Engage me and I will Understand, Remember and Act!

Samuel DuruSouth Africa

Name of the Event: “Engage me and I will Understand, Remember and Act!”

Goal of the Event : To sharpen the visibility of youngsters to the solution in every problem, and to inspire them to take personal, as well as group actions towards solving social problems in their communities as agents of change and leaders of tomorrow.

Location & Date of the Event: Cape Town, South Africa, 19th March, 2013

Number of Attendees at the Event: 45

Number of People Engaged in Organization: 3

Engage me and I will Understand, Remember and Act!

Develop an event that would help youth to discover, activate and develop their potentials“Engage me and I will Understand, Remember and Act”: this youth empowerment programme was held as a side event during the Library Fair 2013 events, which attracted thousands of participants; mostly youngsters, at the Cape Town Central Library, South Africa. A week before the event I had a chat with a group of young people who shared their dreams, passions and fears with me. I discovered that these talented young minds are pregnant with ideas, but they simply didn’t know how to start organizing and working on those ideas. This helped me to tailor my talk and presentation towards allaying the fears and roadblocks to action. Most of them enjoyed the novelty of discovering that they are not the only ones who are crazy about making the world a better place, and knowing that there are resources and opportunities available, and learning how to access those. Ultimately, they got the push to start rather than wait.

Engage me and I will Understand, Remember and Act!

The Event in Details The main agenda of “Engage me and I will Understand, Remember and Act” was to expose young people to new ways of thinking and acting, using success stories of other young people and introducing them to new opportunities. The event started with some icebreaking activities. We learned about one another, laughed and loosened up. Participants were mainly High School and College students.

Engage me and I will Understand, Remember and Act!

The Event in Details – cont.In South Africa, people talk more about rights and entitlements than about roles and responsibilities. Hence, I seized this opportunity to change the mindset of youngsters in this regard, by encouraging them to see problem as an invitation to find or create a solution. I used my personal story to engage and teach youngsters how to translate their ideas and thoughts into actions that would positively impact their communities and the world at large. The role of young people in driving positive change in society has become more imperative than ever. Hence they need to be given the impetus to THINK and ACT as problem solvers, so that they can optimally contribute towards making the world a better place. I shared the success stories of ventures and social impact projects resulting from C:F competitions and Quick Challenges. The youngsters were patently interested in my presentation. They were keen to learn how they can contribute to the amazing C:F platform, and I was pleased to expose these young, intelligent teenagers to C:F and the opportunities it provides for youth engagement, personal and professional growth. I established contacts with all of them, and the most passionate ones stayed back to tell me about their next steps, and I pledged my full support and mentorship through C:F South Africa. It was truly wonderful to see youngsters so hungry and fired up to do something to make a difference in their communities.

Engage me and I will Understand, Remember and Act!

The Event in Details – cont.

Engage me and I will Understand, Remember and Act!

Identify what are the most needed youth skills and competencies in your local area/country and report on the impact and benefit created!

Engage me and I will Understand, Remember and Act!

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