As the school holidays begin, many parents and caregivers are asking the same question: how do we keep our children safe? Without the structure of the school day, young people have more free time, more independence, and in some cases, greater exposure to influences that can quietly shape the direction of their lives. It is a concern shared by parents, teachers and the community one that cannot be addressed by families alone.
That shared responsibility brought learners, educators, parents and community stakeholders together at Danielskuil Intermediate School to commemorate the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Hosted by Tsantsabane Alcohol and Drug Services (TADS), the gathering was less about marking a global awareness day and more about confronting a local reality: conversations about drugs often happen too late. Under the theme “I Choose Me,” the message running through the day challenged everyone present to think differently about protection, prevention and responsibility long before substance abuse becomes part of a young person’s story.
At the centre of those conversations was a clear shift in thinking: drug and substance abuse cannot only be responded to after the fact. It must be prevented before it begins. Speaking to learners and community members, Dibueng Mathibe called for a change in how communities respond to addiction. “The solution is not punishment. The solution is prevention, education and, above all, compassion and commitment,” she said.
Her words reframed the conversation, not as one about consequences, but about early action. Helping someone avoid addiction, she suggested, carries far more weight than responding once damage has already been done. By sharing information, paying attention to one another, and encouraging those in need to seek help, communities can intervene before lives are derailed. “Working together as a community, together with organisations such as TADS, we can achieve our main goal, which is a community free from drugs and substance abuse,” she added.
But prevention only becomes real when the reasons behind risky behaviour are understood. In an interactive session, Olivia Nxangani invited learners to reflect on the pressures that often come before any substance use such as peer pressure, curiosity, stress, depression, difficult home environments, and the need to belong. These are not abstract issues. They are part of everyday life for many young people.
Standing with the learners, she asked them to repeat a simple but powerful affirmation: “I do not need drugs to belong or be accepted.” The room responded in unity, but the message lingered beyond the moment, it was a reminder that identity and self-worth are not defined by approval from others.
For adults in the room, the conversation shifted to what warning signs often look like in real life. Changes in behaviour, declining school performance, withdrawal from friends and family, aggression, and loss of focus can all be early signals that something is wrong. But as Nxangani reminded the audience, these signs are often missed when communities are not paying attention. “Drug abuse affects not only individuals, but also families and communities,” she said, urging parents and caregivers to create space for honest conversations rather than silence or judgement. “Education opens doors. Drugs close them.”
While information and awareness are important, it is often lived experience that leaves the deepest impact. When Aunt Lena Wapad shared her story, the room shifted. She spoke openly about how her journey into addiction began gradually with cigarettes, then stronger substances until she lost her home, her relationships and her sense of self. “Drugs destroyed my life. They took me away from my children, my family and my home,” she said.
Her story did not unfold as a single moment of crisis, but as a series of choices that became harder to undo over time. For many learners listening, it was the first time the reality of addiction felt immediate rather than distant. But her story did not end there. After seeking help from TADS and completing rehabilitation, she rebuilt her life step by step. Today, she has been drug-free for more than four years and has restored relationships that once seemed beyond repair. “I had a second chance,” she told the learners. “There is a second chance for everyone.” In that moment, hope became more than a word, it became a possibility grounded in experience.
As the school holidays begin, the conversations sparked in the hall at Danielskuil Intermediate School will not stay there. They will continue at kitchen tables, on walks home, and in the everyday moments where young people make quiet decisions that can shape their future.
For parents, the challenge is no longer only to supervise, but to listen more closely to notice when something feels different, to ask the difficult questions before silence becomes distance, and to remain present even when answers are not easy to hear. For teachers and community members, it is a reminder that behaviour is often a message. A sudden change in performance, withdrawal from friends, or rising frustration may not be defiance, but a call for help.
And for young people, the message is simple but powerful: belonging should never come at the cost of their wellbeing, their future, or their life.
In that same hall, one message echoed through every conversation prevention is stronger than punishment, and no one is meant to face these struggles alone. But perhaps the most important truth is this: support does not belong only in awareness campaigns or once-off events. It belongs in daily life in how families speak to one another, how communities notice each other, and how quickly help is sought when something feels wrong.
Because long after the speeches end, what remains are the choices made in silence and the possibility that, with the right support at the right time, those choices can still lead to a different story.
Lesedi Solar Park Trust is committed to supporting initiatives such as these, as they align with our mission of strengthening communities through awareness, education and meaningful engagements that protects and empowers young people.