Phakamisa by Maserame June Mokoka

Phakamisa

Issue 1, Summer 2015

Upli ft i ng Tom or r ow 's Lea der s

SPECIA L FEA TURE

Gr owing Sm ar t Leader s IS ABOUT INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP

I rene Fitzi

The L ioness Behind Building Future

Wor ds Have Power What you say can heal and can kill Fo o d Fo r Th o u g h t St eve Job ' s Last Words

Pat so n M al i sa Yout h an d Sust ain ab le Develop m en t

Phakamisa

Contents

I N T ROD UCI N G

A publication at the forefront of encouraging, connecting and empowering young minds .

10 I nspiration

I nfor m ation K now ledge

I rene Fitzi Building A Futur e

Grow ing Sm ar t L eaders

Sn ippets

In tr odu cin g Ph ak am isa W or ds h ave power Refl ection

Bu il din g A fu tu r e Pr ofil es

Gl obal Issu es

Contact

info@trsv.co.za

Editorial Team

June Mokoka june@trsv.co.za

Editor

Betty Klaaste

Images

Sunita Blennies

Design

Beaudine Marthinus

Research

Venessa van Heeerden

Production

Charles Thobie

Food For Th ou gh t Death of H er oism

Gr owin g Sm ar t Leader s

Administration Stephania Bontsi s.bontsi@gmail.com

9 Year s Ol d an d Savvy You 'r e Gr eat

36 Building A Future

Publisher

TheReformist

Al l editor ial , bu sin ess an d pr odu ction cor r espon den ce sh ou l d be addr essed to in fo@ tr sv.co.za. No r espon sibil ity wil l be accepted for u n sol icited m ater ial . Th e editor r eser ves th e r igh t to am en d an d to al ter copy an d visu al m ater ial as deem ed n ecessar y. Th e opin ion s expr essed in Ph ak am isa ar e n ot n ecessar il y th ose of th e pu bl ish er s.

1061 Dahl ia St Barkl y West , Nort hern cape Province, Sout h Af rica 8375

THE TEAM Sunit a Blenni, a Grade 8 lear ner at Barkly West H igh School w ith a vision to transfor m the Cr im inal Justice System .

Charlie T hobie, a Grade 7 lear ner at Barkly West H igh School. A patr iotic South A fr ican w ith a vision to protect the Country by joining the South- A fr ican N avy in addition to pursuing his passion as a r ugby and soccer player.

Beaudine M ar thinus, also from Barkly West H igh School is a grade 7 lear ner w ho believes she?s the M edical L aw yer we?ve been waiting for to resolve M edical M alpractices in the H ealth System .

Vanessa van H eerden is a Grade 6 lear ner at Barkly West Pr im ary School. H er passion is to fight cr im e and she would like to becom e a Police O fficer

Contributors June Mokoka, Euginia Henly, Mark Sullivan

Editorial

Dear Readers Welcome to the first edition of Phakamisa M agazine, a publication for young people by young people. Phakamisa is a project made possible by the R ising Stars leg of a Youth N GO called Building A Future (BAF) in Barkley West. Barkley is a small town in the N orthern Cape Province of South Africa, and the Phakamisa Team is an assembly of young visionaries who are willing to drop most of their commitments on most M onday evenings to attend the Growing Smart Leaders Coaching Program. U nder the wings of a remarkable leader Irene Fitzi the Founder of the N GO ; BAF is not your ordinary youth development initiative that focuses on leadership styles and strategies. T he organisation goes beyond the call of duty and builds character, inspires greatness and passionately directs these young people to lead with their hearts and demonstrate a balanced proportion in their intellectual, emotional and spiritual abilities to lead. ebK it/5m ? o# !

Phakamisa is a publication designed to ignite change and encourage young people to tap into the depth of their being in order to unleash their full potential. O ur content refrains from restating what is wrong with the world (there are many publications on that already), it?s about what we can all do about the challenges we face in the world and how we can increasingly collaborate with young minds and appreciate their fresh perspectives for a sustainable future.

