18 Feb 2025

A Lobatse based youth organisation, Urban Rhythm Youth Empowerment Trust, is aiming to transform lives of young people by empowering them.

Speaking during Urban Rhythm Youth Empowerment Trust open day which attracted stakeholders including non-governmental organisations recently, its leader Mr Emmanuel Motsemme said the organisation was established in 2016 as a youth and community development trust with the aim of changing lives of young people in and around Lobatse and the nation at large for the better.

Mr Motsemme said the aim was to do this by using biblical principles to instill a sense of hope, identity and vision into lives of youth and to do the work of advocacy for those that were disenfranchised in community.

He said their ambition was to become the epicenter of youth and culture in Botswana, a beacon of hope and empowerment, all these done through a dynamic blend of captivating faith, holistic development and discipleship legacy.

Mr Motsemme noted that in the last 10 years, the organisation reached about 30 000 in and out of school youth and children, offering them different programmes which included; Reach for life clubs, Friday youth ignite, Saturday soccer and Ladies-house of hope.

Senior Administrative Secretary from the Lobatse Constituency office, Mr Moamogedi Bathai said youth as the future had the capability of shaping communities and power  to lead change and redefine possibilities. Mr Bathai said young people drove innovation, advocated for social change and demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity.

He acknowledged the challenges youth were faced with, such as youth unemployment which remained high, lack of access to quality education, mentorship and resources, poverty, disability and gender disparity. Mr Bathai said these challenges should not define them but rather motivate them to act.

He said a nation that neglected its young people risked economic stagnation while one that empowered them thrived. Mr Bathai noted that building a strong, inclusive and equitable youth required a collective effort by an organisation, government or family.

He  said government should create enabling policies, provide funding and ensure access of education and healthcare, mentioning that NGOs such as Urban Rhythm would bridge the gaps through mentorship programmes, skills development, and community-based initiatives.

Mr Bathai said businesses must step up by offering apprenticeships, internships, and employment opportunities citing that investing in the youth had an input in growing the economy. He advised the youth to take care of their mental health emphasizing that a healthy mind and body were the foundation for success. ENDS