The 1976 Soweto Youth Uprising changed the course of South African history irrevocably. What started as a peaceful protest by between 15 000 and 20 000 scholars in Soweto against the decree of Afrikaans medium schooling, became a violent nationwide student protest against the apartheid regime.

A formidable force, the youth of 1976 had a common enemy and a vision for change. Thirty-three years later, South African youth are schooled in all official eleven languages and the enemy which once mercilessly suppressed the majority of South Africa’s population exists only in memories and on the pages of history books. And yet, it was this common enemy which drove the youth, fuelled by anger, to change the society in which they lived.

But what about today's youth? What common enemy can they unite against? At what point will the youth of the new South Africa decide that they have had enough? At what point will they decide to take the fate of society into their own hands?

For there are many enemies — none so obvious as the apartheid regime — but insidious destructive forces nevertheless. Crime, gender violence, child abuse, HIV/Aids and destruction of the environment plague South African society as much as undemocratic governance did during the apartheid regime. As long as our society is held hostage by any of these conditions, South Africa can never really regard itself as liberated.

But, for the most part, we view these conditions as something over which we have little control. It’s the government's responsibility to stop crime. Gender violence and child abuse are bad, but how can they be stopped? HIV/Aids is a terrible scourge, but how can we fight it? The environment is doomed anyway, so what difference does my small contribution make?

It is easy to excuse apathy. It is easy to pretend that racial prejudice is the biggest problem South Africans will ever face. But it is also wrong. There are many forms of protest, and it is time South Africa's youth once again stood up to injustice. For while mass protests may do very little to stop crime, heal the abused or save the environment, the collective actions of individuals could change the world.

The answer is simple. Volunteer. If the drive, energy and passion of youth could be channelled into a worthy cause, South Africa would begin to heal itself from the inside out. Not only because the downtrodden would be supported, but also because an ethos of service would lead to culture of respect. And a lack of respect underlies all of the evils which currently plague our society.

It would have been useful if compulsory military service had been replaced with a year of compulsory community service. Imagine if, for fifteen years, thousands of youth had been serving their communities and developing themselves. We would, no doubt, have a cleaner, safer and more compassionate society.

Unfortunately, it is called volunteer work for a reason, and if our society is ever to undergo a moral revolution, its citizens (both young and old) need to take the initiative themselves. Luckily, the structures to facilitate this are already in place and, if you are willing to do so, it is easy to make a difference.

National Youth Service Volunteer Campaign

The National Youth Commission (NYC) has launched a campaign to get young people to volunteer in programmes that will benefit their communities. The campaign hopes to register at least 9000 youths to volunteer in various activities. These activities are organised through the various government departments and include cleaning up coastlines, raising awareness about the dangers on the road, helping establish community vegetable gardens and participating in HIV/Aids awareness campaigns. To find out more call: 0800 000 001.

Big Brother Big Sister South Africa

Big Brother Big Sister South Africa is a non-profit organisation which, through a mentoring programme, helps children between the ages of six and 18. Each trained adult volunteer (or 'Big') is paired with a child in need and for at least a year will spend at least one hour a week with the child – playing with them, helping them with their homework or simply talking to them about their problems.

Volunteer Centre

The Volunteer Centre recruits volunteers and matches their skills with one of 150 organisations around the country. The centre also makes volunteering more accessible by training and orientating volunteers before placing them. The centre suggests that if you are specifically looking for an organisation in your area, you should:

• Look under ‘welfare organisations’ in the Yellow Pages and contact the organisation directly.


• Contact the hospitals, old age homes and children's homes in your area.


• Phone the Department of Social Development and they may be able to provide you with a list of welfare organisations in your area.

Volunteer Child Network

The Volunteer Child Network is a user-friendly database which helps volunteers to find organisations dealing with the prevention of child abuse and the minimisation of the negative impact of child abuse on victims. It matches the particular skills or preferences of the volunteer with the appropriate organisation.

Lucca Leadership

Lucca Leadership is an international leadership programme which runs week long courses in transformational leadership. The programme helps young people (18 - 39 years old) to discover their purpose and develop the skills necessary to bring about change in their communities. Each of the graduates of the programme goes on to develop a project in their own communities.

Lucca Leadership holds its annual foundation course in South Africa in September. Applicants need to demonstrate that they have the desire to make a positive difference in their communities by providing evidence of voluntary work that they have been involved with in the past and details of the projects they plan to undertake in the future.

In the words of Anne Frank: "How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."

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