Young people from YMCAs in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa, arranged a solidarity day in Folweni, close to Durban on 14 January 2009, with around 200 young people and 50 members of the community.
The aim of the day was to acknowledge the role of young people in the community and address the plight of young people in prison.
The day was opened with an introduction to the campaign and included song and dance and a drama. Poetry was also used to highlight why young people are at risk of offending and re-offending.
The Chief of the community was the guest speaker. He said that he was happy that the YMCA had come to the community to highlight the issues affecting young people in prison. Some of the young people attending the day had experience of being in conflict with the law and one of them told his story. He had turned to crime because of poverty and a lack of a family support structure. Participants then discussed his situation and were encouraged to answer questions.
The group then marched through the streets in Folweni shouting slogans and dancing to draw attention to the plight of young people in South Africa’s prisons and to highlight some of the issues facing young people. The group interacted with community members, young people, taxi drivers and the police, who asked questions and talked about the issue.
The response to the march highlighted the need for such awareness raising activities. The main outcomes of the day were the need to set up support structures for young people who have been in conflict with the law and the fact that many communities are not served well by the police. The YMCA will be taking these messages to the local police authority.
Some of the comments from young people included:
“We should come together as young people and speak about things that are happening and find ways to stop them. If we see the bad side of violence and if we want to stop it we can.”
“Support groups should be put in place for unemployed youth to keep them off the streets.”
“It seems the communities are oblivious to the plight of young people in prison. We need to encourage young people to participate in drama and plays to tell their stories.”
Funded by the European Commission
