---
title: ‘I am because we are’- Global Youth Bring Compassion To Life In South Africa
description: At Youth IF20 in Cape Town young leaders turn Ubuntu into action – interfaith listening, inclusive education and family-centred compassion for communities.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2025-09-29T11:36:20.000Z
updated: 2026-02-26T22:05:39.518Z
canonical: https://richwoman.co/article/i-am-because-we-are-global-youth-bring-compassion-to-life-in-south-africa
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/r6beceffwd8.jpg
categories: Philanthropic Minds
content_type: Feature
region: South Africa
publication: Rich Woman Magazine
---

The room hummed with quiet conversation as delegates from 25 countries settled into their seats, the warm Cape Town morning light filtering through the windows of the Youth Interfaith Forum. When a young woman from Brazil stood to share her story about listening – really listening – to someone whose faith differed drastically from her own, the energy changed. Her voice carried the weight of genuine discovery as she described how that conversation had changed not just her perspective, but her approach to the children she teaches back home. The smiles exchanged across language barriers and the shared understanding in that moment captured something the organisers had hoped for: Ubuntu wasn’t going to remain a textbook concept here.

For 55 young adults representing 15 different faiths, the Youth IF20 forum in Cape Town marked the beginning of something practical – a week dedicated to taking the African philosophy of Ubuntu out of academic discussions and into real community work that reaches families and [children where they live](https://richwoman.co/article/inside-canada-s-first-mock-embassy-how-black-youth-are-getting-a-seat-at-the-diplomatic-table).

## What Ubuntu Means When It’s Lived, Not Just Learned

Ubuntu – ‘I am because we are’ – sounds simple enough until you try to live it. Jabari Khalid Smith, who opened the forum, framed it as an invitation to co-create space together rather than just occupy the same room. But it was [Cape Town Interfaith Initiative](https://capeinterfaith.org.za/) leader Babalwa Ngcongolo who cut straight to what Ubuntu actually demands: ‘Dethroning ourselves from the centre of our world and putting another there.’

That approach particularly connects with this generation of [young women and men](https://richwoman.co/article/how-young-americans-are-building-better-futures-abroad-and-the-ripple-effect-on-leadership) who are raising children or teaching in communities where difference often breeds suspicion rather than curiosity. [Research in South African schools](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274374017_The_African_Philosophy_of_Ubuntu_in_South_African_Education) shows that Ubuntu-based approaches break down barriers between students from different backgrounds, creating environments where success becomes collective rather than competitive.

Children learn to see their classmates’ achievements as connected to their own wellbeing – a perspective that extends far beyond the classroom. Young mothers teaching their children to share not out of politeness but from genuine understanding that their neighbour’s child’s hunger affects their own family. Teachers creating spaces where [students from different backgrounds work together](https://richwoman.co/article/we-needed-this-wilmington-educators-and-students-break-the-mould-at-wlc-symposium) on projects that benefit everyone, not just their immediate group.

## When Compassion Becomes Exhausting

Ngcongolo didn’t sugarcoat the reality of sustained compassion work. ‘In this tiredness, we must continue to act, we must continue to fight… even in our exhaustion,’ she told the gathered delegates, acknowledging what many parents and community workers know intimately – that caring deeply is draining work.

Drawing on [Karen Armstrong’s assertion](https://www.compassion.com/) that ‘compassion is a principle of action rooted in empathy and a commitment to alleviating suffering, not just a feeling,’ the forum tackled the honest reality that good intentions fade without practical support systems. Parents know this when they’re trying to teach children empathy whilst managing their own stress. Teachers experience it when they want to create inclusive classrooms but lack the resources to address every child’s needs.

The forum focused on equipping participants with tools to persist beyond the initial inspiration – [practical steps for maintaining compassion work when the emotional high wears off](https://richwoman.co/article/from-struggle-to-success-how-five-million-young-lives-are-being-transformed). This meant exploring the Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, including balancing care for others with necessary self-care, a lesson particularly relevant for women who often carry the bulk of community emotional labour.

## Making Justice Personal And Collective

Raquel Bennett, a gender and race specialist from Brazil, brought intersectionality into sharp focus. ‘Ubuntu reminds us that our liberation is collective,’ she emphasised, connecting individual wellbeing to broader community health. Her message to delegates was straightforward: ‘Listen to the voices who are most impacted.’

