by Brian Bhengu on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 8:36pm

* The mental state of an individual obstructing his/her ability to express that which they wish, in literary form…

- I started the other day with a conjunction, but it seemed all that lacked was that which I wished to join – You and I…

I started the other day, but remain at the beginning, for I saw no middle or end to this fairytale of ours

Ever since you became the Noun of my desires; I lack the Adjectives to pen this entire…

Sentence
I mean… Well- I know not what it is I mean for I have not the synopsis nor the prelude to this story upon which our lives are to be a part of…

You took away what I thought was my inspiration; unwittingly giving me ‘inspiration’s’ true meaning.

You became my ‘Em0tionary’, helping me fathom the reason and the meaning behind my heart’s ever-increasing pulse
I started the other day, to long for that which had been my medicine through sad times (pen & paper) – but later realised, now, with you as the subject of my Autobiography, it has become a luxury and not a need

I started the day; to comprehend life’s Literal purpose- to decipher that which is figurative in the minds of others
For the meaning of Love still perplexes those who derived this word from some ancient language…

I started the other day, to believe in what I had previously thought to be Science-fiction (pheromones really do exist)

I started the other day, to learn Braille for I thought my sight was failing me, when all I could see, even in your absence- were your beautiful eyes

I started the other day, to learn Sign Language for I thought my hearing too had begun to fail me, when all we did was whisper ‘sweet nothings’

It pains and frustrates me not to be able to recite to you a monologue, for I have none sweet or desirable enough to be heard by this Angel of mine, one that is written from my own left-hand-fingertips…

For that is the only time a rhythm may be struck in the chords of ones heart- when the notes it hears are attained from the heart of another

So, decisively I sat at my desk with my new ‘luxuries’ in hand- before I used them though, it became apparent that one more Tool was necessary, if I were to regain my Literary Thrown-

An Eraser, to wipe the slate clean so I can forge new ideals and relations, To Erase the fallacies of the life Id lived before ‘US’-

The reason why my Predicate never suited its Subject was due to my own inability to create the space necessary How can you learn anything if your cup is already full to the brim with unnecessary knowledge

I sat the other day and finally pieced the time-line, with the realisation that this was the beginning of the rest of my life.. .. A life that began with an ‘I Do’
For that which I sought to scribble down were my vows to thee- my dearest

My solemn pledge to be your pair of Brackets each time you feel forgotten, your Comma when you just want to slow down; for you are the Hyphen that brings our hearts together…

To share this Dash between our birth and mortality…

Salt March 2010

Once again the M.A.D group have been at raising the awareness of their peers to the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and demonstrating their seriousness to change by participating in the Salt March.
This year they were able to attract 90 learners to participate and share in the experience. Not only were they excited, enthusiastic but they also displayed a great sense of maturity and responsibility through their behaviour. The team and their leader Darshni, need to commended for the splendid job in under taking this challenging project and making it a success.
You guys do not fail to amaze me as you take up the challengers and rise to occasion to see that your vision and mission will be achieved.
For those wanting to know about these young people and the amazing work they are doing you can contact them through this forum.
If you live in Phoenix, South Africa, a Public Youth Forum will be hosted on 29 April 2010 and we will be exploring Why Youth Do Not Participate In Public Spaces. The idea behind the forums is Youth Taking Back their Future.

By Brian Bhengu

Often we make promises, both to ourselves and those around us.. But never, as often keep those promises. We forget, make excuses and end allegiances for the mere fact that we could not keep those promises.

A mate once told me : ‘Change is always good’, and I added ..’depends on what we change into..’ Without much thought, I sparked a chain of discussions, within my core group of friends and within myself. I came to realise that ‘change’ is not a single entity- for instance, we make changes in our family, friends, love lives, and studies etc. Many say change to be the only constant..

