Queen of High Schools is a community centered project targeting high school learners from previously disadvantaged background under Hibiscus Coast Municipality. This initiative was established by Yonwaba Nathi Projects & Promotions, a youth owned company that specializes in events management, artist management, edutainment programmes, promotions, Life Skills Facilitation, Fashion Show & Beauty Pag
eant Choreography. Since its inauguration the Queen of high Schools has been implemented successfully through the support and in partnership with the Hibiscus Coast Municipality Youth Development Unit. Queen of High Schools Beauty Pageant is no ordinary pageant, it’s a community initiative that aims to offer forms of entertainment that educates, instill morals & promote positive lifestyle in the lives of young people while promoting academic excellence. This is evident by Build-up activities associated with this pageant including lifeskills,leadership,grooming(Skin care, Make up & hair styling) training and boot camp which focuses on finding solutions on social ills affecting teenage girls as well as young women in general. The following topics are used as guidelines for the participants in the boot camp to find solutions through debates, poetry, and team building exercises while embracing their true beauty while having fun. Some of the topics covered in our boot camp are teenage pregnancies, STD’s STI’s HIV/AIDS, opportunities available to young people, Financial Education, Drugs & Substance Abuse. Most of the participants come from a background that makes it difficult for them to go to movies, restaurants, dress up, and enjoy their youth like their peers due to lack of resources, they are never told how beautiful, talented & intelligent they are which makes them an easy target to be used & abused in the name of love hence teenage girls are faced with challenges we believe can be prevented, for example teenage pregnancies in high schools, we believe with proper mentorship, guidance and youth development programmes that educates as well as entertain, the increasing numbers of teenage pregnancies can be reduced, hence the concept of Queen of High Schools was born with the aim to:
• To raise awareness to teenage girls about teenage pregnancies in schools by highlighting the positive attributes and rewarding girls who are preserving themselves from sexual activities.
• Impart these young people with Life Skills that will assist them in making decisions that will shape their future.
• To give young girls who are interested in modeling a platform where they can show case their talent.
• It will also serve as a platform for young girls to have an open dialogue amongst each other about challenges they face in and outside of school.
• We wish to encourage young girls to start dreaming and to realize that whatever they dream in life they can achieve.
• We wish to bring back the excitement in the lives of learners by introducing forms of entertainment with life lessons to prepare them for the real world.
• Involve young girls in community projects e.g. volunteering in charity organization.
• Mentor these young girls into becoming strong positive women.
• To build self confidence in young girls.
• Give local artists & fashion designers a platform to showcase their talents. Each year the pageant carries messages through its themes. The theme for 2012 was “Not Just a pretty face” This year’s theme aims to create awareness to teenage girls against sugar daddies, we hope to give young ladies courage & a voice to speak out by telling sugar daddies “I AM NOT your entertainment, I have a future”.
