As from 11 April at 7pm, SABC1 will broadcast Make Your Move, a 13-part youth targeted reality series that gives young people simple yet effective tools to change their circumstances by themselves.
Make Your Move is line with loveLife’s focus on building a generation of resilient young people able to creatively navigate the challenges that put them at risk of HIV. Each episode is a chance for youngsters to tap into their inner strength and build on their potential to become the drivers of their own destiny – no matter how hard their situations may be.
Despite some declines in HIV infections among young South Africans, current statistics still show a sharp spike in new infections between the ages of 18 and 22. In analysing the situation, it is clear that social economic and other factors play a significant role in this transitional period in a young person’s life. The loveLife strategy is to empower young people with a strong sense of self-worth, identity and resilience to enable them to navigate challenges encountered during this period of their life.
Dumisani Phakathi, the show’s concept originator and series director explains: “With the show, we are saying, ‘It’s cool to talk about things that are personal and painful’ because when you do that, you begin a journey to a more positive place.”
Young people who feel that they have a future, who feel that can really be someone and that have control of their own lives are less likely to put themselves at risk for HIV. When they have a sense of personal opportunity and possibility – that they can make choices for themselves and be part of mainstream society – they are more likely to protect themselves and avoid risky behaviour. The Make Your Move television series is all about enabling young people to have the confidence and belief in themselves to envision such a future and take the first step towards owning that future.
The episodes deal with a range of topical and sometimes difficult issues that are the reality for millions of young South Africans today. The show’s presenter Naledi Moleo engages with 13 young people from across South Africa, each of them confronting a personal challenge of their own.
The issues covered in the series include dealing with discrimination, sexuality and identity, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, and self-esteem amongst others.
The goal of the show is to demonstrate that solutions to these challenges can be found from within – so long as steps are taken to make a change rather than waiting for change to happen for you. As loveLife’s Media Director Dianne Regisford-Gueye explains, “Every episode presents a tool, or mechanism, for personal growth and development that is used to address each specific situation. These tools were developed for each situation by loveLife and other experts.”
Simple tools such as finding a mentor within the community or a mind mapping exercise that helps focus goals and map out action plans are used to demonstrate that resources are available to young people no matter who desperate the situation. Make Your Move shows how real world challenges can be addressed by using simple personal development tools as well as by tapping into the resources available in every community.
As a lasting legacy of the show, these resources will be developed into learning resources that will be available on the loveLife website (www.lovelife.org.za) for download by teachers, loveLife groundBREAKERs (peer educators), and most importantly, young people themselves.
The issues raised in each episode will spark lively debate among South Africans of all ages. Young people especially will be encouraged to engage in dialogue around these shows through loveLife’s multiple communication platforms including the organisation’s social mobile network (MYMsta.mobi), youth site (www.lovelife.org.za/youth)and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/loveLifeNGO).
The loveLife Call Centre which can be reached on 0800 121 900 will also be on hand to deal with young people’s concerns or questions raised by the individual episodes. Anyone who would like to speak to a counselor can simply send a “please call me” sms to 083 323 1023 and the call centre will call them back.
