1. Engage me and I will Understand,
Remember and Act!
Samuel Duru
South Africa
Name of the Event: “Engage me and I will Understand, Remember and Act!”
Goal of the Event : To sharpen the visibility of youngsters to the solution in every
problem, and to inspire them to take personal, as well as group actions towards
solving social problems in their communities as agents of change and leaders of
tomorrow.
Location & Date of the Event: Cape Town, South Africa, 19th
March, 2013
Number of Attendees at the Event: 45
Number of People Engaged in Organization: 3

2. Engage me and I will Understand,
Remember and Act!
Develop an event that would help youth to discover, activate and develop
their potentials
“Engage me and I will Understand, Remember and Act”: this youth
empowerment programme was held as a side event during the
Library Fair 2013 events, which attracted thousands of participants;
mostly youngsters, at the Cape Town Central Library, South Africa.
A week before the event I had a chat with a group of young people
who shared their dreams, passions and fears with me. I discovered
that these talented young minds are pregnant with ideas, but they
simply didn’t know how to start organizing and working on those
ideas. This helped me to tailor my talk and presentation towards
allaying the fears and roadblocks to action. Most of them enjoyed the
novelty of discovering that they are not the only ones who are crazy
about making the world a better place, and knowing that there are
resources and opportunities available, and learning how to access
those. Ultimately, they got the push to start rather than wait.

3. Engage me and I will Understand,
Remember and Act!
The Event in Details
The main agenda of “Engage me and I will Understand, Remember and Act” was to
expose young people to new ways of thinking and acting, using success stories of
other young people and introducing them to new opportunities. The event started
with some icebreaking activities. We learned about one another, laughed and
loosened up. Participants were mainly High School and College students.

4. Engage me and I will Understand,
Remember and Act!
The Event in Details – cont.
In South Africa, people talk more about rights and entitlements than about
roles and responsibilities. Hence, I seized this opportunity to change the
mindset of youngsters in this regard, by encouraging them to see problem as
an invitation to find or create a solution. I used my personal story to engage
and teach youngsters how to translate their ideas and thoughts into actions
that would positively impact their communities and the world at large. The
role of young people in driving positive change in society has become more
imperative than ever. Hence they need to be given the impetus to THINK
and ACT as problem solvers, so that they can optimally contribute towards
making the world a better place. I shared the success stories of ventures and
social impact projects resulting from C:F competitions and Quick
Challenges. The youngsters were patently interested in my presentation.
They were keen to learn how they can contribute to the amazing C:F
platform, and I was pleased to expose these young, intelligent teenagers to
C:F and the opportunities it provides for youth engagement, personal and
professional growth. I established contacts with all of them, and the most
passionate ones stayed back to tell me about their next steps, and I pledged
my full support and mentorship through C:F South Africa. It was truly
wonderful to see youngsters so hungry and fired up to do something to
make a difference in their communities.

5. Engage me and I will Understand,
Remember and Act!
The Event in Details – cont.

6. Engage me and I will Understand,
Remember and Act!
Identify what are the most needed youth skills and competencies in your
local area/country and report on the impact and benefit created!

7. Engage me and I will Understand,
Remember and Act!
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