Page 41 - Ubuntu Repro Upload

CITY MAYOR

By: Lauren Human

Although the only “politics” the Junior City Council of the Uitenhage/Despatch District may be interested in is the different schools they represent, they can all look up to the leadership of the very self-assured, calm and intelligent Junior City Mayor, Brandwag High School learner Unika Schonken.

Unika is soft-spoken and kind-hearted, but her presence speaks confdence in abundance. She projects an image of the perfect role-model for youth - being the ultimate overachieving A-student at her school and currently the Head Girl at Brandwag High School.

Unika proved to be worthy of her title, when through a powerful speech she managed to motivate hundreds of matriculants at the Executive Mayor’s Matriculant prayer session at Brandwag High School last year. Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor, Cllr Zanoxolo Wayile, whispered to her on stage that he was impressed with her motivational words and her wisdom at such a young age. She felt moved by Mayor Wayile’s acknowledgement; saying: “I have never been in the presence of such an important statesman.”

But Unika is important in her own right, to the many young people of the city who some day hope to make a difference to their communities in positions of leadership.

Unika is one of 42 members of the Junior City Council of the Uitenhage/Despatch area, running portfolios focusing on fundraising, editorial, projects and public and internal relations. The Junior City Council consists of representatives from seven different schools in the Uitenhage, Despatch and surrounding areas, and incorporates a diverse mix of cultures and races.

Unika said that she felt privileged to be a part of such a supporting Council, and that she was consistently learning from her fellow Council members about new ways of doing things in local communities.

The Junior City Council has set a goal of completing 36 projects by the end of this year. According to Unika, they are on schedule and have already run soup kitchens, visited elderly homes, spent time at animal anti-cruelty homes, assisted the disabled and cared for the environment.

“Our aim as a Council is to grow the leaders of tomorrow and eventually to become the

future councillors of the city. We are all very interested in how Council operates and look forward to learning more about governance.”

The Junior City Council meets every second Wednesday, hosted by Brandwag High School in honour of their Junior City Mayor. Unika also chairs these meetings, where the future leaders of tomorrow discuss new and exciting projects to make Nelson Mandela Bay a better place for all to live in.

When she does have a moment to spare in her busy schedule, Unika loves to read, write for her school newspaper, participate in robust debating, and play hockey for her school.

And her dreams and goals? By 30, she wants to have travelled the world!

“And I want to own my own company. I never want to be too busy to help people. And, most important, I want to wake up in the morning loving what I do,” said Unika.

Wise words from a future leader!