We might as well start at entry level as this is all that is required to shoot your way up to the top, following any form of performance. We will overlook qualifications and workplace readiness and previous experience is not a must. Applicants need just apply through a few hours of eye contact and body language. We do not discriminate, neither are we big on stats to boost our BBBEE points. We require self-centred individual who only thinks of themselves. The applicant need not have a clear vision and goals in place. A very low emotional IQ, team player to partner with a like-minded individual.
Principles, a moral compass or any plans for the future will not be held against you. The ideal candidate simply needs to have started their journey through puberty and have a deep sense of entitlement to any actions and be willing to be another stat on a dangerous high graph. Most importantly though, the applicant may deal with their performances or consequences of their actions by laying the blame on society, government, parents and community. Please be aware that none of these role-players though are guaranteed support. This position is a lifelong commitment, however, you may at your discretion deal with the problems that will arise through the abandonment of the position, reject the results, abdicate the responsibility to someone else or even create an existing strategy that does not even get to bump level, just a selfish moral code on life. The salary has basic depending on your current financial status. This is a high-risk position, with serious health implications and the responsibility of shaping tomorrow’s generation should you wish to stay in the position. The hours are long and most will result in you working in isolation with a teammate positions more fluid and interchangeable. There is no medical aid with this position and no pension plan however you may pick up various diseases and mental stress that would further put a strain on this position. Mostly this position will start out with great excitement, adrenalin and various levels of physical reward, however, it most likely will be that this accomplishment is without recognition. Team players are in training themselves and can at any point leave you with the full responsibility of performance management, reporting, monitoring and evaluation and ownership of the position. From this point, it is trial and error and due to this, team players can jump to various other positions without being held to any code of conduct. The position comes with access to all social media platforms and no restrictions to content.
Applicants are between the age of 10 and 19, open to all and have no jacket required or required personal protective clothing and legally the guidelines on child labour at this stage are fluid.
Perks of the job, late nights, independence, title, position and performance are life-changing, transformational to transitional and at some point transactional. Once you are in this position it is for a lifetime even though you may choose to walk away at any time. Kindly apply within.
Kindly apply within. If there is ever a position in this life that requires minimum effort and the least readiness is parenthood. The number of years we put into studying and preparing for our future careers pales in comparison to the most important role we will ever have to undertake. Yet still, the enormous and deep sense of responsibility and importance of this role is still so underplayed and understood. In my opinion, as long as we are still placing academics and excellence in sports and honour roles, popularity and status before the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional wellness of programmes in advocating and awareness around unplanned parenthood, our societies will continue to downward spiral. The cycle has to change, the message has to change, and the responsibility and consequences of teen parenthood have to be communicated more aggressively and less about the actual act of sexual behaviour in teens.
A life-changing, mind-altering, society-impacting condition has far-reaching consequences than those of a career that has been prepared for. No other position in the world with this magnitude of shaping a nation requires no education, experience or training. Yet every fibre of our societies, families, and communities hinges on the formation, moral code and required behaviour to shape a generation and build a nation.
And here is where we are at…Data obtained from the Department of Health shows that KwaZulu-Natal again recorded the highest number of teenage pregnancies at 24 230.
A close behind KwaZulu-Natal is Gauteng with 13 814 teenage pregnancies, Eastern Cape with 12 582, Limpopo with 11 287 and Mpumalanga with 8 840. The Western Cape recorded 6 543 teenage pregnancies, North West 5 635, Free State 4 444 and Northern Cape 2 662. (According to Cape Times (ILO Website)
Early pregnancy and motherhood in South Africa force many girls to drop out of school, traps many in a cycle of poverty dependent on public assistance, and leave many stigmatized by society for being teenage mothers or forced into early marriage. New figures from the Gauteng Department of Health show that more than 23,000 girls aged under 18 gave birth between April 2020 and March 2021 – of which 934 were aged under 14 – compared to 14,577 girls aged 19 and under having babies in the same period a year earlier.
From 10 to 16 February, the Department of Health puts the spotlight on pregnancy and aims to provide pregnant women, their partners and the community with information to ensure a safe pregnancy journey for both mother and baby. While this week’s awareness covers the holistic element of pregnancy educating young and old on the effect and effects of pregnancy is still very alarmingly missing the mark.
Nothing has been made more alluring and sexier over the recent years than sporting a baby bump. With social media frenzy and the desire to constantly outdo the next person, baby bump updates are a rave. Professional photographer on call and planning the next shoot is what parents-to-be cannot wait to share. The sexier the bump, the romantic pull of lighting and artistry and before long it’s all about me, me, me and the actual miracle of life being formed and responsibility is lost in the self-adulation of likes and followers. This is followed by gender reveal parties and beautifully tasteful mom-to-be showers with the coordinated dress and a day of absolute pampering with all the focus on the best shot, best decor, beautifully wrapped gifts and sparkling drinks adds to the romantic allure of parenthood. This may be the best of memories making for a committed couple, in a relationship, doing life together and who have planned for this phase of their lives. Unfortunately, the real reality is far from that and is not obtained when you are a teen parent in waiting.
According to Marumo Sekgobela, Save the Children South Africa’s Health and Nutrition Thematic Manager, said: “Watching a child turn into a mother is heart-breaking. Children need to be children, not birthing them. It’s particularly devastating to learn that many of the girls who gave birth last year were barely teenagers.
