Online Reporter
Sunday Mail Reporter
The National Sports Stadium came alive on Saturday as over 3,000 young people from across Zimbabwe gathered for the inaugural ‘Catch Them Young’ Youth Mentorship Conference and Campaign
The pioneering initiative was officially launched by Hire Life Foundation, a corporate social responsibility arm of Econet Wireless (Econet in the Community).
The conference was attended by an impressive lineup of government officials, captains of industry, educators and community leaders.
Present at the historic event were Minister of Education, Sports and Culture Aeneas Chigwedere, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education Education, Dr Stan Mudenge, Minister of Industry and Commerce Obert Mpofu and Youth Minister Ambrose Mutinhiri.
Also in attendance were heads of top companies and industry leaders from the banking, agriculture, mining and retail sectors, all united by a shared vision of youth empowerment and national development.
Matabeleland Regional Director of Higher Life Foundation Mr Marshall Bizure, opened the conference with a powerful message highlighting the core theme of the mentorship campaign: “The right guidance at the right time can change a life.”
Emphasising the transformative power of mentorship, he said>
“It takes a mentor to help uncover a young person’s full potential.
“Today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders, let’s catch them young.”
He went on to inspire the audience by sharing his deeply personal journey.
Growing up in extreme poverty and facing early family rejection, Bizure did not own his first pair of shoes until the age of nine.
Determined to pursue an education, he worked as a toilet cleaner to pay his way through university. Despite these hardships, he persevered, drawing inspiration from others who had faced similar struggles and triumphed.
Bizure’s story is the driving force behind the Catch Them Young Campaign, a mentorship initiative aimed at empowering youth through early guidance and support. The success of the inaugural conference marks the beginning of an annual event, dedicated to nurturing the leaders of tomorrow.
The conference featured keynote speakers from various industries who took to the stage to inspire the youth through real life stories of resilience, innovation, and hard work.
Their messages emphasized the importance of discipline, education, and perseverance in the pursuit of success.
Speaking to the press on the sidelines of the event, Bizure shared the heart and vision behind the campaign:
“Catch Them Young” is a dynamic youth mentorship campaign aimed at identifying, nurturing, and guiding young people during their formative years.
“The philosophy is simple but powerful intervening early, mentor wisely, and shape future leaders and responsible youth,” he said.
Bizure explained that the youth mentorship campaign focuses on personal development, career exposure, and emotional guidance, with the overarching goal of cultivating a generation of confident, capable, and socially responsible youth.
He highlighted that millions of youths still lack access to positive role models, structured mentorship and opportunities to build essential life and career skills.
Early adolescence, he noted, is a pivotal stage where life paths are often defined, yet many young people face disengagement from education, exposure to harmful influences and limited awareness of future career possibilities.
Ministers and industry heads applauded the initiative, recognizing Bizure’s leadership and dedication to uplifting Zimbabwean youth.
Minister Chigwedere called the programme “a timely and necessary intervention for national progress,” while Minister Mpofu noted the critical role such mentorship plays in equipping the youth for Zimbabwe’s industrial and economic future.
Marshall Bizure further outlined the core components of the campaign, which include:
Conduct the “Catch Them Young” campaign as a yearly program to ensure sustained youth engagement. Mentorship programs pairing young people with experienced professionals, skills-building workshops and bootcamps targeting personal growth and career readiness, career exposure activities introducing youth to various professional fields and community engagement programs involving parents, schools, and local leaders in youth development
The “Catch Them Young” campaign signals a major step forward in national youth development, with Bizure promising to take the movement into schools, communities and districts across the country in the coming months.
Looking ahead, the campaign plans to forge strategic partnerships with schools and educational institutions, corporate social responsibility programs, local non-profit organizations, faith-based groups and key government agencies such as the Ministries of Youth and Education.
With the launch of “Catch Them Young,” a new chapter has begun in Zimbabwe’s journey toward building a future driven by empowered, well mentored and socially conscious youth.
Bizure affirmed that this is only the beginning, with plans to expand the program nationwide in the coming months.
As the stadium emptied, the spirit of the day remained, a sense of hope, inspiration and belief that, with the right guidance and mentorship, Zimbabwe’s youth will rise as the nation’s next generation of leaders.
Online Reporter