Your Voice Matters: Honouring the Power of Youth Day
Every year on June 16th, South Africa commemorates Youth Day, a solemn yet powerful reminder of the courage, conviction, and unwavering spirit of the young people who stood up against injustice in 1976. What began as a student protest in Soweto against the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction quickly evolved into a national uprising that would forever alter the course of our country’s history. A Legacy Rooted in Resistance The youth of 1976, led by figures like Hector Pieterson, Tsietsi Mashinini, and countless unnamed others, were not just protesting language policy. They were fighting for dignity, equal education, and freedom. Many paid with their lives, but their legacy sparked international awareness and resistance against the apartheid regime. They showed the world and generations to come that young voices hold immense power, no matter how small they may seem. Today, the spirit of 1976 lives on in young people who continue to speak out, mobilise, and build better fut...