Summerhill learners honour Youth Day at powerful assembly
Summerhill learners took the morning of June 12 to remember the 1976 youth, diving deep into the topic of what Youth Day means to them.
In commemoration of Youth Day, Summerhill College hosted a Youth Day assembly.
Read more: Why we celebrate Youth Day
The assembly featured a programme where learners performed poems and speeches, all revolving around June 16 and the uprising. Learners connected the past with current and ongoing struggles the youth of today are facing, explaining how these challenges are similar to the ones that the 1976 youth faced. These struggles included the high rate of unemployment, mental health issues, and substance abuse.
Grade 8 learner Omphile Manyosa presented a speech at the assembly, expressing what Youth Day means to him. “Youth Day is special to me, because to think that many years ago children couldn’t learn with children of other races, or they had to learn other subjects in Afrikaans, is a very sad thought. Nowadays, we don’t have to go through nearly as much struggles as children went through before.”
Also read: Midrand beauties talk about youth day
Teachers were receptive of the assembly programme, cheering through the morning each time learners performed.
Guest speaker Motsumi Makhene explained what Youth Day should mean to the learners. In his speech he highlighted that, as the 1976 youth had their own struggles and stood up for them, youth today need to do the same, and continue to fight for what they truly believe in. He also mentioned that young people should not be the only ones fighting against their challenges. “Young people find themselves in an ecosystem that betrays not only them, but also the elders of the society. That is something we must correct. This is not a battle the young people need to face alone, but rather a problem we, as the elders, need to challenge with them.”
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