Be kind, kids are urged

No crime culture project in EL

MR JUSTICE SA semifinalist Caviner Ruiters has encouraged pupils at Pefferville Primary School to be considerate and thoughtful towards others.

Ruiters visited the school yesterday as part of the national projects of the Justice SA Pageant 2017. He is one of five semifinalists and tackled gender violence in schools.

The pageant was established in collaboration with the No Crime Culture Project. Its primary objective is to select and shape individuals to serve as role models in schools and communities.

According to the No Crime Project website the organisation aims to create an awareness in individuals of the need for basic morality, ethics and norms of conduct.

The aim is therefore to inspire, instill, impress and by way of repetition convince people into accepting, believing in, and promoting norms of conduct that would extinguish the tendency to criminal behaviour.

Unlike other pageants, Justice Pageants are not about looks but rather the individual’s passion for change in peoples’ lives.

Semifinalists for the pageants are required to select schools with which to work in their communities.

The East London-born activist chose Pefferville Primary and an orphanage in Joza township in Grahamstown, where he is currently based.

During his visit yesterday, he spoke about rights and responsibilities with Grade 6 pupils.

He also spoke about the important of respecting one another.

“If someone else is Christian and you are not, please don’t mock that person.

“We need to respect one another,” he told the pupils.

Ruiters said that with crime increasing, it was essential for him to tackle matters such as gender violence. “We want to show these kids that they don’t have to be involved in a life of crime, and there is more to life,” he said.

Ruiters said people should not only talk about what was happening but should look for with ways of addressing the issues they were facing.

“There is xenophobia, #MenAreTrash and other issues and we need to look at what can done to address them.

“This pageant has given me the platform to do that and provide hope in our communities,” he said.

Pefferville Primary principal Mason Mackay said they were honoured that Ruiters had chosen their school.

“We are happy he is ploughing back into the community he grew up in,” said Mackay.

Mackay, who was a teacher at Parkside Primary during Ruiters’ school days, said he had always been a caring person.

“I expected this from him and I believe everything we taught him while growing up has made him the thoughtful person he is today.”

The winner of the Mr Justice SA pageant will be announced at a gala dinner in Johannesburg in October. —