The Big Issue #276

• 20 June to 19 July 2019

June is Youth Month and to mark this important period on our national calendar, we’re celebrating inspirational young people and organisations that are raising the next generation of entrepreneurs, maths boffins and artists. We also turn the spotlight on bullying, one of the talking points affecting all sectors of society, especially our youth.

We are inspired by the story of Thalitha Sabile, a 17-year-old girl from Philippi, who is a bullying survivor. Despite numerous attempts by a few children to break her esteem and spirit, she has risen above the torment and has forgiven her bullies (see page 16). Now that takes courage!

In Nyanga, not far from Philippi where Thalitha was raised, New Heritage Foundation is giving a group of girls a sense of hope and purpose. The registered non-profit organisation is shaping the next generation of girl-trepreneurs, teaching them that their dreams and voices matter (see page 24).

One of the things we admire about this generation is their eagerness to break boundaries and limitations that have been set, often by older people who are afraid of failing. Last month, a group of primary school learners and university students set a world record when they built one of the world’s largest Level-3 Menger Sponges (see page 26). And they had fun doing so. If they are setting records at this young age, we can only imagine what an unstoppable force they’ll be when they are older.