Include My Story’s goal is to support and empower today’s youth by creating a platform where people from different backgrounds can “learn from each other and collaborate in solving social issues”, explained Nothando Gulube (right), founder and director of the organisation. PHOTO: Jean-Marie Uys
A local non-governmental organisation (NGO) was recently launched to help support, empower and unite young people from different backgrounds in Stellenbosch.
This is according to Nothando Gulube, founder and director of the NGO, Include My Story.
“The main aim is to empower and bring our young people together,” said Gulube. “We want to support [young people] and empower [them] with what we can.”
The organisation’s inaugural event was hosted at the Stellenbosch Museum on 21 July. Learners from Lückhoff High School, Makapula Secondary School and Cloetesville High School were addressed by public figures such as Anroux Marais, Western Cape minister of cultural affairs and sport; Ndipiwe Olayi, Stellenbosch Municipality councillor; and Wilfred Daniels, former head coach of the South African athletics Olympic team.
The Include My Story inaugural exhibition and cultural engagement event was hosted on 21 July at Stellenbosch Museum. Learners from Stellenbosch High School, Makapula Secondary School, Cloetesville High School and Lückhoff High School attended the event, according to Nothando Gulube, founder and director of Include My Story. PHOTO: Jean-Marie Uys
‘Unity embracing diversity’
One of the organisation’s catchphrases is “unity embracing diversity”, said Gulube. This highlights the organisation’s focus on diversity on an individual level, as opposed to recognising people as part of certain groups, according to Gulube.
“If we acknowledge diversity [on] an individual [level], it’s very powerful in the sense that I’ll look at you for who you are. You will get to understand me better and [we’ll] be able to solve the situations that we have,” said Gulube.
Learning about the country’s history of apartheid is an important part of achieving unity among South Africans, claimed Daniels in his address at the inaugural event.
“It is important to hear the history [of] where we come from, and how it is now so that we [can] understand [and] learn from the mistakes that were made in the past,” said Daniels at the event.
Wilfred Daniels, former head coach of the South African Olympic Team and Cloetesville resident, taught high school learners from Cloetesville, Kayamandi and Idas Valley the importance of understanding the history of Stellenbosch. He shared some advice on what young people should focus on today in order to rise above their circumstances, according to Nothando Gulube, founder and director of Include My Story. PHOTO: Jean-Marie Uys
Think big, dream big
“You, the youth of today, must not limit your own opportunities,” said Daniels during his speech.
His words spoke to the increase in hopelessness amongst young people due to the socio-economic problems in our country today, according to Gulube.
“They stop dreaming, because opportunities are no longer there, and if the opportunities are there, it’s quite difficult for them to access. Especially [learners] from rural areas,” said Gulube.
Include My Story plans to create a platform that would foster collaboration between different areas in Stellenbosch to work towards “solving these social issues”, explained Gulube.
Boitumelo Hetebo, a Representative Council for Learners (RCL) member at Makapula, attended the event. She told MatieMedia that it had inspired her to not let her fears stand in the way of her dreams.
High school learners from Cloetesville, Kayamandi and Idas Valley were encouraged to take part in an essay competition at the end of the inaugural Include My Story event on 21 July. “They will write essays reflecting on what they have learnt, how they see South Africa now, and what they want to see in the future,” said Nothando Gulube, founder and director of Include My Story. PHOTO: Facebook/Include My Story