Westdene’s youth get their hands dirty to keep their community clean
They were encouraged to roll up their sleeves for the good of their community, as they cleaned up Tighy Park
After Westdene resident Snowy Mattera saw a few of her community’s youth wandering through the neighbourhood aimlessly, she knew their idle hands could be of better benefit to the community.
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So, along with some cleaning equipment, she also armed them with a sense of purpose that saw them clean up a portion of Tighy Park, an act of service that brought a cleaner neighbourhood and the great sense of pride of a job well done. Challenges with the park started two years ago when its fencing was stolen. “To date, no replacements have been done. Soccer teams practise there daily, and their ball often gets kicked into the street.”
She said there is a known understanding of the psychological connection between crime and the presence of litter; it shows the dissociation the litterer has towards the community, which breeds a lack of care.
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Given this, it was important to her to encourage young members of the community to play their part. “We know there’s the pervasive problem of youth unemployment in our country. These young boys, in particular, are idle, and we also know the saying, ‘the devil finds work for idle hands.’ I targeted the boys first to let them feel seen and for them to feel a part of the solution to community issues.”This also gives them employment, albeit just for two days at most, but these are youth she often sees around the neighbourhood and gets a sense of their need for survival.
For her, being an active member of your community promotes not just harmony but a sense of pride. So she hopes that such acts of community help promote the intrinsic need to keep the environment clean.
Mattera is part of a group within her community that actively works to keep the entire Westdene, more importantly, the surroundings of Westdene Dam, clean. To her, what makes the community beautiful is its sense of community. “We just need more participation from student accommodation landlords and the UJ university students who live in the area. We see scant innovations or contributions from UJ in fostering a students and residents partnership.”
She ended with the sentiment that if they can collaborate and improve the bohemian feel, then more jobs can be created, which will inevitably make Westdene more beautiful for living.
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