: The youth from Tsabong and neighbouring villages gathered at the Ministry of Youth, Gender and Culture department){kind=link}
Botswana (Tsabong): The youth from Tsabong and neighbouring villages gathered at the Ministry of Youth, Gender and Culture department in Tsabong on Thursday to discuss issues that affect them daily. They joined the meeting with the BNYC board members.
The leader of the Mindset Change Department, Kaene Disepo, imparted to the youth how they could better their lives if they started looking at life from a different and positive perspective.
Both leaders also discussed mental health, explaining that if stress goes on for more than two weeks, it is termed minor depression and, therefore, it is important to seek counselling.
Furthermore, the BNYC Vice Chairman, Charlotte Ruwona, explained that one should look out for symptoms such as lack of hygiene, lack of appetite, insomnia and feeling the need to isolate themselves as indicators of depression.
BNYC Board Member and Pan African Youth Leader Christopher Seagateng taught students about CVs and how to draft their cover letters when applying for jobs. He also offered through his organization Jobs for graduates where young people can upload their CVs and be assisted with their CVs and job searches.
Another board member, Timothy Mweemba, shared his own experience with the youth of Tsabong on entrepreneurship, the importance of finding a product that is needed by the market, that is environmentally friendly, and that is profitable. He urged the youth to find viable partnerships and start something meaningful and substantial for themselves.
After the meeting, the board members visited the students of Tsabong Unified Community Secondary School, where they shared insights on how to excel academically. Omogolo Nthutang discussed the importance of developing intentional study skills.
She emphasized the importance of being passionate about school work and having a positive attitude as propellers to one’s academics. She further encouraged the students to create a timetable and start preparing for exams as soon as possible to avoid examination anxiety.
Another board member, Gaone Mphang, highlighted her concern about teenage pregnancy and the disruption it brings to their lives. In an interactive exchange, they both agreed that it can be caused by lack of parental support, peer pressure, drugs and substance abuse, as well as poverty.
They agreed that the 7Bs were very important, which is “Books before Boys because Boys bring Babies. ” The young people felt uplifted, motivated, and ready to be better and do better.