As a result, this first quarterly edition of Phakamisa M agazine is jam-packed with mindboggling tips, from spiritual snippets to help us get grounded, personal development that leads to healthy lifestyle choices, informed decision making strategies in addition to a relentless and positive attitude. Enjoy this edition of Phakamisa M agazine. June Mokoka

Snippets

Sunflowers A lways Follow The Direction Of The Sun

I nspiration, education and motivation are necessary ingredients in the process of transformation in youth empowerment. JuneMokoka

I can never get enough of a full and magnificent field of sunflower s. What fascinate me about these flower s is their incr edible phenomena of always facing in the same dir ection. Their r emar kable inclination to follow the sun in unison is compar able to how the human r ace could exist in har mony if we tur ned our backs on the dar kness we encounter in our ever yday lives.

In view of the above, we ar e delighted to intr oduce you to Phakamisa (Uplift) magazine, a publication at the for efr ont o encour aging, connecting and empower ing young people. The publication ser ves to educate, enter tain, mentor and coach you about the r ealities of life. The dir ection you choose to follow wil cer tainly offer you endless possibilities but you should know ther e?s no escaping the har sh r ealities of the challenges you might face. It is only thr ough unison with our fellow br other and sister s that we can victor iously conquer the insur mountable and br ing about positive changes in our wor ld of influence.

The futur e needs healthy char acter s and inspir ational leader pr epar ed to face the dir ection of the sun...enjoy r eading the fir s issue of Phakamisa.

Novem b er 20 Un i versal Ch i l d ren ' s Day

T he Phakamisa Team, collectively with the rest of the world recognises Universal Children?sDay . T hisisthe day the world made a promise to children: that they would do everythingin their power to protect and promote their rightsto survive and thrive, to learn and grow, to make their voicesheard and to reach their full potential.

W hat... Building a Future is a registered non-profit organisation (N PO ) providing a holistic service accessible to children and youth who are poor and vulnerable W here... Barkly West, N orthern Cape Province, South Africa - a community with a high percentage of young people

H ow... It involves various activities, projects and programmes (workshops) that serve as tools for education, health (H I V/AIDS), training skills development and personal growth 1061 Dahl ia St Barkl y West Nort hern cape Province Sout h Af rica 8375

?I believe the childr en ar e our futur e; teach them well and let them lead the way Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pr ide to make it easier . Let the childr en's laughter . Remind us how we used to be?? Whitney Houston

Word s Have Power

The language we use to communicate with one another is like a knife. I n the hands of a skilled surgeon, the knife can do exceptionally well. But in the hands of a callous person it can kill and destroy. James, one of the renowned authors of the New Testament eloquently describes the human tongue as the most potential weapon of massive destruction, and yet the smallest part of the human anatomy.

W HA T YOU SA Y CA N BUILD A ND CA N DESTROY CHOOSE YOUR W ORDS W ISELY ?Your wor ds car r y tr emendous weight, especially in times of str ess, it is thus easy to over look the fundamentals and end up alienate the ver y child you ar e tr ying to develop and empower .? ? Susan For war d Always Remember Just Because You Didn?t Mean It Doesn?t Mean It Didn?t Hur t Just Because What They Did Anger ed You It Doesn?t Mean You Should Be Har sh Just Because I Respond To Your Cr uel Wor ds It Doesn?t Mean You Should Ar gue With Me Childr en have the r ight to be nur tur ed emotionally, to have their feelings r espected, and to be tr eated in ways that allow them to develop a sense of self-wor th. ? Susan For war d

W r ite Your response to us and st and a chance to a D aily Jour nal. s.bontsi@gm ail.com or 1061 D ahlia St , Barkly West 8375 , N or ther n Cape Provinve, South A fr ica, 8375

Building A Future

Empowering Young People, creating a sense of belonging and building a future is what Irene Fitzi from Barkly West in the N orthern Cape Province of South Africa had in mind when she founded a N on-Governmental O rganisation called Building A Future (BAF).

