THE KwaMashu YMCA will host a cultural day today in celebration of Youth Day from 10am to 4pm, where the artists will showcase work from their active arts club, “Y-Arts”.
Y-Arts teacher Thabani Zwane helps to train interested locals in drama, writing, music and dance by running local after-school community classes.
Zwane said: “We want our community to learn how to celebrate June 16 in an appropriate way.
“So many people don’t celebrate June 16 in a good way, and forget what June 16 means. We want to help to change that.”
Sanele Makhathini, the Y-Arts and Local Action groups co-ordinator at the KwaMashu YMCA, added: “We consciously wanted to change the perception of Youth Day in our area.
“It is not a random holiday, but an opportunity to celebrate young people by using their creative talent as a means of developing the community,” he said.
Makathini added that the YMCA strove to empower young people for life, leadership and service, with the KwaMashu facility being very active in the PINK community (Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu areas). But it was in need of an injection of fresh energy, enthusiasm and new resources.
Encouraging families from the PINK area to spend Youth Day and enjoying the cultural talents of local youth would go a long way towards rejuvenating and raising awareness about the valuable work of the YMCA, he said.
They have not only the active Y-Arts project but also a Y-Zone, which is a multi-faceted programme aimed at providing after-school care programmes for school-going children aged 6 to 18 in a safe environment, where they are afforded an opportunity to grow in all areas of their lives.
The KwaMashu YMCA is a subsidiary of the Durban YMCA, a registered NPO, and is affiliated to South Africa YMCA, part of an organisation with 45 million members in 125 countries, which offers student accommodation to UKZN during the academic year.
In the greater Durban area, YMCA serves over 5 000 young people with a variety of programmes aimed at improving their lives, and equipping them for life, leadership and service.
The Youth Day event takes place at the KwaMashu YMCA today from 10am to 4pm. Entry is on a donation basis - the minimum contribution is R5.
For more info, call 031 305 4496 or visit www.dbnymca.org.za