Muslim Youth Movement to lead ‘Ambassadors for Change’

By Al Qalam Reporter

The Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa is on a mission to empower energetic groups of young leaders who can bring about significant change in their communities.

MYMSA will do this through the ‘Ambassadors for Change’ workshop which will be piloted in KwaZulu-Natal. The workshop will take place at the Al Ansaar Conference Centre in Durban, between June 27 and July 2, with the primary purpose to train skills facilitators and activists within communities.

MYMSA believes there is a critical need for more youth leaders in communities, given the current state of the country. 

Young people from secondary schools who are in grade 10 and 11, universities, volunteers and non-governmental organisations, will participate in the six-day course.

It is designed to give participants critical thinking skills, knowledge, participatory methods and techniques to facilitate community workshops, dialogues and to assist members of the community, who are victims of discrimination and unethical action.

“What we are trying to do is to inspire young people to become change agents and to form a national movement to push for change in our country. After looking at the situation that South Africa is in, we thought that maybe the energy of young people is what is needed right now. Wherever they are in their communities, they, the youth, can be agents of change,” said Thandile Kona, President of the MYMSA.

The organisation says ‘Ambassadors for Change’ is critical to address issues of rampant racism, gender-based violence, falsifying qualifications, acquiring tenders through illegal means, corrupt and unethical politicians and lawlessness in the country which are issues that have become prevalent in society.

“It’s important for so many reasons. Young people find themselves at a loss in communities at a micro-level. There are no programmes to get young people involved in socio-political programmes. This is basically a way to introduce them to this,” said Kona. 

Kona says the change that South Africa would like to see, would not happen by itself.

“We are talking about the use and abuse of drugs, crime levels, poverty, and inequality. The youth can be the change agents when it comes to these issues and we are excited about the opportunities this programme will present. We have an amazing cohort of talented, young people that will be part of the workshop,” said Kona.

Rashid Chopdat, a facilitator for the programme says hosting ‘Ambassadors for Change’ is necessary, given that the youth aren’t involved in community affairs as much as they should be.

“They don’t give back to the community. The youth hide behind their Xboxes and social media. This is to get them out of this and to make them realise that as the youth, they can be the change. We want them to start making the change,” said Chopdat.

The pilot programme will see around 30 participants who have gone through an interview process, to make the cut.

“There will be so many important elements and things for them to learn. Simple things like report writing skills and how to organise a workshop, will be on the agenda. We will train them on how to deal with issues of violence, bullying, and racism. These are issues the youth face at school and tertiary level. The Human Rights Commission will also be present with the Department of Justice, for a part of the workshop. They will talk about the judicial system and understanding our rights. These are critical discussions that need to be had among the youth,” said Chopdat.

This will allow the youth involved to reflect on the South African Constitution and laws, make referrals via MYMSA to the relevant Chapter Nine institutions and civil society organisations when offenses of racism, GBV and crimes against society take place.

After ‘Ambassadors for Change’ is piloted in KZN, the MYMSA plans to take the programme to the rest of the country.