Wilson grew up without parents in Manenberg, on the Cape Flats, and she said that YearBeyond gave her the opportunity to help other people, develop emotional awareness and make connections.
“I remember going to the camp and asking to borrow a blanket,” said Wilson, talking about requesting help as a form of resilience. She subsequently won a bursary to study psychology at the Cornerstone Institute in Salt River.
“I went to university with a bottle of water and a sweet every single day. For the first six months, I walked home from Salt River (about 14km) every single day. I didn’t have a laptop and I did my assignment on my phone,” said Wilson, describing how she overcame obstacles. “I used to be a stutterer,” she said, addressing the packed hall confidently.
Motha, a dancer who got the Golden Buzzer in Britain’s Got Talent, is a soccer player who would not let his leg amputation from cancer at 11 years of age stop him from playing or performing. The audience was riveted by his dancing and his story.
‘Shape your future’ was the theme of the GoBeyond conference this year, hosted by the Western Cape department of cultural affairs and sport.
The department, National Youth Development Agency, NGOs and donors launched the programme in the province, which now has a national footprint.
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