We have had women's month where there have been strong messages directed mainly at men to stop abusing women and children.I have always found it disturbing that there seems to be more incidents of violence against women and children during this month. It does seem to be the case. Emphasis on 'seems'. My journalist friend tells me that it is a phenomenon he prefers to call 'spotlighting'. He says this means that you tend to see more of the issue when there is a lot of attention given to it, just like the month-long spotlight tends to do on violence against women. Common sense, if you ask me. We do see more of what we pay attention to, always. What you think about, talk about, engage in more, you tend to see more of. So what is the spotlight for youth month? Do we see more of the youth in dire straits during the month of June? Maybe not.
Do we see our youth at all? Do we notice them if they are not in the spotlight for one thing or another. Are we paying more attention to the struggling, unemployed and untrained, unskilled, parentless, rolemodel-less, youth during this month? Methinks not enough. These are the same youth whose vote political parties will be fighting over pretty soon. The vote of the born-free will be the decider, or will it? Youth month. How political is the month of June for you? Or is it just about the onset of winter. Maybe to some of us its all about winter fashion, such as knitwear, knee-length boots and heavy coats. For others its about a full tummy first.
