As we walk the streets of our communities, our hearts frequently weeps as we encounter and see the lives of individuals who, years before, were talented, intelligent, aspiring high-school classmates. During their youth they had dreams, desires, plans and aspirations. Today they are lost in a maze of substance abuse, alcoholism, purposelessness and poorly chosen friends. Their lives are aimless, th
eir decisions haphazard. “What could have been, has become what should have been”. The wealthy of dreams has been dashed into poverty of discouragement. Too often we die without exploring the gifts, abilities, and successes that lay hidden within us. Our thoughts, ideas and possibilities are not used. We fail to realize the vast amount of potential that God has stored within us. The biggest question each young person of this country must ask him/herself is that “what would the world have lost if I had not been born?” What will the world lack because you fail to live out of your potential? Will you carry songs, books, inventions, or discoveries to your grave? Does your existence as youth of South Africa has a meaning? Are you fulfilling your purpose and using your Godly given talents and potential to the best of your ability? Some people come into your life to chop up your self-confidence and slam the door of your potential by convincing you that you are nothing: “You’ll never rise above your family’s status. You’ll never go beyond where your neighborhood takes you. You’ll never be any more than your mom and your dad. This is what our society have been teaching and preaching to our young people to keep them down from reaching their dreams
Our main aim as Unite for Youth Development Program is to give our youth a fresh start of experiencing a greater life and living to their full potential, and helping them to get back to their real self. Some young people have been told that they are going to amount to nothing “You aren’t going to be anything. You can’t do nothing, you will always be what you now are” Unite for Youth has come to undo that. We say, “You can be anything you think” and we as Unite for youth development program will give all our time, knowledge, gifts and talents to ensure that our young people understand and they are also aware of their true potential and we say to our youth of today “Yes you can be anything you want to be, it Possible! Unite for Youth is a non-profit organization providing mentoring programs for Primary School youth, high school youth, Tertiary Institution Youth and youth in national communities at large. The program aim to form partnerships with local school districts, Juvenile court system, Churches, Drug Rehabilitation Centers, Government Institutions and Community Radio Stations. Unite for Youth's goal is to help and develop the youth from deferent communities, race and background across South Africa, with skills and mentorship that will promote pro- social friendships, strong interpersonal skills, high level of motivation, a positive life style and reassert a sense of hope in the future of our youth. Only through personal relationships can a sense of individual responsibility be re-established that will give youth the commitment to follow through on path to adulthood with a sense of pride and accomplishment. Through repeated failures in the classroom and in life, the development of destructive habits (drugs, alcohol abuse, crime ect), has caused our young people to lose faith in the possibilities that await them if they are successful in putting their lives together. To accomplish this goal, young people must be in a caring, inclusive learning environment that promotes their best effort and reinforces personal respect. And we will achieve this goal by motivating them during our daily school visitations especially in the morning before they go to classes; we also provide life couching seminars & workshop, youth crusades, awareness program and other positive personal development programs. Most of our Youth in townships and rural areas has never explored their gifts, abilities and success and some has failed to realize the vast potential that is stored within them. The goal of the program is to identify youths who are going to have a confused transition to adulthood and offer positive support system to avoid the pitfalls that can derail their lives. The focus is slightly different at each level but the goal remains the same; empower the young person to make positive changes in his/her life. Unite for Youth will focus primarily on high school youths especially. This age group is particularly problematic and a perfect time for mentoring to be effective. Unite for Youth's mentoring programs will pair a youth with aspiring mentor for 12 months and some youth especial in metric level will be provided life couching seminar and workshops. During that time our life couches will plan activities that will strengthen and improve the young person’s confidence, mindset and hope.
“Empower the young person to make positive changes in his/her life”