Mankind is always in sear ch of the meaning of life. Ear th-shatter ing social conditions such as cr ime, violence, toxic substance abuse, teenage pr egnancy, hunger and pover ty, unacceptable education standar d, catastr ophic weather disaster s, global economic upheaval, civil society unr ests and a gener al complacency in society due to loss of hope; is what sur r ounds many young people acr oss the globe. Equally so, is what the youth of Mataleng in a small town of Bar kley West in the Nor ther n Cape Pr ovince of South Afr ica exper ience.

Thr ough these insur mountable socio-politico-economic misfor tunes, five young aspir ing tr ansfor mational leader s have emer ged to give hope and dir ection to society: Beaudine Marthinus, Sunita Blennies, Charles Thobie, Bettty Klaaste and Venessa van Heerden- These individuals come fr om diver se households and cultur al backgr ounds, and hold possible tr ansfor mational leader ship char acter istics that r equir es meticulous nur tur ing.

Thr oughout histor y, gener ations have tur ned to faith leader s for hope, inspir ation, validation, answer s, and even socio-economic and political dir ection. For tunately for these young aspir ing #ChangeMaker s, just on the other side of the r oad r esides a woman who have tr anscended boundar ies of cultur al and r eligious tr aditions Ir ene Fitzi-Founder of a Non-Gover nmental Or ganisation called Building A Futur e (BAF). Despite the noticeable Youth Development policies in r ecent year s, young people ar e still faced with uncer tainty and a bleak futur e. Differ ences in political and social values, ethics, and pr otocol contr ibute to the challenge faced by or dinar y citizens tr ying to addr ess the ?the needs of today?s young people. To many, what is most needed is shining human examples of adults who ar e able to inspir e and encour age them to per sever e in their quest to making the wor ld a better place.

?Any type of youth development would yield mor e when these young ones ar e spir itually gr ounded in addition to any other child and youth developmental pr inciples. Being spir itually connected leads to them acting as a family unit, the basis of societal development. It is within this family envir onment that they appr eciate their dignity, become conscious of their potential and ar e pr epar ed to be r esponsible agents of positive changes towar ds economic and social development.?? Ir ene Fitzi

This is exactly what pr opelled Fitzi to pur sue her passion to engage, equip and empower young people and suppor t their development. What star ted as a desir e to inspir e young people into r esponsible and honour able adults; tur ned into a community or ganisation that channels young people?s leader ship development. The r emar kable factor about BAF is the philosophy followed to develop these young minds, especially in the ar ea of becoming successful. These young people ar e fully awar e that success is not something that just happens but something that they have to cr eate. By the time they ar e done and r eady to navigate the complexities of the r eal wor ld, they ar e fully equipped with life pr inciples such as a cour ageous mindset, a focused mindset and a positive one.

The BAF pr ogr ammes have the ability to stimulate intellect and ar ouse confidence. This is evident in the dr ive and ambition displayed by the Rising Star s Team?s decision to cr eate their publication dubbed Phakamisa Magazine. Phakamisa Magazine is a quar ter ly publication that disseminates infor mation on positive actions and pr omotes a dialogue on healing diver se social ills. The Phakamisa Team seeks to publish content that would assist society to r egain hope and believe in their power to develop the feasible and yet complex feeling for a better futur e along with solution or iented thinking.

The contempor ar y society is inundated with a clash cultur e and ethics, it has become incr easingly difficult to under stand what it takes to be consider ed a mor ally decent human being? What may be ethical or what one ?society finds desir able or appr opr iate? may be on the opposite spectr um of what another cultur al gr oup finds appr opr iate. BAF, thr ough the shining leader ship of Ir ene Fitzi has managed to br idge these gaps to offer hope to society etter

"Ther e can be no keener r evelation of a society's soul than the way in which it tr eats its childr en, -Nelson Mandela

