USING SPORTS AS A YOUTH EMPOWERMENT TOOL
2 min readBy Margaret Kamba
The building of many communities with social services structures is something that has been undermined by people who have no appreciation of sporting facilities as an empowerment tool for the young people.
Many town planners accommodate in master plans of various communities room for sporting activities as they realised the impact they have in keeping the idle youths out of trouble.
In this day in age where drug and substance abuse is on the increase in the country, 35 year old Founder and current Chairperson of Youth Empowerment Hub, Chancellor Majoko has taken advantage of the launch of the anti-drug and substance abuse campaign to keep the youths engaged.
To him the creation of a conducive environment or a common ground for youths to breed is his main priority.
“Following on His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe President E.D Mnangagwa’s mantra of leaving noone and no place behind, Youth Empowerment Hub made a decision to come up with a programme that caters for the youth since demographics shows that they are the majority of the population and being youths ourselves,” Majoko said.
“We are following on the rules of governance hence our accommodation of all youths without any discrimination. It is said that anything for the youth without the youth is nothing for the youth which is why we engage in activities and sports that the youths love such as chess, five-aside soccer, quiz shows among others aimed at conscientizing the youths and rehabilitating the mindset to a certain degree of social acceptance.”
He added that the organisation is using sports as an intervention measure to keep the youths busy.
“Exercise us also good for their health as not only drug and substance abusers are part of the programme but young people who are obese. We have also begun to see older people coming which helps in social cohesion,” he said.
“Our success stories are household testimonials because it is at this level where problems and risk is most felt. This is why we try to provide a conducive environment or a common ground for youths to breed.”