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Empowering Young Men in Africa
Empowering Young Men in Africa
Sputnik Africa
In this episode we sit down with Dr. Charley Pietersen, youth mentor, author, humanitarian, and founder of the Growing Up Without a Father foundation, for a... 13.07.2026, Sputnik Africa
2026-07-13T12:43+0200
2026-07-13T12:43+0200
2026-07-24T15:02+0200
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Case for Coal Embargo
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In this episode of Eye of the Storm, we sit down with Roshan Dadoo, a veteran activist and key figure in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) coalition in South Africa, for a critical conversation on the intersection of human rights and South Africa’s complicity in the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
Dr. Pietersen argues that the heavy focus on empowering the girl child, while essential, has created a dangerous imbalance by neglecting young men. Without parallel investment in the boy child, societies produce angry, directionless young men who struggle to relate to empowered women, fuelling gender-based violence and deeper social breakdown. The conversation confronts the limits of motivational workshops and grants as long-term solutions, insisting that real change requires ground-level skills training, job placement, and investment that builds self-reliance rather than permanent dependency. It explores the uncomfortable truths of silence around the abuse of boys, the crisis of identity among young men who cannot answer, “Who am I?" and the critical role of fathers, mentors, and churches in breaking cycles of absence and abandonment.Looking continent-wide, he rejects competition between young African men in favor of alliance and mutual learning while offering a clear vision of what becomes possible when the continent unites its youth workforce.“Africa with innovative ideas will blossom. Because I believe Africa, you’ve got it. We’ve got the minerals… we’ve got agriculture, we have got everything… but what we lack as Africans is unity and how to manage what we have together,” Dr. Pietersen asserts.Dr. Pietersen makes a strong case for practical, community-rooted solutions, mindset change, and collective responsibility across families, institutions, and the continent to stop leaving African young men behind.Listen to this episode for a clear-eyed, grounded discussion of the boy-child crisis, the cost of imbalance, and the choices required to restore balance and build a future that includes all of Africa’s youth.► Check out all the episodes of Eye of the Storm.► Listen to this podcast on all your favorite platforms: Apple Podcasts | Deezer | Spotify | Pocket Casts | Podcast Addict | Castbox | Afripods
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Pieter Kriel
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podcasts, children, youth, africa, аудио
podcasts, children, youth, africa, аудио
Empowering Young Men in Africa
12:43 13.07.2026 (Updated: 15:02 24.07.2026) In this episode we sit down with Dr. Charley Pietersen, youth mentor, author, humanitarian, and founder of the Growing Up Without a Father foundation, for a direct and necessary conversation about the African boy child being left behind.
Dr. Pietersen argues that the heavy focus on empowering the girl child, while essential, has created a dangerous imbalance by neglecting young men. Without parallel investment in the boy child, societies produce angry, directionless young men who struggle to relate to empowered women, fuelling gender-based violence and deeper social breakdown. The conversation confronts the limits of motivational workshops and grants as long-term solutions, insisting that real change requires ground-level skills training, job placement, and investment that builds self-reliance rather than permanent dependency. It explores the uncomfortable truths of silence around the abuse of boys, the crisis of identity among young men who cannot answer, “Who am I?" and the critical role of fathers, mentors, and churches in breaking cycles of absence and abandonment.
“If you don’t empower the boy child the same way that you empower the girl child, you’re going to have a problem of gender-based violence… angry young men that don’t know how to handle an empowered girl child,” Pietersen remarks.
Looking continent-wide, he rejects competition between young African men in favor of alliance and mutual learning while offering a clear vision of what becomes possible when the continent unites its youth workforce.
“Africa with innovative ideas will blossom. Because I believe Africa, you’ve got it. We’ve got the minerals… we’ve got agriculture, we have got everything… but what we lack as Africans is unity and how to manage what we have together,” Dr. Pietersen asserts.
Dr. Pietersen makes a strong case for practical, community-rooted solutions, mindset change, and collective responsibility across families, institutions, and the continent to stop leaving African young men behind.
Listen to this episode for a clear-eyed, grounded discussion of the boy-child crisis, the cost of imbalance, and the choices required to restore balance and build a future that includes all of Africa’s youth.
► Check out all the episodes of Eye of the Storm. ► Listen to this podcast on all your favorite platforms: Apple Podcasts | Deezer | Spotify | Pocket Casts | Podcast Addict | Castbox | Afripods 