Gl obal I ssues

When last have you enjoyed a beautiful sunny and war m Spr ing Day alive with multicolour ed butter flies, the sounds of cooing pigeons in the gar den and buds beginning to flower on the tr ees, adding a splash of colour ? A shift in seasonal timing isn?t only affecting natur e; it has huge human implications because some individuals ar e adapted to cer tain seasonal conditions. A typical example is those suffer ing fr om mental or emotional conditions such as depr ession. ?Gosiame?s health impr oves r emar kably after spending some time in the gar den

As she was gr owing up, her gar den attr acted a number of butter flies and that used to be her sour ce of happiness as she r an ar ound the gar den tr ying to catch what seems to be one of the r ate species today.? The much debated global issue ar ound Climate Change and its implications is thr owing natur e?s timing out. The sad r eality is that futur e gener ations will bear the br unt. However , ther e?s no need to despair because Young People acr oss the globe ar e up in ar ms to find solutions on how to pr otect Mother Natur e. The cher r y on top is that these issues ar e not limited to Climate Change. You thus have no excuse as to why you can?t par ticipate and cr eate the change you want to see.

Meet Patson Malisa, just 23 year s and he is leaving no stone untur ned. He has alr eady acquir ed multi r oles of advancing Youth inclusion in the sustainable development fr amewor k both locally and inter nationally. He is on the Or ganisation of Afr ican Youth?s Continental Executive Committee, and is South Afr ica?s countr y officer for the Networ k of Afr ican Youth for Development. Patson is also the chair per son for South Afr ica at the Inter national Youth Council, wher e he r epr esents the countr y at the Youth Assembly at the United Nations (UN), which is designed to mobilise global youth towar ds joint effor ts in achieving the UN?s Global Development Agenda. you!? He said.

. ?Many battles of development will be over come in our lifetime. However , the ones that ar e passed on to the ones who will come after us must not be handed over without pr oviding the necessar y empower ment for the championing of development in their day and age. Ther efor e Sustainable Development Goals will find meaning in our ability to pass on our passion, skills and wisdom onto the next gener ation. It is as easy as contr ibuting to the uplifting of our community; r ight wher e we ar e. Gr eat success is a r esult of many small wins. Ever y effor t counts. ?Development star ts with you!? He said.

The oppor tunities ar e endless; all you have to do is identify your ar ea of inter est as listed below and be a par t of change. The Post-2015 Development Agenda r efer s to a pr ocess led by the United Nations that aims to help define the futur e global development fr amewor k that will succeed the Millennium Development Goals. These goals ar e also r efer r ed to as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The pr oposed goals ar e cur r ently stated as follows:

For more information on how you can actively participate in making the world a better place write to info@trsv.co.za

Fo o d Fo r Th o u g h t Do you k now th i s man?

This is Steve Jobs.

Jobs was an Amer ican businessman who led the Apple Company as it br ought many r evolutionar y technologies to the mar ket. The Apple III computer , USB mouse, iMac, Power Mac, iPod and iPhone count among the biggest successes of the business umder his headship.

Fo o d Fo r Th o u g h t In most Youth Development and Empower ment pr ojects, young minds ar e steer ed towar ds developmental initiatives that would assist them to navigate the complex adult wor ld landscape. So much ener gy, so much time, so much blood and sweat is put on steps and str ategies that would assist them succeed economically and on how to develop an entr epr eneur ial spir it to fight the mushr ooming youth unemployment debacle.

This is one of the objectives at Building A Futur e(BAF). However , the intr iguing par t about Building a Futur e (BAF) is the immense emphasis the NGO places on developing these young minds holistically. An equal amount of ener gy, time and sweat ar e dir ected towar ds guiding these young minds into a healthy view of life and r eality. The BAF pr ogr ammes model what it looks like to embr ace har dship, to wor k har d, to fail yet be r esilient, and most of all, to be pr epar ed to face life str uggles. Most of these young ones have gotten the idea that ever yone is doing well? except them. That life is gr and for all other s, and their str uggle will be over once they follow cer tain steps to get to their per ceived end.

