This is Sam Mtshali a husband to Stacy Mtshali and a father to Angel. Sam has a degree (B.Th) from the Baptist Theological Seminary where he got an award for the most promising youth worker and he has been volunteering with the team and we would really love to bring him on board in the new year. Tell us about the importance of Youth clubs, Sam, and what you would like to do to add value to this team?
I am excited to be part of iKusasalethu team in changing lives of the youth in the country and bring hope in the lives of youth in school through education.
Young people in our country are facing a lot challenges, and they are crying out for help. some of the crisis they face are the result of their disadvantage background, broken family and the father is absent which leads to lack of identity in young person’s live. And because they don’t know who they are, often they try to find themselves through drugs and sleeping around with multiples partner which opens doors to all kind STD and HIV/AIDS. Therefore, the importance of youth club is to help restore the identity of young people in crisis, through the gospel of Jesus Christ and equip youth in the area of their gifting, having one on one discipleship. I believe part of the challenges we find ourselves in sometimes is because we don’t know who we are, whose we are and what are we living for ?
What I’m here to offer is my experience in working with young people and creating youth clubs programme that are Christ-centred, and coming up with Christian based educational HIV/AIDS prevention programme which brings transformation to local young people who are threatened by the impact of HIV/AIDS. In our studies as youth worker, we are currently experiencing change in our youth culture. In the past young people use to come to church youth programmes but now young people no longer coming to church youth clubs. Most church are experiencing a decrease in the number of young people that comes to their youth club, part of the reasons why there is a decrease is that young people are bombarded with all kind of entertainment, and we live in a social-network orientated world, we have smartphone but the users are not smart. Lastly, we don’t know where to drew the line as young people. Therefore, the solution is to take our programmes to them and reach them where they are in the community and in school, working along with parents and teachers.
![IMG_0549[1]](http://ikusasalethu.hillside.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/IMG_05491.jpg)
