MOT Youth of the Month: Darren Maybe

I am Darren Maybe the eldest of three, residing in the Cape Flats Ottery area. Myself and my siblings were raised by a single parent (mother). I matriculated in 2016 at Fairmount Secondary School situated in Grassy Park and I am currently studying Safety in Society at False Bay TVET College, Westlake Campus pursuing my dream in the Law field and to serve and plough back into my community so that the youth can benefit, as well as to educate the youth.

As a young teenager, I was a shy and introverted person and did not have many friends. This made me vulnerable and I became a victim of bullying.

Being bullied broke my self-confidence, self-esteem and self-worth. I haven’t told anyone about this, even my mother until recently.

I shortly became involved in leadership committees at my high school, such as the Representative Council of Learners Executive (RCL) as well as the prefect committee. Being in a leadership profile gave me self-confidence and to be able to speak to large crowds of youth.

Currently, I am serving on the Student Representative Council (SRC) at my college and it is such a privilege to serve for two consecutive years – 2018 as Campus Chairperson and this year 2019 as the Vice President.

My mentors Mrs Natasha Maybe (mother), Mr Bradley Schrickker (Campus head) and Mr Sashen Naidoo (Student Support Officer) mouldered me to become the person that I am today. The SRC with the assistance of an organization like MOT SA assisted me to be brave, stand up for myself and confident to face the world and my circumstances head-on without hesitating to persevere.

I’ve been introduced to MOT while at Fairmount Secondary School since 2016. I was extremely happy to find out that MOT was also being implemented at my College, False Bay TVET College, Westlake Campus and this resulted in me growing an even stronger passion for MOT and in being eager in becoming a Young MOTivator. In 2018, I then got selected amongst 9 others to attend the Young MOTivators Education. After this, I continued being involved with MOT, helping the MOT Coaches at my campus with their sessions.

I’ve learned so much with my time. I’ve learned to lead, to be myself and create an ambience, to be resilient and never give up when faced with a challenging situation and to have the courage to live, courage to care and courage to say no in my daily life.

Thank you, MOT for all you’ve done in my life and in the lives of others!