“The global pandemic risks being a time of irreversible setbacks and lost progress for girls. Unless we act fast and decisively, the impact on girls’ futures – and on all our futures – will be devastating
And just like that, we add to the silent pandemic of the Teen Pregnancy rate, which is alarming and quite deafening. This crisis will continue if we do not start working on changing the imagery and mindset of what this responsibility actually looks like.
There is nothing more beautiful and rewarding in this world than to be an expectant mother and then fulfilling the role of parenthood. I do believe that this gift of life is a true miracle and being responsible for another life beyond your own is life’s highest calling and most ill-prepared for life’s journeys and work. Yes, being a parent is hard and audacious work, yet all it takes to qualify for this position is a hot steamy night of sexual intercourse, which in a moment is over, but has life-changing and lasting psychological, mental, emotional and physical and social effects. There is no checklist, questionnaire, assessment or even a cover page to go with this responsibility, In most cases an unplanned pregnancy it is considered an “accident”.
In our present day, today, there is no more tremendous cry that needs to be addressed than that of Teen Pregnancy. While the Ministry of Education has lifted the stigma attached to a girl pregnant at school and has made provision for her schooling career to continue through her pregnancy, we were naive to think that this is a solution. What the stats are showing is more shocking (is that) the ages are getting younger. As a collective of adults of this generation, we need to look at what is the behaviour that is putting children at high risk and becoming parents at such a young age. In most cases, it is the girls who are stigmatized, marginalized and ostracized. All through history, this narrative has not changed. We are quick to blame the girl child, the children. We forget that these acts do not happen alone and far too often and too real is the lack of responsibility placed on that of the male, be he a boy-child or a man. This situation should be criminal and treated as enforced law on murder and assault of another human being. For, in my opinion, this life that is coming into a world not ready for them, to nurture, groom, protect, provide, support and encourage is just as detrimental as that of taking a life.
“We need to look at the behaviour and conduct of men and how families and society keep silent about that behaviour. “Teenage pregnancy is not a good thing for mother or child, and in that age group (10 to 14) you want zero pregnancies. It is statutory rape, and girls of that age just can’t cope with the consequences,” said the study’s lead author Peter Barron from the Wits School of Public Health. “The fact that it is happening without an outcry, and without anyone being prosecuted, is an indictment of South African society.” It also creates a greater risk in terms of maternal complications resulting in low survival rates of babies and forces many girls to prematurely take on an adult role which they are not emotionally or physically prepared for. This has devastating social and economic costs.
It’s hard to raise a child when you are still a child.
We can only do so if we start working together as adults and what we are doing to change the lives of our teens and the message received, South Africa has its own unique social, community and family dynamic, where many families live in devastating conditions in small space that has many sleeping on one room. Impressionable adolescents are exposed and sensitized to sexual behaviour long before they even understand the consequences. Then there is the silent abuse and sexual violence that is perpetrated by men in family circles leaving young girls vulnerable, alone and without the power and support to stand up and reject the advances.
For me what I find coming through is the lack of love and inclusion in family life forcing teens to look elsewhere for this primary need. The ramifications on a young girl’s psyche and body may not manifest immediately but manifest they will and this becomes a breeding ground for promiscuous behaviour, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, depression, suicide and no desire to set goals and vision for the future.
The opening line to one of the tracks by Mike and the Mechanics “In the living years” says that “Every generation – Blames the one before”. In my teen years on the journey into womanhood, I would say that I am not going to shy away from the topic of sex in my home or hush up a question under the label of insolence and disrespect. Yet today as a parent, I wish the respect for our bodies, what we watch, who we listen to, and what passes our screens on the daily had the mindset of censorship our parents imposed on us, We blamed our parents for our lack of openness and approachability on the subject on sex education, yet in this day and age, we are literally bombarded at every turn on sexuality, sensual advertising and encouraging my body my rules, yet teens today have never been more foolish in actions and so casual about sexual behaviour,
What is it in our behaviour that triggers the nonchalant way in which we navigate our sexual maturity? We cannot say that adults don’t want to talk about it, that the subject of sex is taboo or that you never really understood the importance of the fact that your actions do in fact have consequences. What is it that makes a young girl trust a young man with her body, her health, her mental and spiritual well-being, her future and her life? What is it that makes a young man feel that he is in control and deserves to feel good no matter the cost?
When our parents asked, “If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you?” they were onto something there.
Young mothers should talk to a school counsellor or social worker regarding services that can assist them in finishing school and living healthier life.
According to National Debt Advisors, parents are most likely to spend R7,785 a month on their baby’s essentials. They advise that when you plan your budget for your baby’s arrival, you’ll need a lump sum for the initial setup, which is roughly R14,000. South African parents, on average, fork out R90,000 a year when it comes to raising their children. Juggling the costs of food, clothes, toiletries, medical aid, and education are the costs any parent has to take into consideration (My Waylife) The SASSA child grant 2022 is R480 per child. Caregivers of orphaned children are eligible to apply for the CSG Top-up which means they will receive R480 plus an additional R240 bringing the total amount received to R720 per child each month.
This cannot be the answer. What if we collectively encouraged a mindset shift in our language and social interaction with teens and youth? What if we encouraged compassionate mindsets in schools? A communication of behaviour change to think of the next person and build on how much our actions affect those around us. What if, our education system puts as much effort into building whole human beings and future adults as we do in academic achievements? The cycle has to change somewhere – “Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.” ― George Orwell There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastics 3;9) We need to say it, and say it loud, Say it clear, Don’t give up, don’t give in and don’t look away ’til it’s too late – This vacancy should never be opened and certainly not at the age of exploration, We need to change the message, loud, clearly and continuously.
