IT’S THE NEW OLD GENERATION

A wiseman once said, “The service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”

In a generation that is full of millennials who are caught up in what has been deemed the ‘social media age’, the New Old Generation Club, for the youth by the youth, is surely breaking grounds and paving a new path for the new generation of inspirational youth.
Mlamuli Malindzisa is an 18- year-old whizz-kid who is passionate about shining a much-needed light on societal issues and changing the narrative for young people in the country.

After finishing his Form V exam in late 2017 at Ka-Boyce High School, Malindzisa, along with former Ka-Boyce High School student Wandile Mamba, recruited a group of young people from different parts of the country and formed a club called ‘The New Old Generation’ (NOG).

The club consist of a number of members who range from the ages 18 to 21. Melusi Simelane, Ntando Dlamini, Siyabonga Ngcotheni, Siyabonga Nxumalo and Fisiwe Dlamini are just some of the active members who have been working as a collective, to curb the current challenges faced by young people in the kingdom.

Dialogue

Since its inception, the club in its entirety has hit the streets of Mbabane, literally, in an effort to initiate a dialogue between the youth and the members of society.

Through flash mobs and re-enactments, the NOG members have consistently popped up at the Swazi Plaza during peak hour, carrying placards which tell a story specific to a certain polarizing issue that affects young people in the country, such as unemployment, depression, teenage suicide and even bullying.
Above that, these young teens have also been involved with community projects which involve donating and lending a helping hand to the needy.

In order to fully grasp the motives as well as the importance of having such a club that aims to inspire young people, we sat down with the members who provided more insight.

Aware

Speaking to the co-founder of the club, Malindzisa, he did not shy away of pointing out that there is a necessity to make more people aware of these issues that are destroying the youth.

“Be the change you want to see. A lot of times, not just as young people but as society as a whole, we tend to expect change to take place but never take make any effort to be the catalysts that bring about the change. Because of that, we end up having people who don’t take full accountability and shift the blame instead of starting a conversation, in order to find solutions to the problems that we face as the youth,” he said.

“Youth unemployment, poverty, rape, suicide, depression; those are not just youth problems, those are the kingdom’s problems. As the youth of this country, we are the future. We should not be complacent with certain issues and expect other people to solve them. We need to play our part,” said Fisiwe Dlamini, one of the members of the club.

A social media revolution is happening right before our eyes. At the same time we are living in a world faced with an increasing number of societal issues.

In a generation that is one of the most connected that history has ever seen, it is inspiring to see young people spearheading a movement that aims to benefit, not only the youth but the country as a whole.

Campaigns

“The flash mobs and the awareness campaigns that we hold aren’t just for the benefit of young people but they are also to help the older generation of parents, sisters and brothers understand and be informed on the issues that we face,”  Said NOG member Melusi Simelane.
This group of young people is tired of spaces where young people are the topic of discussion and not the leaders of it.

Listening and providing the youth with a platform does not necessarily mean creating more youth positions and working groups.
It means taking those voices seriously because like Aya Chebbi once said, “No one benefits if young people are a wasted resource.”

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