As part of its 2020 “30 Stories in 30 Days” campaign, celebrating Youth Month, Salesian Life Choices is sharing one inspirational youth story from 15 to 21 June, honouring the youth of today and their life struggles. This year, the impact of the Covid-19 public health emergency is woven in the stories as youth express their unique responses to the pandemic in their lives.
The 30 Stories in 30 Days campaign is a platform for youth voices to be amplified. Youth make up 37% of the population in South Africa but are seldom “heard” in mainstream media. The post-Apartheid generation, referred to as the “Born-Frees”, are stereotyped in unflattering descriptions such as, among others;
- The “lost generation”
- unemployed, or unemployable, and
- preferring the welfare provided by the state rather than study or work (Garman & Malila, 2016).
The 30 Stories in 30 Days campaign is a showcase of the Born-Frees and their personal stories of triumph over adversity. The stories are intimate narratives of personal transformation and all underscore the theme of “Victim to Victor”. The campaign captures stories that cover a range of issues that young people navigate in their lives, including the effects of poverty, depression, bullying, gangsterism, abuse and loss.
Salesian Life Choices MD Sofia Neves explains: “Salesian Life Choices works with young people from the low-income communities of the Cape Flats and provides services in employment, education, leadership, health and family stability. Since 2014, the 30 Stories in 30 Days campaign has served as a social series of the various pressures youth face in Cape Town, especially when living in less privileged neighbourhoods.
To read the stories compiled for the 30 Stories in 30 Days campaign visit the Salesian Life Choices Facebook page.
