
On 4 May, the Society of St Vincent de Paul Youth hosted a Youth Career and Development Day at Our Lady of The Assumption in Molapo, Soweto. It was a huge success, with over 100 young people turning up on the day.
The aim was to provide information about career choices, subject choices, financial planning, university scoring, CV writing, and interview skills, to name a few.
Around 20 professionals in their fields came to share their experiences and give advice to the youth who wish to pursue a career in those professions. Among those represented were the medical field, legal, law enforcement, education sector, IT, accounting, finance and the film industry. Youth were able to engage in one-on-one consultations with these experts.
Many of them offered common threads of advice: Don’t doubt your potential and never focus on your failures. Failure doesn’t mean it’s the end of your journey it is simply a stepping stone to success. Always invest in your future. It’s okay to ask for help. Never succumb to peer pressure. In whatever you do, put in 100%. Pray and work!
“The expo really opened my eyes and gave me a lot of nuanced insights on my future and current studies,” said Keoagile Moeng, one of the young attendees. “I was very inspired by all the speakers who spoke about their backgrounds and how they showed determination in their come up.”
“It was also very inspiring to see young people speak as well; it touched me in a very positive manner,” added Moeng, who is studying BA in PPE, and dreams of becoming a qualified lawyer/statesman.
Fr Mnwabisi Ntshudu (Soweto Youth Deanery Chaplain) opened the event with prayer, while several SSVP conferences in Soweto provided food stalls as a fundraising initiative to support their work with those in their parishes who are less fortunate.