Ground Work Collective makes voting and democracy fun for youth at Maponya Mall

Sunday, February 04 marked the last day of voter registration for the upcoming national elections.

Ground Work Collective (GWC) hosted a registration outreach at Maponya Mall to draw young people closer to their democracy through voting literacy.

Many young people have withdrawn themselves from being part of the decision makers for their democracy due to factors such as the high rate of unemployment and the lack of education in terms of voting.

ALSO READ: ANC retains Ward 53 after by-elections

GWC has come up with an interesting tool that aims to bring young people on board during this year’s elections.

They visited multiple shopping centres to make the voting campaigns more inclusive and exciting for the youth.

Mbali Ntuli, founder and CEO of GWC said, “We came up with the exchange campaign that was going to be a culture fit for young people.

“We used music, people they look up to and gifts to bring them out and start the conversation about democracy. We are trying to make elections and democracy cool for them.”

Political participation includes a broad range of activities through which the youth develop and express their opinions about their country and how it is governed and take part and shape the decisions that affect their lives.

“We cannot expect young people to register to vote when we haven’t explained to them what the ward Cllr does, MPs and parliament. It is our duty to make the voting process more informative,” Ntuli explained.

ALSO READ: #IMadeMyMark: Voting education needed as Pimville youth snub elections

It is important for young people who have registered to vote to gain more understanding ad knowledge about what different political parties are promising through their manifestos.

“You deserve to arm yourself with the knowledge of knowing the people that are going to make decisions for you as young people,” Ntuli concluded.