As you walk down the street in the city centre, you are bound to bump into a homeless person. What would you do? Do you talk to them? Do you wonder how they got there? Or do you pretend like they’re not there?

Usually they ask for money and well some people pop it out and give it to them. Others walk away swiftly because they think that these homeless people should get jobs and fend for themselves. Ever heard of the saying, “Walk a mile in someone’s shoes before you can judge them”? Quite frankly, most people are too concerned with their lives to worry about people who have no shelter or food.

But what would happen if every young person became selfless and decided to put their needs aside? And actually sacrificed their time to giving back to charity and possibly help the very same people who have failed to help themselves. In today’s society the youth is described as a generation that is concerned about getting ahead and having fun, whether it’s through splurging their money on things they don’t need or focusing on things that don’t matter, like ‘is that guy into me‘?

This is not true; there are still young people out there who believe in giving back. Young people who make it their mission to step out of their comfort zone and help others.  STRAATMATES KITCHEN is an organization that is based in Braamfontein.  StraatmateS Kitchen consists of a group of young students who supply soup to homeless people around Braamfontein everyday. “It’s not about us”, said one of the members of the organization. If you are interested in volunteering you can send your details to straatmates24042013@gmail.com

They are not the only young people who have given of their time DUKES&DUCHESS is an organization that is run by Thandewee Radebe. This organization provides matric students with finance in order for them to attend their matric farewell. They are constantly searching for people who can donate dresses as well as shoes to matric students who come from under privileged backgrounds. The main aim is to help young girls feel like queens for a night.

What are you doing as a young person? You don’t have to do something big in order to give back. You can give out your time by visiting an orphanage. Or by buying a homeless person some bread. At the end of the day, we all need each other. If every young person could start appreciating all the things they have and actually give back to their communities in some way, this world would definitely be a better place.

To find out about more charity organizations you can go onto www.charitysa.co.za

Pictures By: Nzolo Bidla