adminTHE second term is over and the holiday is upon us. Students are all excited. The borders are coming back home! The streets will be filled with young teenagers eager to catch up on many things and experiment on one or two things. For parents with teenage children school holidays are a nightmare. These have a lot to worry about, especially now where technology has made it easier for young people to hook up without much effort — it is now very easy for teenagers to know where the “excitement” is. Keeping a teenager focused for the 30-day holiday is a very difficult task, particularly in communities where there is little, if not nothing in terms of positive entertainment for youths and children.
It is very unfortunate that most, if not all, of the entertainment that is targeting youths in urban areas tend to promote bad and risky habits — beer drinking, drugs and sexual orgies.
The nightmare for most parents at the moment are the sex parties that have caught the imagination of many young people and gone viral among teenagers. These parties are usually held in private homes and promote orgies or group sex — a dangerous activity in these times of HIV and Aids.
In the last three or so months we have read stories in different media about students who went to these parties and indulged in everything — some even filming their escapades so as to share with friends when they go back to school. In one or two cases some of the students were expelled from school for taking part in group sex. One or two girls have claimed to have been raped at these parties.
A few days into the holidays we have already seen posters advertising a number of events — discos, parties and modeling shows for students on holiday. The idea to entertain young people during the holiday is all fine. After all, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. However, it is the type of entertainment and the fact that most organisers of these events are doing it to make money or have fun with the teenagers and not to help them. Most of the events are not done to benefit teenagers. Many a time teenagers, especially girls, have been abused, raped or stabbed while at these events. Truly, in the absence of proper and positive events to entertain young people these discos and sex parties are their only option. Communities have no one else to blame but themselves. If they don’t provide alternative entertainment for teenagers then it will always be beer, drugs and sex.
Only last week I attended an event for students and teenagers and what I saw there left me numb with shock. Our children become animals when drunk. They lose their senses and will do anything in the name of fun. The worst part was that there was no security or concerned adults anywhere near that event. I saw one girl totally drunk! In horror I watched every little boy with itchy hands in that place coming to her and “feasting” on her exposed body without any protest from the girl. The only solution to this is providing positive entertainment alternatives for these young people — they have a lot of energy and excitement which needs to be channelled towards positive activities.
This is where youth clubs could have come in handy. Long back when we were growing up youths clubs were spaces for youth and children entertainment. It was where we went for soccer, netball, table tennis, drama and music. It is only unfortunate that these clubs have lost their appeal to young people. Perhaps it is because there is nothing happening in the clubs that makes youths and children seek entertainment and recreation somewhere else.
Bongani Ndlovu