6 minute read
Driving Positive Change in South African Communities
Almost 20 years from the time he asked himself, “How can I help?”, Darian Smith (38), National Quality Manager for Activate! Change Drivers, is still a tireless and dynamic catalyst for positive change in communities throughout South Africa.
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“D rugs, gangsterism, violence and abuse was something that we were becoming immune to in our community and I wanted to be part of making it better,” stated Smith with passion. “To work long hours and often without promise of reward requires a resilient spirit and unfailing commitment towards making things right. It’s not something you decide to do, it’s something that is second nature to your being as you recognise that your calling is one to serve.”
Activate! Change Drivers has to date provided 4 267 young South Africans with training to change their lives and the world they inhabit. The organisation impacts diverse communities throughout all nine provinces in order to equip young people to be innovative, active citizens.
A large part of Smith’s workday involves doing research on the topical issues in South Africa, as well as quality measures being utilised globally to evaluate programme effectiveness and quality. He analyses reports of their portfolios as well as feedback from programme participants according to the quality standards that he has developed, and provides recommendations to improve service quality. In normal times, he visits the programmes throughout South Africa and is often in meetings about the direction of the organisation. During lockdown, he has gravitated more towards online platforms.
Besides his job, he is committed to building communities and being part of collaborative efforts to influence positive change in the form of training, developmental and awareness workshops and co-creating spaces that are safe and conducive for all communities.
“My biggest career success is waking up each day knowing that the work I do is so much bigger than me and acknowledging that it is God who is my refuge, strengthens me, keeps me grounded and allows me to do what I was born to do.”
Darian Smith DUT BTech Child and Youth Development graduate
WHAT SMITH DOES OUTSIDE OF HIS DAY JOB
He is currently busy with Winter Blanket and Jersey Drives for his community He works voluntarily at various childcare institutions and consults regularly for NGOs, FBOs, government departments and institutions pertaining to conflict management He is a Board Director for the Wentworth Victim Friendly Centre that oversees a resource centre, trauma room and safe house for abused women He is the Chairperson for Brothers for Life Wentworth He is the former Chairperson for the CPF Youth Desk Merewent He trains on request for childcare and social workers, prosecutors and magistrates in the field of Restorative Justice He also regularly speaks at schools, NGOs and FBOs across KZN to involve the youth in the work he does He coordinates a movement of a group of women in Wentworth standing up against genderbased violence He facilitates trainings for corporates He does motivational speaking in various spaces He does team-buildings for NGOs One of the most sentimental moments in my life was when my son Kale, at the age of four, stood beside me on a stage and spoke about how we can make the country safe for women and children.
Growing up in a close-knit community in Newlands East as the eldest son to humble and God-fearing parents (his dad worked as a moulder for Umgeni Iron Works and his mom worked at CNA), didn’t stop Smith from making some bad decisions as a teenager, but because of the foundation that was laid by his parents, he began to make better choices. His parents, who didn’t have the opportunity to study further themselves, encouraged him and his brother and sister to study after school, dream big and work hard.
After attending Briardene Primary and matriculating from Hillview Secondary, Smith went on to study for his BTech Degree in Child and Youth Development at DUT while working part-time at CNA as a packer, cashier and merchandiser every weekend until he was employed by the National Institute for Crime Prevention (NICRO) in his fourth year as a co-ordinator for Wilderness Therapy Programmes, working with young people in conflict with the law.
“When you’re paying for your own education, taking loans and your parents are having to sacrifice for you to be there, it does not allow you to disrespect the hope that they have by messing up your education. If I didn’t give it my all then what would I have been saying to the sacrifices that they made and the dreams I had for my community?”
Smith remembers sitting in front of the DUT buildings with his friends eating Johnny’s chip rolls or hanging out
at Papa Joe’s and speaking about the dreams they had. “My fondest memory is having lecturers like Dr Frida Rundell, Jacqui Winfield, Fathima Khan and Ann Southwood shape my young mind with the information that I needed to perfect my craft. These ladies are part of the foundation that has laid the path to the successes that I now experience in my career, for which I’m forever grateful.”
Smith then received his Master’s Degree in Restorative Practices – Youth Counselling from the International Institute of Restorative Practices in Pennsylvania, USA. He missed out on a Fulbright Scholarship as his course was not accredited at the time. He is hoping to pursue his PhD in 2020 in Conflict, Peace and Transformation or Literature and Philosophy in Criminal Justice.
Smith has a beautiful wife, Joann, who is his strongest supporter and a successful forensic investigator. They have two sons, Kale (9) and Cole (4) who follow in their dad’s footsteps of standing up against injustice by accompanying him on campaigns and to workshops.
“I am very conscious of the balance between my personal and professional life. I can, at times, be a workaholic but I’m often brought back to reality with the consciousness of my kids needing an active, involved daddy in their lives.”
He is indeed a very involved father: he assists with bathing and homework, and is a great example to them by assisting with housework. “I am a soccer coach for my son’s team (Fynnlands Under 9s) and am an avid reader. I also usually spend a lot of time in Milky Lane with my family – we are addicted to ice-cream!” jokes Smith.
SMITH’S TIPS ON HOW TO BECOME A CHANGEMAKER IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Encouraging student action through your own actions is a powerful and subtle way to get students to think about how they want to be involved, and inspires them to attend future events in the community. By identifying the needs in your community, it places you in a much better position to make informed decisions of interventions that you would like to roll out.
The importance of doing things ‘with’ the community makes all the difference. By gaining community support, your projects or interventions will be a lot more successful than doing it alone. Commitment, resilience, dedication and integrity are key values that you need to embody when driving change within your community. A community needs to be assured that you will not fall away when the going gets tough and throughout the intervention or project lifecycle. Your word is your bond. Your mandate is to serve. The community, when it comes down to it, are not interested in titles; you need to get your hands dirty and plough the field. Giving back through service to the community is a core value that takes a personal example to become rooted in a student’s fabric of being.
