Month: December 2022

Creating Your Own Traditions This Festive

Posted on by Shazia Kassim

Creating your own traditions this festive

Thinking of creating your own traditions this festive season? Creating traditions does not have to be stressful, it can be as simple as just spending more quality time together with friends or family. Here are a few tips to guide you,

Expand on things you do

If it’s a small thing, such as baking a Christmas cake, this can include to going to the store with friends or family to buy the ingredients. Expanding on small things you already love can be a good starting point for learning to actively create your own traditions.

Who will be involved

Who will be involved in this? Your family? Friends? Just you? Family is an obvious focus for the holidays, and often there are already established traditions. If you feel fulfilled in this area, focus on establishing traditions that you enjoy in other areas of your life. You can decide to hang out with friends, wear the same pajamas, and watch your favourite movie. Being intentional about who will be involved will help you get an idea before you start.

Create reminders

If you mark a date to start planning as well as the date of the activity, you can create a schedule that works for you. You can even share your calendar with everyone else so that everyone is reminded.

Share responsibilities

Planning an annual event can be some fun, but during the holidays it gets hectic. Make a list of tasks to be done and let your family or friends choose the areas they would like to contribute to.

Traditions should be fun. If a tradition has become something you dread or that no longer seems to fit into your life, that’s okay. Not all traditions last forever. Things change. It’s okay to bend or undo them over time and create new ones that work for you.

Go out there and create memories that will last a lifetime! What do you want to do differently this year for the holidays? Comment below.

Remember, if you or a friend need advice or help, you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send a Facebook message or a Twitter DM, or a WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657).

How To Celebrate Pens Down

Posted on by Shazia Kassim

How To Celebrate Pens Down

You finally made it through the last stretch. Now that exams are over, you may be looking for ways to celebrate with your friends. There are big events and festivals planned all over South Africa, but it’s important to be safe while having fun. Here are a few ways to celebrate,

Picnic

The great thing about this occasion is that you don’t have to travel far to enjoy it. Picnics are usually about food, but we also love spending time with the people we take on the picnic. This is a great opportunity to get outside with a few friends and enjoy time together. Head to a park for an hour or two for food and drinks in a relaxed atmosphere and don’t forget to take some snaps.

Lunch/Dinner

It’s well known that sharing a meal with friends strengthens your bond and builds friendship. Take time to laugh, share stories and enjoy each other’s company over a delicious meal. This is a great way to lift your spirits and take your mind off results anxiety.

Amusement Park

There’s just something about an amusement park that swallows you up as you enter. The atmosphere you feel is something you cannot feel anywhere else because everything around you is designed to draw you into that magical feeling.  Take a trip to Gold Reef with some friends, there are a lot of fun activities and a variety of food to enjoy.

Going out

As fun as parties may be, they can sometimes get out of control. If you choose to go out to an after-party or pens-down bash, remember that,

  • It’s a good idea to let your parents or another trusted adult know where you are going before you go.
  • Attend the party with friends you know.
  • Be alert. Watch out for drugs and alcohol. If you see things that make you uncomfortable, it’s okay to leave, even if your friends aren’t ready.
  • Don’t leave your drink unattended
  • Don’t wander off without letting your friends know where you’re going

Remember that you worked hard on your exams, and you did the best you could. Now is the time to let your hair down and enjoy some much-needed time out with friends.

If you or a friend need advice or help, you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send a Facebook message, a Twitter DM, or a WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657).

The significance of 16 Days of Activism against GBV – Dr Shakira

Posted on by Shazia Kassim

The Significance of 16 Days of Activism Against GBV – Dr. Shakira Choonara

Globally, one in three women experience violence from an intimate partner, which is usually sexual or physical. Globally, 81 000 women and girls were killed in 2020 (47 000 died at the hands of an intimate partner or family member), this means that every 11 minutes a woman or girl is killed in their home.

Each year between the 25th of November and the 10th of December 2022 you may notice more adverts on television or even more posts on Instagram and Tik Tok on violence. The increased attention to violence marks the annual international 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) campaign. These two dates are significant as the 25th of November marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the 10th of December marks Human Rights Day. We have been marking 16 Days of Activism since the year 1991 and it is a strategy used by individuals or organizations worldwide to call for the prevention and elimination of violence. It is worth it to note that there are different forms of GBV e.g. physical, emotional, and financial and in South Africa we also spotlight femicide in our policies – the killing of a female person or perceived female person (someone we assume to be or categorise as being female).

GBV affects all genders

It is primarily women and girls who are at the receiving end of violence, but there are also increased levels of stigma, discrimination, and violence against transgender persons and the LGBTQI community. Working on the ground level, there are so many cases of LGBTQI persons facing corrective rape to cure them of their “sexual preference”; this is a violation of one’s body and violence in its harshest form.

Examples of successful GBV Campaigns

  • The #metoo movement kicked off when survivors, specifically, Hollywood movie stars shared their experiences of GBV. The Hashtag went viral and spurred many women to speak out and expose their experiences.
  • In South Africa, recently, activists galvanized around the Sandton Protest, the pressure on the Government led to a R1 billion allocation to GBV by President Cyril Ramaphosa and pressure to work towards the National Strategic Plan on GBV and Femicide.

What action can you take during the 16 Days of Activism?

  • Volunteer at a women’s or children’s shelter which houses survivors of GBV.
  • See whether your school has a policy on GBV and if you can help support this.
  • Host an awareness session at school, in your community, or even online with your peers. You could also shoot TikToks or Instagram your thoughts on violence to raise awareness, encouraging your peers to join in.
  • Find out what GBV services are in your area, if there aren’t any you can take up a fight to have this in place.
  • Engage with the South African Police Service on the GBV efforts.
  • If you know of any peers or family members experiencing violence, advise and support them to report this and seek medical assistance immediately.

Remember, our advocacy and work in the area is not for 16 days only but it is a fight we need to take up all year round.

Dr. Shakira Choonara is a multi-award public health practitioner, appointed to the World Health Organization and UN Women. She is also the 2017 Woman of the Year in Health, South Africa.

If you or a friend need advice or help, you can contact me here on Ask Choma, send a Facebook message or a Twitter DM, or a WhatsApp Message (071 172 3657).