Port Elizabeth was the destination for our third visit to South Africa to train a group of Youth Ambassadors for Road Safety. The training was a collaboration between the Global Road Safety Partnership South Africa (GRSPZA), the South African Red Cross (SARCS) and sponsored by the Michelin Corporate Foundation.

In 2016 and 2017, we worked with a group of young leaders from across the Limpopo Province. This group undertook road safety actions across the province, in townships, schools and communities. This time round, GRSP worked with SARCS to select a group of young people from the Nelson Mandela University.

The training kicked off on 15th July 2019 at the Willows Red Cross Youth Center in Port Elizabeth.

Facilitators Alex Ayub from Kenya and Manpreet Darroch from the UK began the training in the signature YOURS style; upbeat and high-energy. 

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WORKSHOPS

SOUTH AFRICA TRAINING

From June 25 to the 27th, the First Meeting of the Eastern Mediterranean Region for Road Safety Legislators took place in Muscat, Oman. The forum reunited around 40 regional legislators and health leaders from more than 20 countries to discuss leadership, legislation and data.

For this reason, YOURS was invited to share our vision and experience in meaningful youth participation in the decision-making process of policymaking in road safety.

Raquel Barrios, Project Manager of the 2nd World Youth Assembly for Road Safety, shared not only different methodologies on how to involve youth in the decision-making process but also tangible and concrete experiences where those methodologies were applied and are now having outstanding results in terms of youth empowerment and a decrease road crashes with youth.

In addition, Raquel was able to extend a formal invitation to the 2nd World Youth Assembly for Road Safety, that will take place in Stockholm, Sweden on February 18, 2020. The Assembly will bring together around 200 young leaders from around the World and empower them with new skills and knowledge in road safety. It will provide an opportunity for youth to begin mapping the ways in which they can take action in their countries through advocacy and campaigning in road safety. We invited legislators and delegates from the Eastern Mediterranean region to invite youth delegations to attend the Assembly, represent their countries and actively participate in the Assembly.

A former young leader from Oman also shared his previous experience with the regional chapter of young leaders in road safety that was actively participating in developing various advocacy campaigns and activities to raise awareness in road safety.

Port Elizabeth was the destination for our third visit to South Africa to train a group of Youth Ambassadors for Road Safety. The training was a collaboration between the Global Road Safety Partnership South Africa (GRSPZA), the South African Red Cross (SARCS) and sponsored by the Michelin Corporate Foundation.

In 2016 and 2017, we worked with a group of young leaders from across the Limpopo Province. This group undertook road safety actions across the province, in townships, schools and communities. This time round, GRSP worked with SARCS to select a group of young people from the Nelson Mandela University.

The training kicked off on 15th July 2019 at the Willows Red Cross Youth Center in Port Elizabeth.

Facilitators Alex Ayub from Kenya and Manpreet Darroch from the UK began the training in the signature YOURS style; upbeat and high-energy.

Over the 4 days the youth were introduced to the following topics:

Road Safety:

1. Scope of the Road Safety Problem: In the world and South Africa
2. Youth and Road Traffic Injuries
3. Distracted Driving
4. Drink and Drug Driving
5. Non-Use of Seatbelts

Skills-Based Training:

1. Facilitation Skills
2. Presentation Skills
3. Peer Education
4. Communication Skills
5. Spreading a Road Safety Message
6. Action Planning

By the end of the training, Ambassadors were able to:

1. Explain the road safety crisis facing young people globally and in their country and describe what factors put youth at risk.
2. Identify the key risk factors in road safety; distracted driving, drink and drug driving and seatbelts.
3. Demonstrate methods of influencing young people to develop a road safety culture in their communities; through peer education and campaigning.
4. Develop the essential skills to be a strong road safety ambassador; presentation skills, communication skills, creative messaging and action planning.

Action to Follow
The 15 young leaders successfully undertook the YOURS training and were highly engaged on the topics. This group represents ‘young humanitarians’ who are actively engaged in the work of the red cross in the region. As young people involved in campus activities and young leaders in their communities, the have pledged to take action across the campus over the next 14 months.

These activities include monthly events at the Nelson Mandela University focused on key road safety themes such as seatbelts, drink driving, distracted driving, speeding, fatigue and other road safety campaigns. The youth expect to reach thousands of young people through their work in the region.

New Zealand spot from Clemenger BBDO paints keeping your eyes on the road as a blissful escape from your phone. In a world where young people are constantly bombarded, digitally, when driving young people who can legally drive should use it as an opportunity to ‘switch off’ from the digital and focus exclusively on the road.