AYAADA organises pageant with few restrictions
Nomsa Ndlovu-Gheke | Wednesday October 19, 2016 16:52
According to one of the event coordinators Elizabeth Molemogi the queen would become their ambassador who will be teaching secondary school students about the impact of drug and alcohol abuse. She said they are looking for young women between 18 and 26- years.
Miss AYAADA pageant will be one of its kind, as there will be no height and weight restrictions. Young mothers are also allowed to partake in our pageant as long as they are of the stipulated age. “Our pageant will also not discriminate anyone as people leaving with disabilities are also welcome to battle for the crown,” she said.
She further said the association wanted to look for an ambassador because they realised that most of the young people are faced with many challenges and depression and as a result they resort to alcohol and drug abuse which is not good for their health, wellbeing and social lives. Molemogi further said the association had also learnt that most of the young people do not listen to adults when they try to advise, but tend to listen to their peers.
Her colleague Chawanda Richard further explained that the event was made to also raise funds that could help them visit secondary schools where they would address students on alcohol and drug abuse challenges. Furthermore, Richard said they had secured two sponsors, Nevia and Zaine, who promised to sponsor them with their products. She further appealed to the business community to come on board so that they could give the contestants better prizes.
She said AYAADA is a non-profit making organisation started by Byte Size College administrators and students with the purpose of bringing awareness and behaviour change mainly for the out of school youth and secondary school student on the abuse of alcohol and other related drugs. She said its aim was to disseminate information on dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.
ìExperiment with alcohol and drugs during adolescence is common in the country. Unfortunately, teenagers often donít see the link between their actions today and the consequences tomorrow. They also have a tendency to feel indestructible and immune to the problems that others experience,î she said.
Richard added that using of alcohol and tobacco at young age has negative health effects. She said some teens experiment and stop, while others continue to use occasionally, without significant problems. She pointed out that others would develop a dependency, moving on to more dangerous drugs and causing significant harm to themselves and possibly others. She said it was difficult to know which teens would experiment and stop and which would develop serious problems.
ìTeenagers at risk for developing serious alcohol and drug problems include those with a family history of substance abuse, who are depressed, who have low self-esteem and who feel like they donít fit in or are out of the mainstream. Teenagers abuse a variety of drugs both legal and illegal so it is important for them to have a young person who can advise them and discuss with them about such issues,î she added.
She said the auditions registration fee is P50 while the grand finale entrance fee would cost P200 for VIP section and P100 for a normal ticket. The pageant would start at 6pm till late while the auditions start at 9am till 5pm at Byte Size College in Main Mall. Those who would like to go for auditions are expected to bring their full size photo, a short biography and certified copy of identity card. They are also expected to wear either blue or black jeans and white or black vests.