Name: Silindelo Martin

Province: KZN, Ntuzuma Township

Facebook: Lokishi Comrade Martin

Twitter handle: @Lokishi745

Instagram: Lokishi_Comrade_Martin

Write a short blurb (summary) about yourself. In no more than three sentences.

Silindelo Martin better known as Lokishi From Ntuzuma , is a young radical community developer, youth programmes facilitator, event organiser and a community champion, a member of  Ntuzuma municipality library committee, facilitator at AIDS Foundation of South Africa  (AFSA ) and Youth Making Local Government Work member since 2016.

Why did you decide to be part of the ACTIVATE! Network?

Fortunately or otherwise I joined the ACTIVATE! network  in a very interesting way, I posted a picture on Facebook of a youth dialogue and then I was approached by one of the ACTIVATE! facilitators to apply for ACTIVATE! networks back in 2012, because I was already doing something for my community, I applied in 2012 and went through  the interview process and the rest is history but that’s how I joined ACTIVATE!

What did you enjoy the most about training?

It will have to be the Project Planning or Project Model that I enjoyed the most,  as these sessions happened to be the most challenging sessions during training, but if you master them very well they can help you open many big closed doors and I have implemented them into many programs.

How has training helped you or changed your perspective?

Training helped me to be better in whatever I do as a person and it also helped me to work easily with peers in any given social  space, now I am able to bring meaningful  impact and direction to other young people.

Have you been inspired and been the inspiration in your community and those you interact with?

Yes, I have been inspired by many things but lately I am inspired by the idea of turning A! stations to youth centres,  something that will serve the community even if ACTIVATE!  no longer exists, therefore I am inspired to work hard in order to turn that dream into reality and hopefully that will serve as inspiration even to the coming generations.

What do you think the role of the youth is in developing the country?

Our role as young people is to get involved in everything progressive in order to influence  the decisions taken by government, decision making and youth policies. As young people we must be involved  in every development of this country by organizing ourselves for better opportunities.

You can’t say you want employment but you don’t have a ready made CV, as young people we must play our role by meeting government half way in terms of development. Young people are like coal in a moving train so we need to invigorate young people with skills so they can be able to contribute and play a meaningful role in the development of the country. As a result, the role of young people in a developing country is to influence decision making and policy.

What is your field of interest?

For now my field of interest is education and health more especially in supporting young people in accessing tertiary education information and sexual reproductive health education to adolescence girls and young women.

How are you driving change in your community / How would you like to drive change in your community?

In general  I drive change in many different spaces and social platforms but I am currently driving change  within the health sector and education by ensuring that young people have full access to health facilities and in higher education institutions on time and easily.

Now that you have completed training, how do you plan to keep active in the network?

As a person who’s  always  active in participating in programs happening within the network, there isn’t much I will change besides to consistently keep on participating like before and I am looking forward to creating new connections with new Activators, I want to continue to surround myself with the best.

What are your plans for this year?

Personally it is to finish my BA: Community Development with the University of South Africa  ( UNISA ) and it won’t be easy because I am not funded. The plan for  my community this year  is to host the biggest  career annual expo that will be able to accommodate 20 or more local schools  in one Day.

Is social media an effective way by which you can receive communication from us?

Emails and other  social  media platforms  are still doing  a good job for me.

Additional information you would like us to know?

The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.