Let's talk youth development quickly.

Triggered by a post this morning about why people as young as 14 are in gangs, I will speak what I think is missing in youth development in SA in this thread 👇🏾 Youth by policy definition starts at 14 in SA, yet our focus in youth development programs & policy is economic participation. Yet, we lament that young people are morally losing their way and falling prey to many social ills. We blame them as if we are not raising them.

[THREAD]
The 2024 election date has been announced by the President as 29 May 2024.

I have a few unique concerns about this election but the biggest one is voter education!

Here's 3 reasons why the greatest risk to this election is voter education #SAelections24 1. NEW ELECTION LAWS AND PROCESS - 3 BALLOTS

Instead of having two ballots on election day (1 National and 1 Provincial) there will be 3 Ballots for the first time since 1994.

The way we vote will be different and I don't think the majority of people know that.

THREAD:
Ok, this is becoming my annual explainer about #Matric2023 but I see we still have not learned that the pass mark isn't the problem with education.

1. ALL living SAns were taught in a system where you can pass up to 2 subjects with at 30%. It's not new, nor the problem. 2. The education problem in SA is a teaching and learning. To focus on the pass mark is like putting a bandaid on a bullet hole. Even if we made the pass mark 60% for all subjects tomorrow, learners would not have better outcomes, politicians will just have more talking points.

I was 15, in Grade 10, when I first made an attempt to take something from being an idea to a reality. I lived my life until then in Eldos as part of a small church community. No sense of a bigger world being possible but I wanted to be a fashion designer, and needed to prove it. I spent my time in primary school drawing dresses. Mainly inspired not by reading about fashion design but watching The Bold and the Beautiful. I wasnt book smart, I learned mainly by watching. Watching TV, watching people live & talking to people. My ideas came people not words.

[THREAD] #HumanitiesWork
Because I was not smart enough to record yesterday's space on career paths in the Humanities I will do a small thread on some ideas shared by the collective.
1. Know your core skills, reading, writing, thinking and sharing ideas and market those skills 2. Employers are not likely to ask you about theories you learned but this will ask you which skills you can bring to their organisations. Figure out what your best skills are, sharpen them and work into work opportunities with a clear idea on how you can use them

Since its Friday night & the dating scene is on lower lockdown levels in JHB, let me tell you all about the date when I first learned about the transactional nature of dating in Jwanseburg. I was 30 years old & had lived in Joburg all my life, I really should have know by then🙈 I was on a lunch break with a friend at a strip mall when a guy pulled up next to me in a Porche as I walked back to my car. I greeted and kept it moving. My friend was horrified insisting I give my number. He pulled the car next to mine to ask for my number, I took his instead.

Dear Men

Using violence against anyone is bad. You attack people when you think you can win, including against other men. You violate based on perceived weakness of others, its a crude way to demonstrate 'power' through brutality. You're predatory not powerful

#StopKillingWomen Men, your underlying issue is disrespect. You're selective about who you respect while expecting respect from others. You respect other men until you are sure they arent able to harm you, but because women & children are weaker you take your chances hitting them
#StopKillingWomen

Okay I thought the euphoria would last until Monday but I see it is already being contested so I will add my story of my #strongertogether ambivalence this week. Early this week I reminded us that education isnt a panacea for inequality and as much as I love rugby, neither is it First, I love sport and am an actual rugby fan. I enjoy the game. So yesterday made me happy beyond belief. But the hype around this match as the hope for South Africa made this week miserable as I contended with the consequences of inequality that I know rugby cant fix.

Noteworthy things observed in Kenya in the last two weeks:
1. SA is bring ripped off by Uber and Telkom. In to days of Uber for sight seeing less than R200 was spent and I am tweeting this using the 10G mobile data I got from Telkom at R150. 2. SA currency is stronger but their cost of living is lower
3. Mobile money is not about banks. Removing banks from mobile banking makes trade cheaper & easier.
4. Uber & other foreign innovations need to be localised to be effective. There are Uber motorbikes & uber-like buses

So let me tell you all about the longest and strangest flight I have ever had on SAA. It was a flight from East London to Johannesburg.

So I'm sitting in my seat during boarding when lo sisi first arrives. She was visibly and audibly drunk walking to the seat right next to me Sisi ( in her 40s as far as I can tell) sits next to me, smelling like a tavern and shouts to a guy a few seats ahead of me "thank you babes, thanks for holding my bag ma darling". Kicks off her shoes. Takes off her jacket. Pops her phone into her bra, the top part sticking out