#YourStory – Inspiring fellow youngsters

“I grew up in one of the most misunderstood areas in Johannesburg and that is Yeoville,” said Francois ‘Franck’ Leya, an ambassador of Student SleepOut 2016.

The Student SleepOut forms part of the CEO SleepOut initiative.

The former pupil from Barnato Park High School is now 21 years old. Franck, as he is known to those he associates with, was born in the Congo and moved to Johannesburg when he was 11.

“I have lived in South Africa for almost my whole life. I grew up around Yeoville, Berea and Hillbrow,” said Franck.

He describes growing up in these areas as a challenge.

“I faced many challenges growing up in these neighborhoods. Drugs and violence was most common. Also, being a foreigner in these areas was a challenge on its own,” said Franck.

He said there was lots of discrimination and that made schooling a little difficult.

“I faced discrimination on a daily basis, which led to me striving so hard academically to prove many of my teachers wrong. I then started a group at school called One Big Family. I used the group as the platform to address many of the foreign learners like myself on how to deal better with discrimination,” said Franck.

Franck said working hard paid off as he was selected to represent his school at St John’s Academy.

The programme was a Science and Maths programme which ran for four days a week after school.

“That opportunity changed my life. Growing up in Yeoville and attending a public school, we were not exposed to a lot of opportunities and that made me realise there was a lot more to life than what we were experiencing,” said Franck.

Franck felt a need to share with others in his school of what the world has to offer.

“I started sharing my experiences with other learners in my school and from that point I realised many children need to hear about opportunities that are available out there for them,” said Franck.

After matriculating, Franck and his friends saw the need to continue mentoring the youth and motivating them.

“My friends and I started an organisation called A Dollar and A Dream. The initiative was inspired by my journey from the Congo to South Africa. We go to schools and motivate learners because of the opportunity I received when I was in grade 10, of being selected to represent my school even though I felt there were learners who were smarter than me, but my teacher saw something in me.

“We wanted to give learners hope and to tell them they can achieve any goals and that there is more to life than what they know,” said Franck.

As an Ambassador of Student SleepOut 2016, Franck said he has learnt a number of things.

“I have learnt how to use social media better to achieve a goal and make an impact and most importantly I learnt to just stick to who I am and to be more grateful for what I have. The journey has been an amazing one which I will remember for the rest of my life,” said Franck.

He said he has been afforded the opportunity to meet South Africa’s brightest young minds and that is an experience he will hold dear for the rest of his life.

Franck said with all the experience of his life, it has made him look at life differently and appreciate what he has more.

#YourStory