Byo youth mark National Youth Day with clean-up campaign

By Sihlobo Bulala

Members of the Renewed Voice Foundation last Saturday joined National Youth Day commemorations by organising a clean-up campaign aimed at bringing young people together for a responsible cause.

Observed annually on 21 February, National Youth Day celebrates the potential of young people in Zimbabwe. This year’s commemorations ran under the theme, “Youth Agenda for Transformation,” positioning young people as capable citizens who can meaningfully contribute to national development.

Speaking to Community Podium, Founder and Executive Director, Keagile Mbizo, highlighted the significance of the day, noting that it provides young people with an opportunity to demonstrate responsibility and environmental consciousness.

“We understand the importance of a clean environment and cleanliness for people to thrive,” he said, further adding that they understand that as youths they are supposed to spearhead their journey to the future because they’re the ones who are going to be in it.

“It is important for us to come together as young people which is why we are planning on doing these frequently because it’s also an opportunity to learn as our organisation promotes literacy in all forms,” he said.

Mbizo also acknowledged the challenges confronting young people, particularly drug and substance abuse, which continues to hinder many from realising their full potential.

“Youths are facing challenges such as drug and substance abuse but no one really looks for the story behind that, why someone chose drugs. We are always blamed as people who are drug abusers and delinquents and because of that we go for the easy way out, we do what we are told we are and today we want to show that we are capable.

“As youths we are responsible, we can speak for ourselves, we can act for ourselves and we are very much able to look after ourselves,” said Mbizo.

Another youth, Michell Mtetwa, emphasised the need for young people to actively participate in initiatives meant to address issues affecting them.

“The support that we are getting when it comes to drug and substance abuse, while it’s there, it’s not quite effective since we are always seeing kids on the street taking drugs and some of them even sleep outside. We as youth should also partake in these campaigns. In this generation i believe that it is better for another youth to help another youth,” she said.

Chantell Mkandla, another youth who also took part in the campaign, described the clean-up initiative as a platform that fosters unity and collaboration among young people.

“The clean up campaign will help us to interact as the youth, share some initiatives and ideas to empower ourselves to become very responsible young adults,” she said.

Community Podium is the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding NGO Reporting Award. This reflects our dedication to amplifying community voices and advancing public-interest journalism.