With most youths opting to spend their time idle, abusing drugs and alcohol, most youth centers around Bulawayo have been left idle.
Thabeth Moyo (48) a Makokoba resident said youths are shunning these centers because they are outdated in terms of new technology. “Community centers should be revived so that youngsters are kept busy. However they should be equipped with new technology devices like WIFI, computers, and cameras in order to lure young people back,” she said.
Makokoba Ward 7 Councilor, Mr Shadrek Sibanda said youth centers are important as they take young people off the streets and make them productive.” Youth centers keep these young people busy, as a result, they have no time to partake in bad things, those that are idle end up doing drugs, prostitution, and crime.”
Sibanda urged the Bulawayo City Council to upgrade infrastructure as well as supply new equipment needed in the youth centers.
He also urged young people to be responsible enough not to vandalize or steal equipment from the youth centers.
Meanwhile, Bulawayo mentor mothers are worried about the way youths have turned out to abuse antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). Some mentor mothers said there are people who go to clinics and collect the medicine, but they then throw it in the streets hence the youths have made it a habit to collect those and use them as drugs. Some of things that Zimbabwean youths have used to get high include used pampers and pads and this is largely attributed to idleness in the midst of the biting socioeconomic crisis.
