Cape Town - Children have to deal with more pressure than ever and many are turning to alcohol, says media commentator and television presenter, Khaya Dlanga.
Dlanga is a mentor in the TV series, Future Leaders, part of the SAB Limited campaign, “You Decide”.
The 13-part series, launched on November 5 on SABC1, features five teenagers who have been affected by or exposed to alcohol. The show’s objective is to discourage underage drinking, by diverting focus, and getting them to direct their energy towards various community projects.
The participants are Nkosana Banda from Gauteng, Thobile Phantshi from KwaZulu-Natal, Tayla Tomlinson from the Eastern Cape, Ndimphiwe Lwande from Mpumalanga and Chriszelda Booysen from the Northern Cape. They each work with mentors, while Dlanga is the mentor who gives them tasks each week, and assists them in being leaders in their communities.
“Underage drinking is one of the most serious forms of alcohol abuse and has an overwhelmingly negative impact on South African society as a whole,” reads a statement on the SAB Limited website.
It is the effects on society that the series will try to turn around by focusing on teenagers.
Earlier this year, Seadimo Tlale was named first runner-up in the educational series, One Day Leader 2. She was later chosen to mentor 16-year-old Chriszelda from Kimberley.
“Chriszelda grew up in a township plagued by abuse of not only alcohol, but gangsterism and drug abuse by young people. So she is constantly faced with temptations of getting on the right path. (She) reminds me of me three years ago,” says Tlale.
Chriszelda’s first encounter with alcohol was at a party, as a result of peer pressure.
Tlale explains that despite being surrounded by a great deal of negativity, Chriszelda is filled with hope to bring about change. However, the change is not just for the community, but for the teen too.
“At the beginning of the series, she had lots of ideas scattered all over the place. But through taking this journey of leadership with me, she has learnt to be more defined and channelled,” Tlale says.
Chriszelda has grown tremendously and is now more focused, she says.
“She is willing to learn and even when we don’t succeed as much as we would like to, she always takes the positive out of everything,” Tlale says.
Tlale believes the show sends out a message of hope, and that it is not circumstances that define you, but drive, will and passion that matter the most.
The stories of the other young participants are similar.
“They come from communities where there is nothing for them to do.
“We’re trying to get them to redirect their energies and efforts into something positive. If you give someone an activity to do, something meaningful, they are less likely to be destructive to themselves and their communities,” Dlanga says.
The dire consequences of underage drinking include neglecting school work, being filled with self-doubt, and becoming less self-sufficient. They begin a downward spiral.
The other pattern he found among the show’s participants was the void left by an absent father.
All of the teenagers are being raised by their mothers, a reflection of the trend in broader society.
It is against this backdrop that the teenagers are challenged to make a difference.
They have to devise projects to benefit their communities, and have to get the support of community leaders, organisations and businesses.
“It’s about doing something bigger than yourself. We want the youth to start admiring people who do good for their communities.
“When doing so, what it does for you is immeasurable,” Dlanga says. - Cape Argus
* Future Leaders airs every Tuesday at 10pm on SABC1.
According to the campaign’s website – youdecide.org.za
* Almost half of the pupils (49 percent) interviewed in a recent high school survey said they had drunk alcohol at some stage during their teens. In the same survey, 15 percent of guys and 8 percent of girls said they had their first drink before the age of 13.
* Having five or more drinks in a single session is considered to be binge drinking and makes you a problem drinker.
* People who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to become alcohol dependent than those who have their first drink at age 20 or older.
* Teens who use alcohol are three times more likely to be involved in violent crime.