Local Youth turns his life around through Scouts

It is well documented that structure, support and encouragement can contribute towards changing the lives of at-risk young people for the better. Not only do these concepts prepare young people to make appropriate ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes, but they also help build self-confidence and the knowledge and skills that can help them be more successful and productive citizens.

Unfortunately, in many of the poorer areas of our country such support for youngsters is in short supply, with the triple challenges of poverty, HIV & Aids and absentee parents exacerbating the problem. The good news is that in some areas the scouts movement is offering a roadmap to a better future, using a time-honoured philosophy built around respect, service and discipline.

Ronny’s Story

Ronny Sekwela, a polite and confident young man of 23 from Limpopo’s Lephane village outside Tzaneen, agrees with the notion of scouts paving the way to a brighter future. He is one of a growing number of youths from the area who managed to turn their life around through joining scouts.

By his own account, not so long ago he was wasting his life away with alcohol and a reckless lifestyle. “When you come from an undeveloped community, surrounded by poverty and despair, you sort of lose hope of ever having a bright future. And because of that you simply end up living day to day and ignoring those opportunities that do come along,” explains a repentant Ronny.

His life has taken a very different turn now, and he is determined never to end up like so many of his peers who face a future of uncertainty and hopelessness. Ronny is now a responsible, motivated scout leader and an Aids volunteer who is making a meaningful impact in Lephane village.

Ronny joined the scout movement at the age of 14, following a chance encounter with a few scouts in his area who were participating in the movement thanks to an organisation called Keep the Dream 196 (KTD).  When he turned 18, he started volunteering as a field officer at KTD, a non- profit organisation in Tzaneen that runs several projects including integrated training, care and support to all children in the area but particularly orphaned and vulnerable children, caregivers, social workers, teachers and Community Based Organisations (CBOs). The training KTD offers includes communication skills for children, group therapy, developing circles of support, children’s rights and responsibilities, scouts, leadership skills and a lot more.

Through these programmes Ronny has made significant progress in creating a more positive future for himself and his family. According to Louise Batty, Founder and Director of KDT, “When Ronny first joined the scouting movement he was a troubled young man, who was battling with a lot of issues, mostly influenced by peer pressure and hopelessness. He had a short temper, he didn’t get along well with other children, in fact most of the children were scared of him. He also gave his parents a really hard time, but I think all this behaviour points back to poverty and lack of opportunities in the community,” explains Louise.

From Strength to Strength

Despite the shortage of opportunities in Lephane community, Ronny’s involvement in the scout movement has provided him with several breaks that have resulted in a host of successes.

In 2010 he was one of 300 young people from 98 countries who were selected to take part in a three- year programme called Oxfam International Youth Partnership (OIYP), a global network of young people who share a vision of a just world and are committed to working for peaceful, equitable and sustainable social change within their communities.

Ronny flew to New Delhi in India to attend the launch of the partnership programme for 2010 to 2013.This opportunity was supported by KTD, who encouraged him to apply to join the OIYP programme.

“The trip was a phenomenal experience, I got the chance to interact with a lot of young people from around the world who are also passionate about fighting poverty and social injustice in their communities”, he said.

Since coming back from New Delhi, Ronny has held regular training camps in Lephane where he has run seminars involving HIV & Aids prevention. In 2012 he applied for the OIYP grant, which was approved. He used the grant to host several seminars and training camps with a focus on discussing issues that were relevant to the challenges that the youth in his community face on a daily basis.

Ronny is currently an IT intern at International Business Machines (IBM); he says that he  hopes to start his own telecommunications company, which would enable him to help uplift young people in his community through offering them bursary schemes to  go to university.

“The scout movement and Keep the Dream 196 have totally transformed my life. I have been the recipient of selfless support and encouragement, and I want to pass this on to others. My main goal is to assist Keep the Dream 196 to find more donors and increase their great work, and to help fund some of the disadvantaged children in my community to go to university. If I can achieve that, I would die a happy man!” he concludes with a smile.

To learn more about the work of KTD 196 or to offer support, please contact Louise Batty on [email protected]  or visit www.keepthedream196.com

By Abram Molelemane