Rough Diamonds reach out to the youth

AS HE is passionate about youth development, Kgatli Hlahane founded Rough Diamonds, an NGO that helps the youth in Johannesburg South to find bursary or scholarship opportunities.

The 28-year-old, who lives in Brackendowns, Alberton, signed up to be a mentor in The South African Breweries (SAB) 18+ Campaign, because, besides already being a mentor to his younger brother, he can also mentor youth under his NGO umbrella.

The 18+ Campaign encourages young adults to ”be the mentor you wish you had” and to help teens to make positive life choices, including staying away from alcohol.

“I saw the 18+ Campaign on social media and I wanted to be part of the movement for change,” said Kgatli.

Rough Diamonds’ focus is on youth development, in particular education and careers. The NGO links young people to organisations, helps them to find bursaries/scholarships, and hosts career guidance exhibitions. Kgatli is aware of the impact of underage drinking in his community.

He admits he fell into this trap when he was underage and does not want his 16-year-old brother, Disang, to make the same mistakes he did.

“One of my most meaningful moments shared with my mentee was when I stopped him from drinking with his rugby team, as he is underage.

I was worried he would resent me, but, instead, he now influences me on how to live a healthier lifestyle.”

“At the end of the day, our relationship has strengthened and he has become a positive influence on his peers, paving the way forward and passing on the baton.”

Creating positive life choices is what mentorship is all about.

Rough Diamonds aims to video interview industry professionals for display on the website, to give inspirational words and motivate the youth to never give up, as those professionals, too, had to fight through their own challenges.

Established adults who feel they can connect with the youth are welcome to contact Rough Diamonds NPO to be part of the mentoring network, such as the SAB 18+ Be A Mentor programme.

As a Public Benefiting Organisation, Rough Diamonds has a call to corporate organisations to invest in grooming the youth through sponsored exhibitions that will bring together young entrepreneurs, bursary and internship seekers, to educate them on processes of attaining the bursaries, internships and showing the individuals how to stand out from the rest by always striving for the best.

Kigali’s tmessage to the youth: ” There’s always hope; Never give up.”

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