Shaping Belonging: Youth leadership in communities  

By Stanford Ndlovu, 2024 Social Connectedness Fellow

Stanford is a 2024 Social Connectedness Fellow, working with Synergos South Africa. With degrees in Education and Teacher Development from the University of Pretoria, he advocates for quality education and civic leadership. Stanford is a Teacher Coach at Jakes Gerwel Fellowship, a member of the TeachersCAN Network, and an alumnus of YALI’s Education Change Makers programme. In this blog post, Stanford highlights how Makhanda’s youth are reclaiming their history and transforming their town through leadership, collaboration, and social connectedness. 

Kim Samuel’s exploration of the 4Ps of belonging—People, Purpose, Place, and Power, (with empowerment at its core)—offers a profound framework for understanding how individuals can foster a deep sense of connection and belonging within their communities. By emphasizing the importance of relationships (People), meaningful engagement (Purpose), a strong connection to one’s environment (Place), and the ability to influence and shape one’s surroundings (Power), Samuel invites individuals to actively participate in their communities, to build their sense of belonging. The notion of power is framed in empowerment and agency to create solutions. This approach encourages people not only to feel at home within themselves, but also to transfer this sense of belonging outward, transforming their communities into spaces of inclusivity, resilience, and collective empowerment., but also to transfer this sense of belonging outward, transforming their communities into spaces of inclusivity, resilience, and collective empowerment. 

Synergos South Africa, in partnership with Kagiso Trust is supporting the small-town regeneration strategy of the Department of Corporative Governance and South African Local Government Association. Through its innovative application of bridging leadership, asset-based community development, and a strong commitment to fostering social connectedness, it empowers youth leaders on transformative journeys. By leveraging bridging leadership, Synergos South Africa unites diverse stakeholders—local organizations and community leaders—fostering collaboration where resources and ideas flow freely, solutions are co-created, and actions are jointly owned by both community leaders and local government. 

The initiatives used these approaches within the work with Makhanda Youth Leadership towards building a sense of connectedness, purpose and belonging to transform the narrative of youth leadership into agency, action, and reconnecting to their ancestral routes.  

This approach of social connectedness aims to strengthen self-awareness and inner resilience, linked to relationships and the ties within communities, empowering residents to take active roles in the revitalization of their towns.  

The gift of speaking truth to power and reclaiming our history: The Power of Collaboration and Youth-Led Leadership in Makhanda  

What makes a town? Is it merely a collection of buildings, or is it the stories of its people—their courage, prosperity, hopes, and dreams? Makhanda is a town steeped in history—a history shaped by those who tell it, often leaving it twisted and incomplete.  

For years, the narrative surrounding Makhanda and other South African towns has been dominated by images of potholes, poverty, and chaos—a bleak picture painted by those on the outside looking in, often from a place of privilege and misunderstanding. 

However, the young leaders in Makhanda are redefining this narrative. These youth leaders are leveraging their collective power to create something larger than themselves, using the resources available to them. With guidance from partner organizations, these youth have developed a deeper connection to their town, not only to its land, stories, and cultural heritage, but also to their purpose within it. They feel empowered to remain in Makhanda because they see pathways to fulfilling their purpose and fostering a sense of belonging. 

In Makhanda, young people are not merely surviving; they are thriving by investing in their community and embracing a changemaker mindset. Through initiatives like the recent launch of Imbumba Yeemboni, they take pride in their heritage and are committed to preserving it. Imbumba Yeemboni celebrates Makhanda’s rich history by organizing tours that take visitors through often-overlooked parts of the township, such as taxi ranks, guided by local residents who share authentic Xhosa stories. This group exemplifies what can be achieved when young people collaborate around a common purpose and celebrates Makhanda’s rich history by organizing tours that take visitors through often-overlooked parts of the township, such as taxi ranks, guided by local residents who share authentic Xhosa stories. This group exemplifies what can be achieved when young people collaborate around a common purpose. 

The shift in narrative the youth leaders hope for is to decolonise their ancestral story.  Grahamstown, now known as Makhanda, has a complex and significant history rooted in the early 19th century. The town was originally established by British settlers in 1812 as part of the colonial expansion in the Eastern Cape. Warrior Makhanda, after whom the town is now named, was a Xhosa prophet and military leader who played a pivotal role in resisting this colonial encroachment. In 1819, he led a courageous but ultimately unsuccessful assault on the British garrison in Grahamstown, symbolizing the broader resistance of the Xhosa people against settler colonialism. Makhanda’s heroism and his leadership in the fight against the settlers have made him a celebrated figure in South African history, embodying the spirit of resistance and the fight for indigenous sovereignty. heroism and his leadership in the fight against the settlers have made him a celebrated figure in South African history, embodying the spirit of resistance and the fight for indigenous sovereignty. 

The youth leaders of Makhanda are actively reclaiming and revitalizing the town’s erased history by decolonizing the narrative of their ancestors, particularly the heroism of Warrior Makhanda. Through their Edu-tourism initiative, they aim to shift the focus from the colonial settler story to the rich legacy of Indigenous resistance and resilience. By sharing the story of Makhanda with locals, including school children, and tourists, especially those who have only been exposed to the more affluent and colonial aspects of the town, these young leaders are fostering a sense of pride in their heritage and the role their ancestors played in South Africa’s fight for freedom. This reclamation of history not only strengthens their connection to their roots, but also activates a sense of belonging and connectedness that is vital for building resilience within their community. 

Small towns like Makhanda need regeneration, and this should be pursued as a means of transformation—economic, social, and spiritual. Synergos South Africa, through its Bridging Leadership processes, centering social connectedness, shapes the sense of belonging, and is demonstrating that community-led initiatives can shift the narrative from one of disempowerment to one of empowerment, keeping in mind that empowerment already exists within youth leaders. Inclusion is key to amplify and elevate youth wisdom and knowledge, for youth leaders to showcase their leadership, create space for presence and authenticity, voice and insight from youth leaders that better informs policy and action.  The youth of Makhanda, with their amazing gifts and talents, are transforming their town into a hotspot for indigenous knowledge, history, heritage, and education, and allowing it to thrive.   

Through these partnerships, Synergos South Africa is helping to transform small towns by fostering unity, resilience, and a renewed sense of purpose among their inhabitants.  This centres social connectedness and building a sense of belonging for, within, and amongst diverse communities. This journey elevates ancestral joy as resilience, celebrating and being proud of their history and elevating their ancestral heroes and shaping their present and future and youth leaders and changemakers. 

References 

About Social Connectedness – Samuel Centre For Social Connectedness. (n.d.). Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness. https://www.socialconnectedness.org/about-us/about-social-connectedness/ 

Cooperative Governance Traditional Affairs. (n.d.). https://www.cogta.gov.za/ 

Grahamstown | South African History Online. (n.d.). https://www.sahistory.org.za/place/grahamstown 

Home – Kagiso Trust. (2024, August 16). Kagiso Trust. https://www.kagiso.co.za/ 

Makhanda Nxele | South African History Online. (n.d.). https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/makhanda-nxele 

Ngowapi, A. (2024, June 27). Launch of Imbumba Yeemboni in Makhanda celebrates rich history. https://grocotts.ru.ac.za/2024/06/27/launch-of-imbumba-yeemboni-in-makhanda-celebrates-rich-history/ 

South Africa | Synergos. (n.d.). https://www.synergos.org/country-regional-programs/south-africa