Helping youth make the right choices

Manenberg SAPS and two organisations held a youth awareness programme on drug and alcohol abuse.

The workshop on Thursday November 7 was presented to young people who are members of Just Planting Seeds, a rugby and life skills programme, and Youth for Human Rights showed them how drug and alcohol addiction affect human rights.

Jason Poleman, the founder of Just Planting Seeds, said that for some, substance abuse started with smoking a hookah pipe, which could lead to drug addiction, for example.

The organisation runs as series of programmes that provide nutrition academic support, exercise, awareness workshops and excursions.

“With rugby, we teach them about taking care of their bodies with exercise and healthy food. The workshops we host focus on creating awareness around issues like drug and alcohol abuse, gender-based violence, crime and mental health, among others. Then we also do a school holiday programme where we go on excursions to take the children out of the environment they find themselves in and introduce them to other communities.”

Manenberg SAPS spokesperson Captain Ian Bennett said substance abuse, gang violence, domestic violence and other negative choices destroyed human rights.

“Life is a road of choices and we want our youth to choose life,” he said.

“Gang activity and gang violence - with all its glamorous illegal activity - is the destruction of human rights. We have now armed them with information of choice. We want them to know that their lives matter and are of value. They have the right to safeguard themselves and say no to the abuse and the use of illegal substances. The hookah pipe has become our biggest gateway to chemical drugs. They need to be aware of this. Even in their own personal struggle, they can achieve greatness by working hard and staying focused to achieve their dreams.”