Deep in the heart of Midrand, in South Africa, is an inspiring story of how a determined woman has set about transforming the lives of young people through initiatives that help fight drug and alcohol abuse, crime as well as other ills afflicting communities.
Lena Rametse is at the helm of SA Youth Events – a social enterprise organization focused on giving young people a platform to escape the scourge of alcohol and drug abuse by providing them with alternative forms of entertainment and recreation.
“When I started the organization, I had just moved to Cosmo City and was staying in the backroom. I remember getting very disturbed by watching the youth leave school and roam around the township where there were no exciting events or activities taking place.
“Growing up in the township areas, there was only alcoholic events and nothing for young people to look up to. I was only 19 years old when I founded the organization and I am happy that we have since grown form strength to strength,” explains Lena.
Standing up for Change
Born in Johannesburg and raised by a single mother that was a domestic worker, 31-year-old Lena successfully studied towards a diploma in technical accounting at Boston City Campus while working as a filing clerk.
“In between my work, I was planning events on the side. The diploma at Boston helped me with financial management of the organization. When I started, I was not registered and did not have a team to handle the finances.”
However, that did not stop her from meaningfully impacting the lives of young people living in her community.
“The first event I hosted was a talent show called “Cosmo Has Real Talent” which brought the township together. Throughout the talent show, we had over 1 000 guests and all of them bought tickets to watch the show.
“For the first time in the township, I saw children who were so excited to take part in this event. We had a few sponsors and from there I thought of having a pageant that would help groom young women so that they become ambassadors for South Africa.”
Bringing the Community Together
Lena says she was inspired to start her own company by the desire to add value in her community as a social entrepreneur.
“The gap I identified was finding impactful events in communities that would get children, peers and parents together while making money.
“SA youth events registered as Morongwa Youth Events and hosts a number of events that are specifically focused on youth and woman empowerment. We are based in Midrand South Africa, and we currently have a total of four people who are employed by us.”
Going past Obstacles
Lena’s journey has been fraught with many obstacles and while these may have tested her resolve, they have been unable to break her entrepreneurial spirit.
“Hosting big productions costs a lot of money. We then realized that to drop costs we needed to collaborate with different companies in the form of a sponsorship where we offer them marketing opportunities.
“This helped to cover some of our costs. Collaborating with other brands gave us more marketing opportunities and we were able to better position our brand image. We also learnt to learn certain skills like graphic design, which also reduces costs.
“Not having legal contacts with people, we worked with also presented challenges as contestants tend to be upset because things did not go the way they would have wanted. The absence of legal contracts would also mean they would breach the rules and regulations.
“We would love to expand and employ a bigger team. In this regard, we have been applying but not getting any luck, some of our contestants are from very far and they struggle with the transport means of making it to the event.”
Achieving Milestones
Lena pinpoints being offered a trip to Norway at the age of 24 to represent South Africa at a youth festival as one of the success stories of her journey.
“We have partnered with universities and colleges in collaboration with the Miss Phenomenal SA Campaign.
“Over the past nine years, we have worked with 500 young girls in South Africa in the Miss Phenomenal SA Pageant by helping them build powerful profile images
“We have helped and worked with over seventy girls with gender-based violence cases with counselling, coaching, mentorship, and helping build their self-esteem. During 2025, we are planning to officially bring back Township talent shows.”
Pushing Beyond Boundaries
Lena advises young entrepreneurs eager to follow in her footsteps to be consistent and resilient while embracing their craft.
“You first need to love what you do. The money may not come immediately but it will come afterwards as long as you follow your heart and put all your effort into it.
“Looking at my journey as an entrepreneur, I realize I would not have done it without God. I am very proud of myself because I have inspired so many young people to achieve their own victories.
“I have learned that consistently brings in the desired results. Consistency means doing it even though you are not seeing immediate results, just doing it anyway because of the love of doing it,” explains Lena.
