‘I have a dream’, says SA student selected to attend UN delegation

A student from Khayamandi has been selected to attend the Asia World Model United Nations II in Bangkok, Thailand in February 2019.

Luxolo Copiso was selected from 19,195 applicants and will serve as an Agent of Change at the upcoming summit, where youth leaders from all across the globe will get the opportunity to “develop their negotiation and diplomacy leadership skills.”

Having a Dream

Luxolo Copiso grew up in Khayamandi, a township just northwest of Stellenbosch. Not many students have the opportunity to graduate, and Luxolo was able to get through school with the help of the Preeva Foundation.

Before Preeva, Luxolo would go to school simply “for the sake of just going to school,” he said. All that changed when he attended the Preeva workshops, and he “realised the meaning of having dreams.”

We reached out to Luxolo and learned that he is very passionate about seeing other youths from Khayamandi excel in life and reach their dreams.

He said that even though youth in Khayamandi have dreams, they don’t always have the opportunities to see those dreams come to fruition. The community lacks in resources to assist them in their journeys.

Alcohol abuse and the lack of health services are some of the factors that prevent students from reaching their full potential. But Luxolo says that everything starts with education, and he wants to see education become fashionable among young people again. He explains:

“I want to make sure that the youth of Khayamandi, the youth in my society – in fact, the youth of my country –make education fashionable, make education a habit, make it something we love.”

He added that there aren’t plenty of graduates in Khayamandi, but believe that if we start with that small group and motivate and encourage them, we could end up changing society as a whole. Luxolo says:

“Once I change society, I will also be able to change the country and the continent and the world as a whole. So yes, I have a dream.”

He explained that Martin Luther King’s quote means a lot to him, and it is his sincere hope that youth will look up to the graduates and form their own dreams along the way. And through doing that, the cycle of encouraging and motivating each other continues.

When dreams come true

Luxolo’s dream came true in 2017 when he became the first person in his family to pass matric. His ultimate dream was studying psychology, and Luxolo was accepted into UCT to turn that dream into a reality.

Experiencing first hand the benefit of one-on-one tutoring, Luxolo is now paying it forward by being a peer educator at University. He will be one of only 316 delegates to represent his country at the Youth Leadership Conference.

Every participant is allocated a ‘World Council’ to join during the conference which dictates the research each student is required to present at the Conference. Luxolo has been assigned to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and one of the points he’ll be addressing is alcohol abuse among the youth.

Keeping the dream alive

The Preeva Foundation wishes to continue to support and motivate Luxolo to dream big. His entry into the Conference and all the planned workshops are covered by the organisers, but he will need to raise funds for all his travel requirements.

Donations can be made to the Preeva Foundation using the Reference: Luxolo. The Preeva Foundation is a registered NPO and tax certificates are issued for any donations of R1 000 and over.

Asia World Model United Nations II kicks off on 30 January 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. The theme this year is Youth Leaders on Preserving World Peace and Security.