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By Kavashnee Singh, executive head, Arrow Academy
Kofi Annan believed in the importance of youth leadership. “Young people,” he said, “should be at the forefront of global change and innovation.’
As teachers, parents, young people and adults, we have a unique opportunity and important responsibility to secure the future of our communities. We do this by empowering our children and young people.
As they listen to everyone around them and watch what others do, their ideas and thoughts about the world are shaped by these experiences. This allows us to help them develop strong social-emotional intelligence, resilient and innovative minds, and a sense of pride that they are heard and acknowledged as the youth of our country.
Ageism is prevalent in communities worldwide. Being aware that this affects all of us is the first step in giving our youth a voice. The term ‘youth’, as defined by the South African National Youth Commission Act (1996), refers to people between the ages of 14 and 35. This age group makes up the majority of our population, which provides many opportunities if we make it our priority to empower our youth.
Social-emotional learning is the main pillar when we talk about empowering our children and young people. With the current rate of gender-based violence and violence against children in our country, community intervention is desperately needed. We must educate our children on issues of self-respect, respect for others, self-love, kindness to others and conflict resolution. Above all else, we must instil the courage to do what is right and make the right decisions, even when no one is watching.
We must include them in conversations where conflict is dealt with appropriately, and we must model what self-care looks like by practicing it ourselves. We have a responsibility to exemplify a life of purpose. A life in which we, as adults, set life goals and extend empathy to those around us by simply listening and understanding, where we use our life to achieve great things or care for others.
Schools and parents can empower children by knowing about and understanding their interests and strengths. Create opportunities with your children where they can freely explore the things that interest and excite them. This is where innovation is born, in the mastery of strength and the freedom to explore. What they love doing or learning about might not make sense to us, but have we so easily forgotten that we once built a spaceship out of a cardboard box? Giving them the chance to express their ideas or make decisions is fundamental to their future.
Too often, children and young people are dismissed and refused a platform to speak and express themselves. Many adults can relate to this dehumanising experience, and we must actively guard against doing this to our children. Encourage them to let you know how they feel about a situation. Allow children in your household to have a voice in family decisions. Hold them accountable when necessary and tell or show them why their actions or decisions were not appropriate. This builds critical thinking and teaches cause and effect. As for us adults, we must learn to take a deep breath and intentionally use a tricky moment as a teaching opportunity. We will see the results in young people who can think for themselves and act with empathy.
At Arrow, we do our part by living the Arrow values. We encourage debate and critical thinking by allowing our learners to participate in class discussions and engage in 21st-century learning.
We ask our families to listen to their children with empathy, make time to explore their interests, and remember that we are role models for the future of our country.