So, in saying that, let’s stick to one subordinate of that change.. A change that requires one to have a life full of purpose. Moments in life, my own and surely that of several others, seem to pass by with a lack of fulfillment. Many of us feel like passangers in a vehicle, a vehicle travelling on a long and winding road. Not to mention the ‘pot-holes’ which riddle this road of ours. How do we now, make that change, step-up and make that much needed difference? I mean, as a self-confessed passanger, have you not now removed any hope for you to actually take control of your life? Ofcourse, ‘absolute control’ is not neccesary and clearly not what Im askin for, but all I want is just to be able to grasp ownership of what really should be- My Own Life!

So tomorrow, when it’s time for you to board that vehicle once again- opt for the driver’s seat and make certain that you make the right turns. The change begins within one’s mind- once that change has occured, the newly-found self-assurance and belief will manifest itself as a number of successes. The majoy flaw appears when we limit ourselves and our abilities, so, do not limit this ‘Positive Change’ to personal growth- rather, take it upon yourself to radiate that positive spark to the ends of the Earth.. ..

 Today at 8:22am

 By Quinton Kippen

 I have recently been having some very interesting chats and discussions with people and many red flags are raised about the state of our minds. Here on Facebook we hear of all these people falling ill and we hear of all their trials, challenges and achievements. We are exposed to many causes as well and many think that that is the way to do it.

This challenge is one I have been meaning to put forward and see if you are up for it or just chicken. We are all aware that many of these causes do not really need your money, your contribution of a click neither do they need your sympathy or empathy. What they do need is your time, not your debit order or any other charity that you may have.

Many of you go to work and work long hours in a job you are not totally happy, satisfied and fulfilled yet you will plod along with the hope that one day your ship will come in. All this that you do is for what? Purpose, trying to bring meaning to your life and even a means of survival. Not living but rather just surviving, existing. I know that many of you do not fit the category of oxygen thieves and I do believe that you have contributions you would like to make.

So the challenge I pose to you is, Are You Prepared to Get off Your Laurels, stop making excuses and make a meaningful contribution to your community and country at large. If you are not sure what I mean or have some idea that you would like to bounce around, I am more than willing to work with you in seeing your idea become a reality. I am not talking about boasting about what you are doing or what you have done but I do think that having this competitive nature we can work hard to make ourselves known about what we are doing and capable of doing.

The cause I am looking for is people posting stories of what they did and how long it took them to make a meaningful contribution as well as how much did it cost. Many people think that you need large amounts of money to make this possible when you actually don’t. For those doing it share your stories and if you looking for money my answer is hard-work attracts money. As the challenge has been put down let’s see how many of us are prepared to take it up or will we take the easier option and make excuses and hide behind all the other meaningless things we do.

This is not a case of put your money where your mouth is but rather, take your hands out your pocket, off the mouse and keyboard, roll-up your sleeves and start getting your hands dirty.

A group of interested parents has drafted the letter below (actually drafted by Glen Robbins on behalf of interested parents).  We are seeking schools and children’s organisations — and prominent individuals– to sign onto this letter.  Please let us know if you will sign on (or if you request any edits to do so!).

We would like to then organise children to write letters of their own and draw pictures, and to come with their parents and other adults to deliver these letters, probably to the Municipal Manager.  A sort of children’s protest action or, if you like, teaching our children about civic action and democracy!

Many thanks

Best

Mary Galvin

Tel 072 463 8854

 Yet Another Disappointment for Durban’s Children

 In the past decade or so Durban has witnessed a collapse of accessible and affordable spaces and places of quality geared specifically to entertaining and educating children.  The news that the Umgeni Bird Park is to be closed by Tsogo Sun is yet another sad headline which follows on the closure of the Animal Farm some years ago (also to accommodate Tsogo), the terrible decline of Mitchell Park, the impending loss of Vetchies Pier, the closure of the Snake Park and the complete lack of maintenance and investment in City museums such as the Natural History Museum, Maritime Museum and Local History Museum.  Areas such as Blue Lagoon’s putt-putt golf course and the dilapidated state of the beachfront funfair as well as the shocking state of many city parks and play grounds all point to a serious problem in strategy and management in the Municipality.  In exchange the City has many largely private spaces in malls, Casinos or at uShaka – undoubtably new assets but often inaccessible to many and extremely costly.  In a world where children in South Africa are under threat from high levels of insecurity seen in the extreme in rising numbers of street children it is high time that the Municipality and politicians of all parties take the environment for children in our city more seriously.  It is high time that there is accountability and that children and parents are engaged in helping the City become more child-friendly and live up to the very generous assessment of Durban as a family destination recently reported publication by the Rough Guide.

