Reporting back from a successful Youth Ambassador Training in South Africa
Port Elizabeth was the destination for our third visit to South Africa to train a group of Youth Ambassadors for Road Safety. The training was a collaboration between the Global Road Safety Partnership South Africa (GRSPZA), the South African Red Cross (SARCS) and sponsored by the Michelin Corporate Foundation.
In 2016 and 2017, we worked with a group of young leaders from across the Limpopo Province. This group undertook road safety actions across the province, in townships, schools and communities. This time round, GRSP worked with SARCS to select a group of young people from the Nelson Mandela University.
The 15 youth ambassadors were selected from over 100 students through rigorous interviews. As part of the SARCS wider peer-education programme, these young people will be working to raise awareness of road safety over the next 14 months across the Nelson Mandela University and beyond.
The training kicked off on 15th July 2019 at the Willows Red Cross Youth Center in Port Elizabeth. 
Facilitators Alex Ayub from Kenya and Manpreet Darroch from the UK began the training in the signature YOURS style; upbeat and high-energy.
Over the 4 days the youth were introduced to the following topics:
Road Safety:
- Scope of the Road Safety Problem: In the world and South Africa
- Youth and Road Traffic Injuries
- Distracted Driving
- Drink and Drug Driving
- Non-Use of Seatbelts
Skills-Based Training:
- Facilitation Skills
- Presentation Skills
- Peer Education
- Communication Skills
- Spreading a Road Safety Message
- Action Planning
By the end of the training, Ambassadors were able to:
- Explain the road safety crisis facing young people globally and in their country and describe what factors put youth at risk.
- Identify the key risk factors in road safety; distracted driving, drink and drug driving and seatbelts.
- Demonstrate methods of influencing young people to develop a road safety culture in their communities; through peer education and campaigning.
- Develop the essential skills to be a strong road safety ambassador; presentation skills, communication skills, creative messaging and action planning.
Action to Follow
The 15 young leaders successfully undertook the YOURS training and were highly engaged on the topics. This group represents 'young humanitarians' who are actively engaged in the work of the red cross in the region. As young people involved in campus activities and young leaders in their communities, the have pledged to take action across the campus over the next 14 months.
These activities include monthly events at the Nelson Mandela University focused on key road safety themes such as seatbelts, drink driving, distracted driving, speeding, fatigue and other road safety campaigns. The youth expect to reach thousands of young people through their work in the region.
Some of the youth offered testimonials to the training: