Delegates represented the City of Johannesburg at the 4th One Young World Summit say they are motivated to continue serving the communities.
The twenty delegates were selected from over 300 applicants to represent the city at the OYW summit in Johannesburg, earlier this month.
The delegates thanked the City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor for giving them an opportunity to represent Johannesburg and investing in them.
Tshimangadzo Tshikomba, one of the delegates says “such opportunities do not come often”.
He added that the city should monitor their progress and support them in ways that will help make a difference.
The delegates all pledged to use what they learnt to go back and implement within their communities and work.
Candice Kroutz explained that she will be working on food project to help in food insecure communities, while another delegate Taskeen Adam, says she will be working on using her shills as an engineer to improve education in the country.
Adam says, “The opportunity to collaborate with 1300 young leaders around the world was incredible.”
The group joined over 1000 other young leaders from more than 170 countries.
Adam says, “The opportunity to collaborate with 1300 young leaders around the world was incredible.”
Delegates had the opportunity to draw inspiration from the greats such as Richard Branson,Prof Mohammad Yunus, Sir Bob Geldof and Kofi Annan.
The session dealt with an array of topics focusing on youth unemployment, gender and human rights, food security and social business.
Adam says Yunus’s session on social business resonated for her. They encourage young people to aspire to greatness and help make positive changes in society. “The fact that the bottom line of businesses should not only be of profit but also people and the planet are important.”
Kroutz says she was inspired by Oscar Ekponimo. Ekponimo developed an application that alerts stores about their expiring stock which could be donated.
The group says there’s a need for more gathering of young thinkers in the country to share and inspire each other.
“It would be great to have One Young Mzansi or One Young Africa”, says Tshikomba. Adam added that, “Knowledge sharing is crucial to development.”
The group advised young South Africans to become involved in creating change in society and not let the fear of failure stop them.
“If you want to make a difference, go for it. Take action and believe in yourself.” says Tshikomba.
– By SABC: Hasina Gori
