Youth leader says raising tomorrow’s leaders with integrity and democratic values is vital
Loyiso Dyantyi, as part of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s youth programme, is shaking things up with schoolchildren and young adults who are given unique opportunities to learn about the past to ensure a better future.
Loyiso Dyantyi explains why he works so hard to help conscientise the youth through his active citizenship work.
Here is what he had to say:
Unemployment and access to education are big obstacles for many youths, unfortunately.
In terms of the schooling system, the curriculum itself and what our youth are being taught are not always helpful and good.
When we visit schools as part of our outreach work at the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, we see the history of South Africans who played a role in bringing democracy to fruition not being featured enough. We need a more inclusive education model so future leaders can learn about past leaders and the lessons their lives can teach us. People like Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada and Steve Biko, for example, all led incredible lives and their stories are so powerful and still relevant.
We also try to encourage the youth to become activists, to mobilise and fight hard for democratic ideals and practices. Some say we are a leaderless generation. It is not true but we need to do better at moulding democratic natural leaders. But it is difficult with unemployment as high as it is.
You can see youths sitting on street corners rather than participating in governance – we need to learn to bridge the gap. We need to help them see that they can build and work towards the future they want which will in turn look after them if it is just and fair.
We have youth clubs and are really beginning to have a great impact. But there is so much to do. In terms of infrastructure – how can we in this day and age have children dying in pit toilets and children who go to school without textbooks? So many schools themselves are not participating in good governance as they should.
We need to be forming young people who understand the role that they have to play as citizens of this country as part of civil society or even government in the future.
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