi Williams Profile

Profile: Naomi Williams
Toronto, Canada Youth

By Kyle Venktes and Sanjeev Singh

The opening day of the YourCity International Youth Crime Prevention & Cities Summit was an eventful one. We had the opportunity of interacting with other delegates from all over the world. One of these delegates was Naomi Williams from Toronto, Canada.

She is a talented amateur photographer, chosen by the Baobab association, to share her knowledge and also exchange ideas on how we can change our society for the better.

Naomi studied towards a degree in Economics at the University of Waterloo for 4 years. She has recently been involved in amateur photography and community upliftment programs through photography. Naomi has a passion for photography and she integrates this into the various programs that encourage the youth of Canada to express themselves and their communities with the power of pictures. Through this initiative awareness is created about the harsh reality faced by the under-privileged, this initiative also gives the youth an opportunity to showcase their community through their own eyes.

Williams creates a parallel between Durban and Toronto as both being multicultural societies. She feels at home in Durban and enjoys the atmosphere and friendly people. It is Naomi’s opinion that a bad stereotype is created around Durban as a city with crime statistics adding what can be seen as ‘fuel to the fire’. She also feels that it is our duty as residents to welcome visitors to Durban and stand to together towards a common goal of a safer society.