Honouring Youth Day, 2018

At forgood, we're celebrating the youth of today by creating a Campaign filled with Opportunities that are focused on empowering, educating and uplifting our young people. The Campaign, running the entire month of June, is in honour of Youth Day.

A brief history lesson...

On June 16th, 1976, thousands of black students participated in the Soweto Uprising. It was a movement against Afrikaans becoming compulsory as a medium of instruction in local schools whilst the local languages became more or less prohibited. The students of the area had organized a peaceful protest against the official government ruling, where they were met with the apartheid regime police. Tear gas was launched into the groups of students and rocks were thrown at the police. The retaliation caused chaos and the police began firing their guns into the young crowd. That day, hundreds of students lost their lives and the landscape of South Africa would be forever changed.

Where are we now?

Youth Day, marked as one of the most infamous days in South African history, is a day that reminds us of who we are and how far we've come. The day is now one of remembrance, where we honour the students who lost their lives after being ambushed in Soweto by apartheid regime police 42 years ago. Looking back at the defining contributions of our youth in each decade that has since passed, the next generation of young people are re-surfacing as active citizens that are utilizing technology to build, create and design sweeping changes. They are using tools, such as the internet, to find and interact with Causes that are close to their hearts and their minds, as well as brands and businesses.

“Every generation has played a part in pushing South African society forward. Young people today are emerging from behind their screens as active, engaged citizens; this could be the most powerful movement of our time.” - Andy Hadfield

Youth Day serves as a reminder to South Africa of the importance of its youth and how the tragedy of the Soweto Riots was an intolerable act. No matter what your age - you can be part of Generation Volunteer. Find a way to be an active citizen and help our youth! Click through to the Campaign and make a difference, today.

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