For communities where [children face multiple challenges](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-85924-4_17) – poverty, violence, educational inequity – this intersectional approach means recognising that addressing one issue in isolation rarely creates lasting change. A mother teaching her daughter to stand up for classmates facing racism also needs to address how gender expectations might limit that same child’s voice.

Humanitarian content creator Sibu Szymanowska urged participants to move beyond sensationalism in their advocacy: ‘Why lean into the sensationalist when you can lean into the stories?’ she asked. For young people using social media to create change, her advice focused on [amplifying authentic voices rather than chasing viral moments](https://richwoman.co/article/from-classrooms-to-the-un-three-costa-rican-women-put-oral-health-on-the-global-stage) – a lesson that applies whether you’re posting online or talking to children about the news they encounter.

## From Potlucks To Policy: Real Change In Action

The forum showcased concrete examples of young people creating change through simple, replicable actions. Jyuri Michino, a Buddhist from New York working in Northern Ireland, shared how her interfaith potluck initiative continues to thrive. ‘Interfaith work is integral across all sectors,’ she explained, ‘from health to disaster risk reduction.’

What started as shared meals became a model for [collaboration that reduces academic competition](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13603116.2022.2127491) and builds genuine relationships across difference. Parents hosting similar gatherings in their communities find that children who eat together, learn together and play together form bonds that transcend the prejudices adults might inadvertently pass down.

Jabari Smith reflected on his work with Roma communities in Slovenia, Japan and Kenya, crediting his approach to seeing ‘the person in front of me’ rather than abstract categories. Fellow delegate Uzair Ben-Ebrahim described how learning Hebrew deepened his engagement with Jewish communities, allowing him to see ‘not just as the other, but as a person in front of me… with a valid experience.’

Their emphasis on honest dialogue and mutual representation reflects what [research shows](https://scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-80542019000400007) about successful community programs: they work because they’re built on genuine relationships rather than charitable impulses.

## Preparing Young Leaders For Bigger Stages

As participants prepared to take their refined pitches and developed projects to the G20 Interfaith Forum, the focus remained practical. The forum equipped them with tools for sustained engagement rather than one-off volunteer experiences. Creating change requires both passion and strategy – something parents teaching children about justice need to model.

The delegates worked on aligning their projects with broader goals whilst maintaining the personal connections that make their work authentic. Whether organising community meals, [building local support networks](https://richwoman.co/article/being-human-and-kind-there-is-kindness-behind-every-serve-day) or developing youth leadership programs, their focus remained on building relationships that outlast individual projects.

## Bringing It Home: What This Means For Families And Communities

The lessons from Cape Town offer practical guidance for anyone raising children or working with young people in diverse communities. The emphasis on listening deeply before trying to help challenges the impulse to rush in with solutions. Parents teaching children to navigate difference can model this by asking questions about their child’s classmates’ experiences rather than making assumptions.

The forum’s recognition that [community-based support significantly improves children’s wellbeing](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5113730/) reinforces what many mothers already know – that building connections with other families strengthens everyone’s children. Small acts like sharing meals, collaborating on school projects or simply having conversations across difference create the foundation for more significant change.

For communities where [interfaith or intercultural tension exists](https://richwoman.co/article/women-faith-leaders-shape-new-era-of-religious-dialogue-and-peace-building), the forum’s approach suggests starting small but thinking broadly. Children who learn to see their neighbour’s success as connected to their own wellbeing grow into adults who can tackle larger social challenges. Teachers who create inclusive classrooms contribute to community cohesion that extends far beyond school boundaries.

As Babalwa Ngcongolo concluded: ‘You cannot be compassionate and not do something.’ For parents, teachers and community workers, this means moving beyond good intentions to create everyday opportunities for children to practice Ubuntu – recognising that their wellbeing truly depends on everyone else’s.

The young delegates returning to their home countries carry with them not just inspiration but practical tools for building communities where ‘I am because we are’ becomes lived reality rather than philosophical ideal. Their success will be measured not in grand gestures but in the quiet moments when children choose inclusion over exclusion, when communities choose collaboration over competition, and when compassion becomes action that reaches the families and children who need it most.