Youngsters are sought to become leaders of the future through the Sophiatown Ambassadors Programme. Training will be done by the Asha Foundation in Britain.

Dr Alfred Bitini Xuma, owner of the house at 73 Toby Street, one of the few structures that remain of the old Sophiatown

ARE you between 18 and 22, have a matric but are not working, and live in the Sophiatown neighbourhood? Then you could become a Sophiatown Ambassador and be a significant leader in your community.

The Trevor Huddleston Memorial Centre in Sophiatown is looking for 20 ambassadors to join the Sophiatown Ambassadors Programme, in a partnership with the City to establish the Sophiatown Heritage Museum later this year. The museum will be created in the home of Dr Alfred Bitini Xuma, at 73 Toby Street, which was bought by the City earlier this year.

Sophiatown was a unique place, with a "shared spirit" and from which "a community of legends" rose, according to a statement from the centre. "Trevor Huddleston, Miriam Makeba, Gerard Sekoto, Don Mattera, Can Themba, Hugh Masekela, Dolly Radebe, to name a few, lives shaped in this small melting pot, who reached out to the world, and became symbols of the struggle for freedom in South Africa - and wherever Sof'townians went, a legendary spirit survived."

Says Kenda Knowles, the operations director of the centre: "The rich legacy of that time is available for us to draw on today, when we consider what kind of society we want to build together."

Ubuntu activists
She explains that the ambassadors will be "activists for the ubuntu way of life - showing that we are only the best we can be, when we can all live peacefully and respectfully together, no matter where we come from, or our particular set of beliefs".

Dr Xuma's house, to be turned into the Sophiatown Heritage Museum

Every year 20 ambassadors with some link to Sophiatown will be chosen to undergo training to become future leaders and role models, or legends in the making. This means that they will be required to make a difference in their communities, particularly in their peer group.

Training will involve being sent to the United Kingdom with the Asha Foundation, which has trained youngsters throughout the world, the most recent being groups of Israeli and Palestinian youth leaders. The foundation's mission is to promote peaceful co-operation between people of different religions and cultures, through fostering community participation by means of a holistic programme of performing and visual arts, conservation projects and personal transformation.

The ambassadors will go on a three-week intercultural experience in Britain, and once back, they will participate in mentorship programmes, undergo further training and development work, and lead various projects at the centre. They will be encouraged and assisted to develop their special talents and achieve their personal goals, while remaining ambassadors actively involved with their communities.

"They will be coached and supported on an ongoing basis to maintain the values and commitment to the ethos of the programme, and continue to be role models and great citizens of South Africa."

The foundation, which harnesses support for charitable organisations worldwide, will make the final selection of ambassadors.

Patrons
Patrons of the Sophiatown Ambassadors Programme are Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and the struggle and women's champion, Sally Motlana; both of whom have roots in Sophiatown and are role models "of all that the programme stands for".

The plaque commemorating Dr Xuma's legacy

"Both have made a significant difference in their spheres of influence to the lives of those around them, and are exemplary in their values of respect, dignity, peace, tolerance and good citizenship."

People connected to surrounding suburbs like Westbury, Martindale, Newclare, Coronationville, Newlands and further afield in Lenasia and Meadowlands, are invited to apply.

Applicants must send in a one-page CV, with their name and surname, telephone number, address, age, home language, a reference from a past school teacher or headmaster, a reference from a church or community organisation to which they belong and a short paragraph on why they believe they should be a Sophiatown Ambassador.

This must be marked for the attention of Kenda Knowles and can be faxed to 011 477 3490, or emailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or delivered to the Trevor Huddleston Centre, on the corner of Good and Herman streets, Sophiatown. Applications must be submitted by noon on Friday, 18 July. For more information contact the Trevor Huddleston Centre on 011 673 1271.

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