admin
Reginald Chirenje Youth Interactive Writer
The voice of the youth is an important issue in the society and the world.
Young members of the society play a critical role in shaping the future of our culture.
The young generation is uniquely positioned as change makers who have much easier access to the public sphere.
The voice of the youth is considered important as the young people socio – economically aware and more active than adults.
However it does not mean youth activism which has become mainstream definition in recent years.
Youth Interaction caught up with Nicole Natsai Chimanikire, populary known as Ndanatsa, a young woman aged 21 who does youth advocacy through poetry. For her poetry is a way of expressing strong emotions in a creative and often powerful way.
Natsai started youth advocacy when she was in high school and engage in a number of different activities under Junior Council.
“Meeting up with the young generation facing societal ills from my neighborhood made myself to start speaking on their behalf”, Chimanikire said.
Youth advocacy is a process of identifying, understanding and addressing issues that are important to young people.
Advocating for the youth in schools, communities and society at large helps the youth generation to be responsible for their own safety and well being.
Youth are praised and passionate to advocate for their own opinions expressions and rights of valuable groups.
Through their advocacy they bring important issues to the public eye. Ndanatsa has quite a number of published poems under Mukori Press Anthology.
These include, “Emotional Numb”, “She came up of the sand of time”, ” It’s raining” among others.
She further added that all of her published poems have different messages which speaks on youth advocacy.
“Emotional Numb”, is a about a personal drowning in dimal depression. It is a voice of a person who tries to venture out to find hope” she added.
Ndanatsa also highlighted that, “She came out of the sand of time” speaks directly to the strength of women on this earth.
“It’s raining” is a full blown rant where the person wants to be Iike the rain, where she nourish the lines of many. Chimanikire recently performed in Kenya at a Festival on Youth Advocacy.
“Youth advocacy is important because it creates a responsible society. It can be used to raise awareness about the best for the young people.
Youth advocacy also help with the decision at a time when their opion are still forming” she added.
Nicole believes, youth voices and involvement allows for the positive social change to address the needs of their communities and future.
She is currently working on a theatre production in poetry entitled, “I cannot imagine you Africa” which is portrays how modern youths are suffering from identity that is culture versus the modern world.
Online Reporter