Innocent Serepe Tshishonga

Very meaningful experience of a lifetime and interesting to work with youth in a developed country in which their approach towards you is different in comparison to developing country experiences. On the project, I was based at a kindergarten and later at Global New Generation.

IMPACT & INSPIRATION

Broadened my ability to think and I acquired knowledge from people, not books ….. “like a drop of water in the desert”. I sometimes wish my country could engage in dialogues to repair fractures like I learned in Germany where voices are encouraged, and disagreements are dealt with respectfully.

Exchange forces you to take in different environments and attitudes which is challenging but possible. There is pressure to understand and accept European lifestyles and the African livelihoods can be challenged.

If you want something, go and get it! Avoid excuses. Learn to accept and understand people from different backgrounds as it helps you identify and fix your own faults. Try to accept choices, even if it is difficult, for example I am a Christian and it is not easy for me to quickly accept that other make different choices.

I was impressed by Germany’s attention to the development of children and the different facilities that cater for different age groups to allow for education and caring from young to old.

TOUGH

Being stared at but trying to act normally and in a friendly way.

LEARNINGS

People are not so different; we just sometimes have different approaches and solutions. We all want to be safe, to provide for those we love. I feel like “we are all branches on a tree” and I realised that I love my country and I appreciate my community and the children I work with every day. There are small things in South Africa that are special and make South Africa my HOME. But I learnt that it is important to learn and to share in order to become part of the solution and the solution is bigger than me. Diversity is to be encouraged and collaboration can be part of our national solutions that end racial, political, tribal, cultural and religious discrimination.

We need to bring diverse youth together to come up with solutions for the problems in the world. The future is ours!