MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A young woman from Great Brak River, who always thought of herself as a global peace ambassador, is one major step closer to her dream.
From more than a 1 000 applicants, Caroldene Michaels (27) has been accepted to participate in the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI), Southern Africa.
She will undergo a six-week course in Public Management and Governance as one of 327 participants from 14 countries across Southern Africa.
YALI is an effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders. Four regional leadership centres have been established in Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and South Africa. The centre in South Africa is at the UNISA Graduate School of Business Leadership in Midrand, Gauteng.
Always a leader
A former deputy head girl at Great Brak River Secondary School, her journey to leadership wasn't an easy one. "I was always nominated, but never chosen. However, teachers would always ask me to help organise school events. Even without me being on the representative council of leaders, I always ended up being a leader somewhere."
A secret vote from teachers at her school eventually secured her position.
In 2014, during an internship at the Great Brak Museum, she made history. "We had to come up with ideas on how to help spark the interest of the community to learn of the rich history of Great Brak River. I suggested a walking tour of Greenhaven."
This to her was important because history and wisdom seemed lost when the elderly passed away, without being able to tell their stories. "I felt the young people in our community were disconnected when it came to preserving our history."
Her event, a first of its kind and also involving local business, had a great turnout.
Forging ahead
Caroldene, having studied human resource management at South Cape College, is currently actively involved at the Youth Café in Great Brak River.
Here, she actively makes an impact on the youth. She facilitates the extra lessons in mathematics for matrics and creates a platform for the youth to engage in discussions on topics of interest.
"I choose to effect change by speaking up. My goal is to inspire and influence the youth towards serving a higher purpose. The youth are out here, barely surviving, but I choose differently. I choose to take on the challenges we face as a community and country. I choose to question politics. I choose to be part of a bigger platform that inspires, develops and invests in disadvantaged youth. I am a revolutionary."
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