Leadership Programme

 Earlier this year the DDP embarked on a pilot leadership programme in the Phoenix area. Greenbury Secondary School accepted to come on board with the programme. On March 06-08, 2009 43 learners and 3 educators attended the Leadership and Team-Building Camp in Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve. During this time the learners and educators were guided through a process of understanding leadership and leadership styles and teams and team-building.

The learners then chose a project to exercise these new found skills. They chose to run a Peer Awareness Programme within the school. A core group of 20 learners and 4 educators have been part of this project since the middle of March. As part of the Peer Awareness this group has revived other groups that were dormant within the school system. They then decided to advance this and creative methods were then explored to bring home certain issues that youth are facing.

These learners have initiated and run their own programmes and projects in and out of the school premises with the DDP playing a supportive and resource role. Some of the programmes and projects they have engaged in the Gandhi Memorial Salt March, Lunch-Time Theatre, inter-class tug-o-war, Youth day Programme and the Winter Warmth Campaign. All these were initiated by the group to educate high-light and make their peers of the social issues that affect them.

As part of the DDP’s commitment to the development process and partnership, the educators had requested a Development Workshop to understand the programme to help advance it better. This will be taking place at the La Mercy Beach Hotel on 15 and 16 August 2009. Being a learner initiated and driven process, the group is in the process of electing Gr. 10 learners who will be part of the programme from this year onward. To create sustainability, there needs to be a continuous developmental programme and process. The selection programme and process is left entirely to the learners as this being their programme have a better understanding of the caliber person needed to be part of such a programme. Those selected will then attend the Leadership and Team-Building at the end of August 2009 and merge with the existing group on their return.

The work these learners are involved in is proving to be a great success thus far as the comments from evaluations have shown. Not only have there been personal life changing experiences for those in the group, but also for the audience who have been exposed to these programmes. By using learners to address issues such as drugs, substance abuse and house parties the audience has been very receptive, responsive and open to discuss the consequences of these. The tug-o-war has brought the learners across racial groups closer because of the team-work and inter-action between them.

This process is proving to be a very beneficial one where learners are now actively involved with their own learning and taking responsibility for the well-being of their peers and school. The learners now feel they have a purpose and responsibility to their peers in bringing them information relevant to their needs. Their feeling of purpose is being enforced by the constant request by the other learners in school who continuously ask about future programmes and presentations. 

Brian Bhengu – Opening Presentation

Coming from different homes, backgrounds – living different lives and facing different challenges or rather seemingly different challenges. The group of Youth that you see before you today have come together for a common goal. The lack of effective leadership among the youth today has brought about various negative manifestations, coupled with an obviously tough lifestyle. Which brings us then, to the status quo: The so-called ‘lost’ generation deeply entrenched in drug abuse, gangsterism, unprotected sex, leading to teenage pregnancy … of course, we all know I can go on and on about these problems – But, what is more important is the solution. We all have three choices we could make in life today – that being 1. I want to be part of the problem. – 2. I won’t do anything about it – and 3. I want to be part of the solution.

The latter having been our choice – We yearned to break away from Youth Leadership being marginalized in our education and the greater community. We sought to make a difference. It was a choice coupled together with commitment – and for that reason our success has been largely evaluated by the gratitude we gain from others. We are involved in planning, organizing and constructing projects and programmes alike and we are certain that this is just the beginning! When you commit to something, it’s your actions which demonstrate your motive … So make a commitment, to have the initiative to cease the opportunities that are out there! The onus is on you – Opportunity is everywhere, it’s yours for the taking. Open your eyes, grab it with both hands – have the initiative, make the commitment and go MAD.