Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Not too young to make a difference
A STRANDFONTEIN teenager has made it his life’s mission to make his community a better place.
Jason Davis, 18, who matriculated from Strandfontein High last year, has spoken at churches in his area about issues plaguing the country, has spent hours doing volunteer work with the poor, and has even job-shadowed with the City – all in a bid to find solutions to social problems.
His dedication and ambition even caught the eye of Social Development MEC Albert Fritz, who recognised Jason’s potential and offered him an internship with the City of Cape Town in his department.
Jason, after starting his internship, approached pupils from his former high school and included them in establishing a weekly soup kitchen in the Masincedane informal settlement.
“They (the pupils) gather here at my house and we prepare the food, but we try to make it fun,” Jason said.
Kelvin Ashburner assists at the Sunday soup kitchen. “We donate vegetables and make the soup at Jason’s house on Fridays. We try to encourage more people to help out,” he said.
Jason hopes to branch out to other locations. “We want to grow a vegetable garden and teach them (residents) how to tend it, so they can become selfsustaining.”
He credited his family, former teacher Surjen Dilraj, and 7de Laan actress and friend Vinette Ebrahim, as his role models.
With aspirations of becoming a politician, he also cited Nelson Mandela as one of his biggest influences for helping pave the way for young people to make a difference in the world.
Jason said Youth Day has a special place in his heart. He urged young people to play a role in their communities.