Youth have always shaped South Africa. The future depends on what happens next

Youth have always shaped South Africa. The future depends on what happens next

By Mokebe Thulo, CEO at AWARE.org
Every generation of young people inherits a different South Africa.
The challenges they face may evolve. The opportunities available to them may look different.
The ways they organise, communicate, and express themselves may change with each
passing decade. Yet throughout our country's history, one truth has remained constant:
young people have never inherited South Africa's future – they have helped build it.
As we commemorate Youth Month, South Africans are once again reflecting on the courage
and sacrifice of the young people of 1976. Their actions changed the course of our nation's
history and demonstrated the power of youth to shape society.
But Youth Month should not only be about remembering the past because the youth of 1976
and the youth of 2026 are connected. The realities facing young people may have changed,
but the responsibility of shaping South Africa’s future has not. Each generation is called to
respond to the defining challenges of its time.
It should challenge us to consider what youth leadership looks like today and what it must
become in the future.
This thinking sits at the heart of AWARE.org's Youth Month Roundtable, taking place on
Thursday, 18 June, which will convene under the theme Built Through Action: Past. Present.
Future.
The roundtable forms part of AWARE.org’s broader Youth Month campaign focused on
exploring how the lessons of the past, the realities of the present and the possibilities of the
future intersect in shaping young people’s lives today.
A legacy of action
The conversation recognises that youth empowerment is strongest when history, lived
experience and opportunity intersect. It seeks to connect the lessons of previous generations
with the realities facing young people today while creating visibility for the opportunities that
can help shape tomorrow.
The story of South African youth is not a story of separate generations. It is one continuous
journey.
The youth of 1976 fought for dignity, representation, and the right to shape their own futures.
The youth of the democratic era helped build a new national identity. The generations that
followed responded to challenges ranging from HIV and AIDS awareness and
unemployment to access to education, entrepreneurship, and economic participation.
The 2000s saw young people use culture, music, and storytelling to drive social awareness
and create entirely new creative industries. The 2010s witnessed students mobilising around
access to education through movements such as #FeesMustFall. Today, young people are
shaping society through entrepreneurship, the creator economy, digital innovation,
technology and community-led initiatives.

What connects these generations is not the platforms they use or the circumstances they
inherit. It is their ability to respond to the realities of their time and create change through
action.
This idea sits at the centre of AWARE.org’s “Past. Present. Future.” framing for Youth Month:
recognising that while each generation inherits different realities, young people continue to
play a defining role in shaping the social, cultural and economic direction of the country.
This is why AWARE.org believes Youth Month must move beyond reflection alone.
Reflection provides context. Action creates impact.
The youth of 1976 showed us what is possible when young people act with purpose.
Turning awareness into responsibility
Today's generation faces a different set of realities, but the need for informed decision-
making, personal responsibility, and access to opportunity remains just as important.
At a time when South Africa continues to grapple with challenges affecting young people —
including unemployment, social pressure, mental wellbeing, substance abuse and inequality
— creating spaces for meaningful dialogue, visibility and opportunity becomes increasingly
important.
Through programmes such as #NOtoU18 and Makers of Tomorrow, AWARE.org works with
young people to help them understand how the choices they make today influence the
opportunities available to them tomorrow. These programmes are built on a simple belief:
awareness should lead to responsibility, and responsibility should create pathways to
opportunity.
Research commissioned by AWARE.org among South African adolescents aged 11 to 13
reinforces the importance of this approach. While social media and peer influence play an
important role in young people's lives, family remains the strongest influence on attitudes
towards alcohol.
The finding serves as an important reminder that while every generation experiences new
influences, the foundations that shape responsible decision-making remain remarkably
consistent.
Long before a young person encounters an online trend, a social pressure, or a defining life
choice, they are learning from the values, behaviours, and examples set by families,
communities, and the environments around them.
Creating pathways to opportunity
This year's roundtable asks an important question: what happens when we connect the
lessons of the past, the realities of the present, and the opportunities of the future?
The answer lies in creating spaces where young people can see themselves not only as
beneficiaries of opportunity but as active participants in building it.
That is why the roundtable will bring together youth voices, programme beneficiaries,
educators, partners, policymakers and opportunity providers to explore how informed
choices, collaboration and action can create meaningful pathways for young people. The

objective is not simply to inspire young people, but to connect them with tangible
opportunities and practical ways to participate in shaping their futures.
In this way, the conversation is not only about celebrating youth potential, but about
recognising youth as active participants in shaping the future of South Africa.
At AWARE.org, we believe that youth development cannot happen in isolation. It requires
collaboration between families, schools, communities, government, civil society, and the
private sector. It requires creating environments where young people are empowered to
make responsible choices and supported in pursuing meaningful opportunities.
As South Africa reflects on its past, we should remember that the future is not something
that happens to young people. It is something they help create.
The responsibility of our generation is to ensure they have the support, knowledge, and
opportunities required to do so.

ENDS

About AWARE.org
Aware.org (the Association for Alcohol Responsibility and Education) is a South African
non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the responsible use of alcohol and reducing
alcohol-related harm. Its core mandate is to support safe, informed decisions about alcohol
consumption and to address key areas of harmful use, including underage drinking, road
safety and drinking during pregnancy. AWARE.org’s programmes are evidence-informed and
grounded in behaviour-change approaches, implemented through strategic partnerships with
community organisations, industry actors and public-sector stakeholders. The organisation
takes a whole-of-society approach to creating positive, sustainable change in South Africa’s
drinking culture and environment.
For media enquiries:
Tribeca Public Relations
aware.org@tribecapr.co.za

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