ON Saturday June 15 one hundred people will be honoured for their outstanding contributions to youth development and volunteerism in the Boland, during a ceremony in the Worcester town hall.

It will be part of a programme with the Minister of Social Services as guest of honour and will be followed by a showcase of talent from the Boland region. The people honoured must exemplify the spirit of "Grow Voluntarily: From Volunteerism to Sustainable Employment", showing how volunteerism provides valuable experience, knowledge, and skills to people from all walks of life. 

Nominations are invited from all sectors of the Boland community for people who deserve recognition for their outstanding contributions to working with the youth or developing volunteerism over the past few years. 

These include development activities such as sport, health, environment and religion in which the nominee participated as volunteer, or over and above the call of duty.

Nominations must include the full name, ID number and contact details of the nominee and a paragraph or a maximum of 300 words explaining the reasons for this person's nomination, including how this person has served the interests of volunteerism in the Boland and their specific achievements, as well as the full name and contact details of the nominator.

A committee of local and international volunteers will evaluate the nominations, presenting the winners with a certificate at the ceremonies.

A conference on volunteerism will be held at Nekkies on 14 June.

On Sunday 16 June a spiritual celebration of youth and growth through volunteerism will also be held in the town hall from 10:00 to 18:00 with gospel music and youth drama performances. All entries must be faxed to the Department of Social Services by Friday 31 May, addressed for the attention of James Albanie, fax (023) 347-5181.

IN a bid to alleviate the plight of the aged this winter, most Shoprite and Checkers stores will give a free 175ml cup of hot and nutritious soup to senior citizens every Wednesday.

To qualify, senior citizens simply have to make their way to their nearest Shoprite or Checkers store and produce their Pensioner ID.

Group marketing manager Brian Weyers said they aim to improve the nutritional health and general well being of senior citizens during the winter months.

"With the cost of living on the increase, most of our country's pensioners live in poverty and after basic living expenses have been covered, there is little or no money left for the small pleasures that make life more bearable," he said.

The cup of soup given to the senior citizens every Wednesday will be home made, thick with vegetables and full of the vitamins and nutrients necessary to stay healthy this winter.

AN outreach campaign is planned in Paarl for Sunday 16 June, to celebrate Youth Day.

The campaign will be a joint venture of the Covenant Christian Fellowship, a fellowship of eight churches based in the Boland and the Cape Peninsula.

The outreach will start at 12:00 with a march from the Paarl East rent office to Chicago, one of Paarl's gangster-stricken areas, where the rest of the programme will commence at 13:00.

The Fellowship shares the burden of reaching out to the lost and the needy through various jointly organised campaigns and projects.

For more details, phone pastor Reggie Hendricks on 073-211-3386 or pastor Willem Boois on 862-0175 or 082-712-8341.

AN empowerment workshop was recently held in Mbekweni.

Nico Jantjies trained adults on how local government operates and how to deal with complaints about crime, child rape and women abuse in Mbekweni.

The question of why problems like crime are experienced, is frequently asked, and whether it is a consequence of lack of education, jobs or poverty.

Jantjies said that the only effective tool that can be used at this time is to insist on gender equality.

"We should ask ourselves, do we understand about gender. Gender equality is about different sexes having the equal rights to be what they want to be and about protecting women from being abused by men," he said.

He encouraged women not to keep quiet when they experience problems, but to speak out and stand up for their rights.

MAG jou kind jou onthou deur die boeke wat julle saam gelees het. Hierdie wens is deur Patrick McKenzie, Wes-Kaapse Minister van Kultuursake, uitgespreek tydens 'n besoek in biblioteekweek aan plaaslike biblioteke.

"Een van die mooiste dinge vir my is om saans by die huis te kom en vir 'n rukkie op die bed te ontspan terwyl my dogter vir my uit 'n boek lees.

"Ken u dié voorreg as pa?" wou hy weet.

McKenzie het burgemeester Chris Leander, raadslede en biblioteekpersoneel verseker dat hy hulle probleem met finansies ken.

"Provinsie moet iets doen en ons is besig om daarna te kyk."

Die burgemeester het gesê die inwoners van Drakenstein besef die waarde van 'n boek en 'n biblioteek.

"Die Paarl is landwyd bekend vir sy skole en dra ongetwyfeld meer as sy deel by tot die Wes-Kaap se uitstekende matriekuitslae.

"Dit is egter ook 'n feit dat 'n mens nooit oor genoeg infrastruktuur kan beskik om biblioteke na waarde te ontwikkel nie.

"Dit is verder ook 'n feit dat Drakenstein ongelukkig ook 'n paar agtergeblewe gebiede en gemeenskappe het, veral die platteland soos Gouda, Hermon en Saron, en plaasskole, wat nie altyd toegang en geleenthede het nie.

"Drakenstein se stadsraad probeer sy bes om binne begrotingsbeperkings na hierdie gebiede te kyk," het hy gesê en bygevoeg dat provinsiale hulp waardeer sal word.

Hy het ook die biblioteekpersoneel bedank vir hul gesindheid en harde werk.

"In vandag se wêreld is dit absoluut noodsaaklik dat elke individu oor die minimum vermoë van skryf en lees beskik. Hierdie vermoë is die noodwendige paspoort tot 'n toekomstige beroep en daarmee saam 'n gelukkige en selfvervullende lewe."

* Paarl Post het ook 'n projek, Koerant in die Klas, waar skole en onderwysers bemagtig word om koerante as deel van uitkomsgebaseerde onderwys te gebruik. Terselfdertyd word jong koerantlesers gekweek.

Vir enige navrae in dié verband, kan Susan Botha geskakel word by 871-1170, 082-579-7249, faks 872-9280 of e-pos susanb@ppost.co.za.