Men’s conference tackles issues in Pimville

Rainbow Stars Youth Organisation together with Father a Nation recently hosted a men’s conference in Pimville.

Held at the Pimville Community Centre, the event brought under one roof young and old local males to discuss issues that affect them.

It was part of Madela Day commemorations and with July also being Men’s Month, organisers saw the need to turn the focus to men who are often neglected in communities.

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Founder of Rainbow Stars Youth Organisation, Lerato Radebe said it was important for them to host such an event especially for young boys who are often not given enough opportunities compared to young girls.

“We don’t do take a boy child to work programmes and dignitary pack drives for boys in our communities.

“In most cases we don’t celebrate Men’s Month and sometimes don’t even acknowledge our men in our communities and maybe that’s one of the reasons that makes them the kind of guys they are,” explained Radebe.

The event was meant to close this gap by having men and boys discuss their role in the fight against all social ills that affect communities.

Topics like GBV, unemployment and access to opportunities were discussed with attendees voicing their opinions on these topics.

It was an open forum where young boys also received words of wisdom and encouragement from the older guys who have experienced life more.

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In keeping up with the spirt of Mandela Day which is all about service and giving back to the community, men were also pampered and treated to manicures for free.

This was made possible through collaboration with Busi Ndimande of Buccy’s Nail Bar from Pimville Zone 2.

As a small business operating in the community of Pimville, Buccy’s Nail Bar saw it fit to contribute to the event by giving free mail treatment to the men in attendance.

Ndimande echoed Radebe’s words and said they wanted to acknowledge men in the community and make them feel special.

“Today we decided to pamper men and make them understand that these things are not only for women,” said Ndimande.

“We wanted to remind them that they are also cared for because we often do these things only for women and children while forgetting that men also enjoy them.”

The presence and contribution of Buccy’s Nail Bar at the men’s conference served as a reminder of the importance of male grooming in taking care of the mental and physical being for the gents.

Ndimande added that she decided to partner with Rainbow Stars Youth Organisation to give back to the community because of the support her business has been getting from men in the community.

Rainbow Stars Youth Organisation has been at the forefront of community building in the community of Pimville through GBV awareness programmes involving boys.

Radebe said their programmes put boys and men in the forefront of the fight against GBV because in most cases they are deemed to be the perpetrators.

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During the gathering, the topic of GBV and the role young man can play in eliminating it was discussed.

Respect for women and oneself were preached amongst the gents with hopes that they will go out and spread the message to their communities as well.

Radebe said the event formed part of their 67 minutes for Mandela Day and that they decided to do it differently by spreading positivity amongst men.

She thanked all thee stakeholders who contributed in making the event a success including Right to Care, Chaps, Buccy’s Nail Bar and Father a Nation.

She also thanked all the men and boys who took their time to attend the even to discuss issues that affect them and their communities.