• YOUTH

Reflecting on MyZone

• 1 Week Ago

What a wonderful privilege to reflect on the birth and growth of MyZone on her special 10-year anniversary. Starting with just eight secondary schools in Windhoek we quickly expanded and grew to produce publications and platforms to capture the stories of young people from Namibia’s north, south, east and west - giving a voice to Namibian youth that truly represented the breadth and depth of the country’s diversity and potential.

For ten years, students from schools and tertiary education institutions large and small, old, and new, public, and private have taken the opportunity to tell their stories, in their own voices.

From Khomasdal and Kleine Kuppe, Walvisbaai and Wanaheda, MyZone has been there to capture sport results and academic achievements. From Rehoboth to Rundu, Stampriet and Swakopmund, MyZone has been there to celebrate cultural performances and provide a platform to share ideas and opinions as we spread our wings into the four corners of our country.



Empowerment at the centre

MyZone exists not only to tell stories, but to create storytellers. When young people research, read and write, they become more than media consumers; they develop into dynamic media producers. This empowerment is at the heart of MyZone’s raison d'être, its reason for being: exposing Namibian youth to the power of news media, and in so doing growing a generation of news readers, critical thinkers and active, media-literate citizens.

In celebrating MyZone, we should celebrate the hundreds of youth contributors writing and talking about social justice, environmental issues, mental health, career development, relationships, sport, culture, entertainment, and politics in their own voices.

When I think back at the creation of the Career Magazine, the Expo Times, The Zone, Back to School resources and hundreds of school newspapers that have been published over the years, the names and faces of countless young people come to mind, all laying a brick on the path of MyZone’s first decade.

I hold close the faces of our very first editorial teams walking through the turnstiles in the newsroom to design their school newspapers, the energy and momentum created at media camps, the fun at school editorial meetings and the beautiful memories of seeing young faces light up when their names and stories are printed in our publications.

With a sought-after internship program, developed to expose school leavers to professional opportunities, MyZone further embodies the value it places on empowerment and grassroot growth. Octavia Tsibes, one of the first interns welcomed into the MyZone fold now being the Managing Director of MyZone is testimony to the power of a brand taking its growth and development seriously.



Success, impact, future

My Zone was built, page by page, school by school, traversing the empty expanses of our breathtaking country by road and air with deadlines looming and a printing press waiting. It came to life in the late-night editing sessions and the bottomless cups of coffee shared with team members in the newsroom who believed in our vision and mission. MyZone came to life among eager school editorial teams in the stifling summer heat of Oshakati and in the crisp frost of Keetmanshoop in the winter next to the sport fields. It took (a few drops of) blood, (a lot of) sweat, (one or two) tears, and the commitment of many to create this brand.

If ever I became overwhelmed by the size of the project, the distances to travel, and the challenges of guiding and facilitating youth editorial teams and contributors from across the country, I would remember the incredible gratitude, support, and generosity of entire communities when the MyZone team pulled into town to tell and capture the stories of our greatest asset, the youth of our country.

The strength of MyZone lies in the deep roots that it has put down in the regions, towns, villages, and education sector of Namibia over the years. If we have been successful over the past decade, it is because we have earned the trust of the youth, educators, parents, coaches, and a generation of young people. May this trust always be nurtured, fiercely guarded, and celebrated.

I am ever grateful to have played a leading role in this team and the creation of MyZone. The legacy of MyZone is the community that has been built for, and through, the powerful and transformative voices of our Namibian youth.

Though its platforms and products may evolve and expand, and its team members change and move on, I hope the centre of MyZone always holds to ensure its longevity and legacy.

What a brilliant adventure awaits our beloved MyZone, all the very best for the next decade!