In view of the above, the Phakamisa Team had a cr itical look at the widely publicized last wor ds of Steve Jobs to dispel this notion. They wanted to shed light on the fact that ever yone, ir r espective of their backgr ound, their leader ship position, or however per fect their life may seem, questions their life choices in the end. Steve Jobs died on October 5, 2011, and the following ar e his last wor ds as he r eflected upon his life as he?s r eached his final destination. Read car efully on what he had to say ved.

Fo o d Fo r Th o u g h t ?I r eached the pinnacle of success in the business wor ld. In other s?eyes, my life is an epitome of success? However , aside fr om wor k, I have little joy. In the end, wealth is only a fact of life that I am accustomed to. At this moment, lying on the sick bed and r ecalling my whole life, I r ealize that all the r ecognition and wealth that I took so much pr ide in, have paled and become meaningless in the face of impending death.

In the dar kness, I look at the gr een lights fr om the life suppor ting machines and hear the humming mechanical sounds, I can feel the br eath of God and of death dr awing closer ? Now I know, when we have accumulated sufficient wealth to last our lifetime, we should pur sue other matter s that ar e unr elated to wealth? Should be something that is mor e impor tant: Per haps r elationships, per haps ar t, per haps a dr eam fr om younger days ? Non-stop pur suing of wealth will only tur n a per son into a twisted being, just like me. ":

God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in ever yone?s hear t, not the illusions br ought about by wealth. The wealth I have won in my life I cannot br ing with me. What I can br ing is only the memor ies pr ecipitated by love. That?s the tr ue r iches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you str ength and light to go on. g, just

Fo o d Fo r Th o u g h t Love can tr avel a thousand miles. Life has no limit. Go wher e you want to go. Reach the height you want to r each. It is all in your hear t and in your hands. What is the most expensive bed in the wor ld? ? ?Sick bed? ? You can employ someone to dr ive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear the sickness for you. Mater ial things lost can be found. But ther e is one thing that can never be found when it is lost ? ?Life?. When a per son goes into the oper ating r oom, he will r ealize that ther e is one book that he has yet to finish r eading ? ?Book of Healthy Life?. Whichever stage in life we ar e at r ight now, with time, we will face the day when the cur tain comes down. Tr easur e Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your fr iends? Tr eat your self well. Cher ish other s.?

I believe that ever y Youth Development and Empower ment Pr gr amme needs to har ness the impor tance of a well balanced emotional state in their quest to develop futur e leader s. With all the exper t knowledge in Science, Business, Developmental Studies or any other Discipline that pr eaches Economic Development. These young minds need to be pr epar ed that life can be slow and disappointing for ever yone, that the wor ld may toss emotional ?gr enades? at them in the for m of r ejection (per sonal, social, institutional and pr ofessional), failur e, nor mal and accidental deaths, job dismissals, betr ayal and many other situations. The bottom-line is, we should encour age a habit of fulfillment even when things don?t go our way, so that tr ying again won?t be for eign but a way of life acceptable with enthusiasm and mor e impor tantly, healthy inter actions with their fellow human beings.

Deat h o f Her o i sm Ever y notable man or woman in histor y has been known to have contr ibuted a gr eat deal of their char acter , time and commitment to contr ibute something significant in society. Their motive was usually associated to a challenge that was bigger than them, followed by the demanding and difficult steps they took to tr ansfor m their lives fr om mediocr ity to positions of power and influence. Contempor ar y society is inundated with all sor ts of challenges in an er a of a self-absor bed gener ation. Most people wander lethar gically tr ying to figur e out who they ar e in the absence of a loyal cause that tailor s you to become something. It has incr easingly become less impor tant to follow an assignment that r equir es some bold human actions that lead one to be r ecognised for their her oic acts. In this epoch of self aggr andisement wher e ever ything is about ?ME?, ?ME? and ?ME?; we ar e faced with human actions motivated by what you can do for ?ME?? It?s about what I want and how that can help ?ME?. Institutions founded on sacr ifice and commitment have cr umbled in a gener ation consumed with self-center edness that focuses on one?s own gr atification. Nobody is pr epar ed to do anything that is not about them anymor e because in their jour ney of life all r oads lead to ?ME?. Our UK based Inspir ational Author and Poet Euginia Herlihy, gr aced our pages with her poetic wor ds of wisdom in the following r eflective piece called ?Death of Heroism?.

