Youth development through sport
WITH a passion for youth development through sport and entrepreneurship, ward 26 committee member and community worker Selwyn Adams hopes to encourage the next generation to use available opportunities for advancement.
The 28-year-old from Aquadene heads up the Youth Portfolio in the communities of Aquadene and Brackenham, and is spearheading projects and initiatives using sport to impact and develop the lives of his young community members.
A qualified mechanic and entrepreneur in the industry of farming and transportation, Selwyn believes young people can advance their lives through education and exploring opportunities in agriculture and other entrepreneurial exploits.
Growing up in a community plagued by a number of social ills, this youngster has overcome the odds and navigated challenges along the way. which he hopes to share with the next generation, to deter them from dabbling in a life of addiction or substance abuse.
'I want to help my community because I come from a life of being trapped in bondage and engaging in activities that hindered my development and progress.
'I do not want any youth to become victims.
'I made a choice to go back and get an education, and I want to give hope to young people that it's never too late to take a new direction in life.
'I get extremely excited about initiatives that look to empower the youth, and am involved in my church as a youth leader.
'Becoming a ward committee member is another way I believe I can add value to my community and help bring about change.
'In ward 26, substance abuse is a major challenge and we see how many youths have fallen into the trap of alcohol and drug addiction.
'This has a ripple effect into a life of
petty crime to support their addictions.
'Families are devastated by the impact of these social ills.
'We want our youth to know there is more to life than drugs and alcohol, and expose them to opportunities for development in subsistence farming and agriculture, among other things.
'They need to know they can create jobs for themselves and can explore other career paths apart from the norms in our community.
'Richards Bay is industrialised, but we want our youth to look further afield at other career paths where they can work for themselves, become professionals, or even travel abroad.
'I was fortunate to find a gap in the market and venture into transportation and farming for resale of fresh produce; these are areas where there is always a demand,' said Selwyn.
Over the next few months, Selwyn hopes to have the Aquadene community pool attended to as it is in desperate need of repairs and upgrades ahead of the next swimming season.
He is also working at upgrading sporting facilities in Brackenham and Aquadene, and exploring ways to help schools enhance their hygiene facilities and programmes.