May 27, 2009 Youth Justice - Siyahamba editorial, issue 12

Greetings YMCA family and friends

Youth justice focuses on the holistic development of a young person, whether they are at risk or in conflict with the law. As an Alliance of African YMCAs, much of...

May 27, 2009 Are youth at the heart of the solutions in youth justice programmes?

It is said that “... the youth are our future”. I say they are not our future – they are our legacy and it is their future that will be determined by the way we handle them. We can break down the...

May 27, 2009 Youth Justice In Action Campaign in Sierra Leone

The Youth Justice in Action (YJIA) Campaign started in Sierra Leone three years ago. The campaign targets six countries – Sierra Leone, Togo, South Africa, Honduras, Ireland and UK – and is supported ...

May 27, 2009 Youth justice testimony: Sierra Leone YMCA

At 15 years of age, Emmanuel lived with his mother only, as his father worked 150 miles away from home. She found it difficult to look after him and so he left to live on the streets. He found some wo...

May 27, 2009 South Africa YMCA developing leadership potential of youth at risk

“All our youth are at risk – some are just at higher risk.” During the launch of South Africa YMCA’s campaign to empower young leaders by unlocking the potential of youth at risk – one young leader at...

May 27, 2009 Youth justice testimony: South Africa YMCA

Thandanani Ndlovu is a young man who typifies the contribution youth can make to their own self-determination and the development of other youth, if given the opportunity. Growing up in extreme povert...

May 27, 2009 Impact of Togo YMCA’s rehabilitation of young offenders project

Judiciary procedures in Togo are very slow due to the lack of appropriate and sufficient number of magistrates and judges with adequate means to handle cases. Further, many families do not have financ...

May 27, 2009 Youth justice testimony: Togo YMCA

18-year old Ibrahim is in form 4 of junior secondary school in Lomé. Born into a poor polygamous family, he stated: “My mother disappeared when I was 4 years old and since that time I haven’t seen her...

May 21, 2009 Arise African youth for your continent

The future of any society depends on the education, quality, values and skills of its youth. This makes it imperative that a sense of direction be provided to us as youth to enable us to take over the...

May 15, 2009 South Africa YMCA campaign to develop future leaders

“If we are to make long-lasting contribution to the future of Africa, it lies in a concerted effort to provide our children and youth with a nurturing, supportive environment, space to develop, and ...

May 15, 2009 Believe in the future of youth at risk

I would like to tell you a story… Seven years ago, a little 8 year old girl living in the inner city of Albert Park a few kilometres away from here, joined the Durban Y-Zone. Over the years, we have w...