Deat h o f Her o i sm Can someone tell me something? What happened to us? I look at my r ight, I look at my left And I see the collapse of heroism What happened to our societies? I look up, I look down and I see Heroism slipping away quietly I look around and I see The spir it of complacency cover ing the ear th What happened to the hunger of lear ning? What happened to the spir it of Ubuntu? What happened to sacr ifice and commitment? What happened to the hunger of a healthy society? What happened to the spir it of community development? What cause do you fight for in your j our ney of life? Can someone tell me something? I s it the r ise of pr ide? I s it the r ise of ignor ance? I s it the r ise of the spir it of self-centeredness That caused this catastrophic death of heroism? Or is it simply, the death of heroism. 9/10/2015 by Euginia Her lihy Euginia Her lihy is an UK Inspir ational wr iter , a poet, an author of 'The Exper iences of Life & Pr ayer s' and 'Take A Step Right Now Towar ds Your Dr eams.' She is a South Afr ican bor n fr om Ginsber g Township, King William's Town, Easter n Cape. Euginia Her lihy is a mother of thr ee and gr andmother of four .

Using Inspirational Leadership to fast track Youth Development and Empowerment June Mokoka

Gr o w i n g Sm ar t Lead er s Positive changes can only mater ialize when we r esolve to depend fully on God and stop the self -destr uctive philosophy of ?ME? mentality. In the natur al, all human beings love gr eat highs; our sense of wellbeing and happiness is deter mined by exter nal events and cir cumstances. No wonder that ver y sense of well being is able to manufactur e calamities in the pr ocess of pur suing our happiness. That usually happens when human beings expand the ener gy of fear , gr eed, selfishness and violence in pur suit of happiness

A major par t of Gr owing Smar t Leader s is devoted to r elationships. It encour ages young people to challenge their leader ship ability, par ticular ly the fine distinctions between ?leading in or der to possess power ? and/or ?leading in or der to inspir e other s?. Smar t Leader ship is char acter ised by one?s ability to identify the str engths and weaknesses in other s and use that knowledge to help them succeed. Fur ther mor e, it center s on encour aging these young people to use their most impor tant asset ?to THINK? and think ?BIG? as they lay the foundation for implementing positive changes in their wor ld of influence.

Gr owing Smar t Leader s is about how we can inspir e young minds to follow smar t ways of acting and thinking; it evokes a sense of r esponsibility and r epositions the conventional thinking of leader ship as something set aside for cer tain individuals. . Yet if we can r eposition our thinking to the beneficence of non-hier ar chical leader ship, and have the inter nal dr ive to take actions that will not endanger other s but ar e for impr oving situations... When we decide to have a cer tain openness of mind and ar e committed to change, anything that seems beyond us can be offer ed up for positive tr ansfor mation.

What is mor e impor tant is the life coaching discipline that encour ages them to exer cise their ability to adapt to change. Life will change; it is thus valuable to encour age young people to develop the tenacity to sail along with a positive outlook when situations don?t tur n in the dir ection of their expected outcomes. And, last but not least is the focus ar ound the r elationships they build or the influence they sur r ound themselves with. It is imper ative to educate young minds to get into the habit of sur r ounding themselves with positive r ole models inter ested in accompanying them in their envisioned life jour ney.

