[October has been quite a roller coaster month for me…  I'm going to dedicate the next few posts on the happenings of my birthday month and why it’s been one of my favourites…]

First on the list…

One Young World Summit 2013.

I attended the One Young World Summit from the 2^nd - 5^th of October.

For those of you who are awkwardly not in the know this is a summit that hosts young leaders from all around the world where they get together to debate and formulate solutions for the pressing issues the world faces.  I was chosen as part of a delegation of 20 exceptional young minds to represent the City of Johannesburg and Executive Mayor Cllr Mpho Parks Tau, after being shortlisted from over 300 candidates- impressive right? It was the first time the summit was hosted in Africa.

Delegates had the privilege to engage in talks with world leaders and pioneers such as Kofi Annan, Sir Richard Branson, Professor Muhammad Yunus, Sir Bob Geldof, Francois Pienaar and Jamie Oliver.

One of my favourite experiences during the summit was a breakout sessions on Leadership and Governance to Constitution Hill with DA Parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko where delegates shared their thoughts on Africa and its role in the global village and on the last day of the summit we had the amazing honour of meeting mama Winnie Mandela who was kind and warm and truly embodied the grace and strength of an African Leader… an African Woman!

What I valued most from the summit is the change in mindset and hunger to work harder that you cannot help but take with you after being exposed to so many amazing people, I wake up with the desire to be better than I ever was the day before and the thought of being anything less than extraordinary is simply unacceptable- for that I can only be eternally grateful.

M

y team and I are working on an exciting Community Engagement project with two street artists who sell their work outside Hector Pieterson Museum in Soweto.

This year we decided on developing the skills of local street artists by exposing them to a new art form they had no training in- Pottery! Our hope is that the artists can incorporate the new skill into their existing works and pass on their new found knowledge onto others and expand their repertoire. 

We are looking to address MDG's 7 and 8

 

Here are some pics of the artists' (Lesly and Lebo) work at the museum...

 

International Youth Camp... 

Amazing Memories... 

Amazing Lessons...

I attended International Youth camp / International Work camp around this time last year in Qunu Eastern Cape- birth place of Nelson Mandela- which was hosted by the Nelson Mandela Museum and German CVJM (YMCA). The camp gave me the amazing opportunity to interact with 70 diverse young adults from all over Europe and Africa with participating countries such as Belarus, Botswana, Germany, Israel, Kenya, Lesotho, Lithuania, Malawi, Namibia, Netherlands  Poland, Russia, South Africa, Slovakia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

We discussed world issues that affected us as young individuals our countries and our communities and we learnt that we had a lot in common with one another. We were separated into focus groups namely; Care Work and Fine Arts, Photography, Drama and Story-telling, Poetry and Music, Archives and finally Documentation which was the elective I fell under. 

My elective had the daunting task of recording all the events of the memorable two week long camp and this is where my passion for leadership and humanitarian efforts truly deepened. Speaking to people my age from all walks of life really opened up my eyes to just how much there is to still learn and how much I still had to give back in my life and for that I am eternally grateful.

 To see more of what we did on the camp and to read an article I put together during my time at the camp check out the International Workcamp blog at:     

http://qunu-workcamp.blogspot.com/

The article is titled 'Once Upon A Time...' 

Disappointment...

The South African Oxford School dictionary defines disappointment as:

D

isappoint: verb to fail to do what someone hoped for or desired or expected. Disappointment noun.

But what does it really mean to be disappointed in someone, but more over in yourself? Well... I’ve recently dealt with disappointment and found a really easy way to conquer this somewhat tricky hurdle of life, I told myself: ‘Palesa, disappointment is like a strong wind, and you in this case are a mountain...the mountain will never bow down to the wind!’ it sounds a little silly when I say it out aloud, but low and behold it really worked, nothing sucks more than a strong black woman buckling under pressure and there’s nothing cute about throwing yourself a pity party, so instead of staying in bed in a foetal position I figured I’d look at disappointment as a stepping stone for greater things in life, and at the risk of sounding extremely clichéd- everything happens for a reason... right?

I did however notice the stronghold disappointment has- not within me, but in my peers, how depressing it was to hear people say:  “ Don’t worry about it friend” or  “You’ll be okay...” disappointment never really bothered me until everyone around me brought it up, so was I disappointed or we’re they? “ To fail to do what someone had hoped or desired or expected.”