The Gr owing Smar t leader s Pr ogr am pr omises not the usual leader ship development pedagogy but a tr ansfor mational leader ship tutor ial of gr eat pr actical wor th. For instance, gr eat emphasis is placed on doing something your self in place of waiting or expecting someone to do it for you. It could be a kind notion of encour aging young minds to get involved in r ecycling waste to r aise money for a fr iend who has cancer or collecting blankets dur ing winter for str eet kids. I believe the wor ld can be a better place if most adults take action steps to nur tur e smar t leader ship qualities and har ness pr oblem solving life skills that pr epar es futur e leader s to handle challenges diligently. I?ve dedicated my time and ener gy to cultivating these qualities to young minds, they need to under stand the intr insic value of success in life and lear n fr om the wor ds of success giants like Steve Jobs. Will YOU join me? info@tr sv.co.za

by Mar k Sullivan

9 Yeaar Ol d an d Savvy For a 9-year -old gir l, Lily Lee seems incr edibly busy. It?s not just the usual things, like doing flips in tumbling class, lear ning how to play the flute, and walking her dog named Lucky.

For the second year in a r ow, the San Fr ancisco four th gr ader has been or ganizing a toy dr ive so that foster kids can get pr esents for the holidays. And she does it all her self: collects the money, negotiates discounts with local stor es, and deliver s the toys to social ser vice or ganizations. ?I actually star ted out when I was 4,? she says. ?I used half of my bir thday money to buy a couple of toys and a book or two for foster kids.? This year , she?s taking her campaign online with a br and new website called Give With Lily. This par t she needed a little help with, since she?s the kind of kid who pr efer s sketching out her ideas in an old-fashioned notebook.

She tur ned to her father , mor tgage loan officer Sam Lee. A newcomer at San Fr ancisco?s WeWor k Mid-Mar ket space? his company moved in at the beginning of November ? he decided to hir e a gr aphic designer fr om the company?s member s networ k. That?s when he hear d fr om Anthony Quach and Ashley Koontz, member s at Por tland?s WeWor k Custom House space since it opened at the beginning of the month. The owner s of twelve55 offer ed to do it all for fr ee, fr om designing a logo to building a website to or ganizing a social media campaign. ?It was amazing how fast it came together ,? Sam says. ?They agr eed to do it last Thur sday, and we got them the content by the weekend. It was basically all finished by Monday night. They even designed her a business car d, for goodness sake.

Quach says his ?eyes lit up? when Sam descr ibed the pr oject to him. ?When we lear ned of the oppor tunity to help such a passionate, selfless, and giving young per son,? Quach says, ?it just made sense that we championed the pr oject.? Sam says he?s over whelmed by the suppor t he?s gotten fr om other WeWor k member s. ?My exper ience is that the community her e r eally r allies ar ound you,? he says. ?It?s awesome.? Coming fr om the business wor ld, Sam says he?s been impr essed with Lily?s business savvy. He laughs as he talks about dr iving Lily to a stor e wher e she was planning on buying a few childr en?s books.

This year ?s campaign has alr eady r aised mor e than $3,000, which will be used to buy toys, books, and clothing for foster kids thr ough two local gr oups, Sleep Tr ain Foster Kids and Lar kin Str eet Youth Ser vices. Sam says they ar e also encour aging people to donate to or ganizations helping foster kids in their own ar eas. They can then post photos of their gifts on social media using the hashtag #GiveWithLily. Lily says she?s never met any of the kids who benefit fr om her pr oject, but she can imagine them opening their pr esents. ?It feels r eally good to help,? she says. ?I?m pr etty sur e it does put a smile on their faces.? What ar e you doing or think of doing in or der to put a smile on someone?s face? Wr ite to us and we shall be in touch to help you navigate your aspir ations. s.bontsi@gmail.com or 1061 Dahlia St Bar kly West , Nor ther n cape Pr ovince, South Afr ica 8375

BA F REA DING ROOM

Infor mation br ings tr ansfor mation and Tr ansfor mation br ings development. The BAF Reading Room is busy with the book ?Just Do It; Don?t Stop? by June Mokoka, an inspir ational book with a wealth of infor mation to get you out of your self-imposed limitations. On page 26 of the book, the author quoted the following passage fr om Mar ianne Williamson?s book ?A Retur n To Love? and the Phakamisa Magazine Team spent a gr eat deal of time with the author decoding it. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. I t is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won?t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. -Marianne Williamson

Yo u A r e Gr eat Dai l y A f f i r m at i o n s