Who is this “someone” they’re speaking of? Because as I recall I was perfectly fine until everyone started making a huge deal of my and disappointments relationship, disappointment and I knew exactly where we stood in each other’s spheres until everyone came and blurred our love- hate relationship. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying friends shouldn’t show compassion when they feel you’ve been hurt by something- its human instinct to want to comfort a loved one when they’re...well...disappointed, but don’t we tend to jump the gun by assuming someone is more affected by something then they let on, flocks of friends coming to you to tell you how sorry they are can really put a damper on a girls mood.

 Luckily we all have that one friend with enough common sense to recognise that you might not need a pep talk on dealing with life’s hardships, all you might just want is time alone... just you and disappointment, re-evaluating your relationship, re- building boundaries and accepting that hey... shit happens, and once you know what’s what, you can build a bridge- on your own terms- and GET OVER IT!

 So to my friends out there, just in case you didn’t know, I’m taking this opportunity to let you know: Yeah, disappointment sucks, but it’s not the end of the world- As Marlene Dietrich said: Friends are Gods way of taking care of us, and as much as I love you... The sad looks just aren’t stundee, and if I didn’t bring it up clearly I don’t want to talk about it yet, or it really doesn’t bother me that much...so (and I say this with every fibre of love in my being)...back off and let a sistah breathe!!

Deuces!

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you fail, you will land amongst the stars” – Les Brown, Motivational speaker.

Hologram Accessories

Trend Alert!

Here are a few snaps of hologram accessories and clothes... 

Not entirely sure how I feel about this new craze. Enjoy...   

                                              

Living Mannequin…

My latest inspirational youngin’ goes by the handle @SA_FatShionista on twitter but is known by the name Marcia to those close to her. Her edgy fashion sense and amazing personality have made her a hit on the social network, her bio reads: Founder of #TeamBigGirls in SA and “Be your own standard of beautiful.”

She is a tattoo enthusiast and also runs an amazing blog that gives insight into her life and all things Marcia. She spends her spare time with friends or just having quiet moments with herself.

We love Marcia for her quirkiness, amazing dress sense and embracing beauty in all forms, read on for more reasons why she is one to watch…

Oh and sorry boys but she is spoken for!

Quick fire Q’s:

This winter I’m rocking... Sunglasses STILL! lol and blonde hair

Everything in moderation except... My nails.. Nail art is the way I’m going this winter for that bit of colour, or with me, Craziness

The fragrance I’m wearing... Elizabeth Arden: Red Door Revealed.

My Favourite magazine... Glamour…You get so much from such miniature mag. Love it!

The most valuable thing I learnt from my mom is… Respect and Appreciation. I’ve learnt to always appreciate what i receive because there’s a possibility of NOT having it at all.

My no.1 beauty tip is... It always goes back to the old saying "Beauty comes from within”... Embrace your inner beauty and it’ll reflect on the outside

Word Association:

Style: Comfort

Happiness: Family

Education: Importance

Music: Harmony

Respect: Earned

Wanna know more about Marcia? Follow her @SA_FatShionista or subscribe to her blog: http://safatshionista.blogspot.com/

Look out for my last post on inspirational young South Africans… it’s been an amazing journey so far!

Gentlemen’s  Club...

Socialite, student leadership,artist and fashionista, Neo Kagiso Modise is a force to be reckoned with, I sat down with Neo to discuss how he does it all, and draw some inspiration from this young mover and shaker.


 follow Neo: @ne_kamo

Background: Neo is currently studying a national diploma in Banking with B.com credits at the University of Johannesburg, planning the Mr and Miss SWC pageant for the campus, which he hopes will turn into an annual event under his guidance. If he is not out and about partying up a storm, focusing on his academics or moulding his political career he spends time watching TV,going out for movies, shopping,reading blogs and novels, chilling with friends and texting!! his relationship status? "Its complicated!"

Quick fire Q’s:
This winter Im rocking... Chinos, chined up shirts, im rocking the monochromatic trend, bomber jackets and fedoras.

Everything in moderation except... Good winter sex... and quality clothing, you sure dont want to spend the entire winter with a cold.

The fragrance Im wearing... Platinum English Blazer and New West


My favourite magazines...
Vogue, Cosmopolitan, True Love & You.

The most valuable thing I learnt from my mom is...
PERSEVERENCE! her life defines the term.


My NO.1 beauty tip is... Confidence... nothing is more beatiful than someone that knows and trusts that they are beautiful.

Word Association:

STYLE: Born with it!!

HAPPINESS: Within

EDUCATION: Vital

MUSIC: Heals

RESPECT: Leads