Hi, my name is Kudzayi Badisi, and welcome to my R-NEET blog post, where I share my journey in creating an R-NEET video to help us recruit more participants to the project. As an unemployed young person and a Youth Advisory Committee member of R-NEET, I was given the chance to try something new and exciting. Honestly, I didn’t have any prior experience, and there were plenty of excuses I could have used to let the opportunity slip by. But deep down, I knew I needed this, so I pushed myself to find a way to bring it to life.

Learning new skills

I didn’t have any formal skills in video creation. However, I’ve always been passionate about art. I love drawing and editing short videos for social media. Creating a full video was completely new for me, and I doubted I could do it. I saw this opportunity as a way to sharpen my talents and gain digital skills I didn’t have before. As an unemployed youth, I had nothing holding me back. This opportunity gave me a chance to try something new, develop skills, and gain experience, while also earning a small income. Opportunities like this don’t come often, so I had to make the most of it.
I decided to give it a try even though I lacked experience, especially with the help of gen AI tools and apps that help with audio and image generating. Basically AI helped a lot and make the learning process easier and more exciting. Zig Ziglar said “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” And I held onto this quote throughout my journey. I may not have known everything in the beginning, but I chose to start anyway, and that decision changed everything.

Overcoming challenges

There were still some big challenges: not having my own mobile phone, loadshedding [planned power outages to reduce strain on the overwhelmed electricity grid], poor network connections and limited data all made it difficult to stay connected, find information and tutorials, or complete tasks consistently. My mom was very supportive and I used her phone. She let me install the apps I needed for editing, even when I asked for the phone over and over again. When loadshedding happened I had to wait for the power to come back to charge the phone or access a stable network. It didn’t help that network problems got worse of over time. But I stayed hopeful and determined to finish what I had started. I was provided with data so that wasn’t too much of an issue. When I ran out, I could ask for more. The only challenge was that the editing apps I used had ads that consumed extra data.
It was an amazing journey. I had to balance editing the videos with helping around the house. It challenged my creativity, time-management and problem-solving skills. But I truly enjoyed having something meaningful to focus on.

Mentoring makes a difference

One of the biggest blessings during this journey was the support I received from my mentors.
Ma’am Joyce was like a personal coach throughout the video creation process. She was incredibly patient and always reminded me that it was okay to make mistakes and take time to improve. She guided me step-by-step, especially with editing and knowing what to include, and she consistently checked in on my progress, which kept me motivated and focused. She gave me helpful feedback and was always there to answer questions when I felt stuck. Ma’am Linda played a big role in helping me understand the information I needed to include in the videos. She was always willing to explain things clearly and made sure I felt confident in what I was presenting. Ma’am Anita was also an amazing support system. She encouraged me behind the scenes and reminded me to believe in my own creativity. Their guidance and belief in me made all the difference, and I’m truly thankful to have had them as mentors on this journey.

Actionable takeaways and hopes for the video

I gained new skills and editing knowledge, and I learned how to push through a challenge and believe in myself. I hope the videos inspire youth like me who are NEET to start their own journey toward resilience. I want them to feel encouraged to join the study, stay motivated, and take every opportunity they can to grow, learn, and feel supported.
If you’re reading this and unsure of where to begin, just take that first step. Growth, confidence, and greatness will follow. Start small, start scared, just start. You never know how much you can grow until you try!
To find out more about the R-NEET project and the activities we are doing, check out our video: https://resilientyouth.net/video-about-r-neet/

Acknowledgements

A special thank you to my mom for being my biggest supporter. Even when I didn’t have my own phone, she allowed me to use hers, helped me install the apps I needed, and always stood by me. Her support made everything possible.
To my siblings, thank you for lifting me up during the times I felt like giving up. Your encouragement reminded me to keep going, to believe in myself, and to stay true to what I was doing. You pushed me forward when I needed it most.
I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the University of Pretoria, our funding partner Wellcome, as well as SADAG and REPSSI. Thank you for making this opportunity possible and for believing in the potential of youth like me. Being part of R-NEET has been a life-changing experience, and your support helped me grow, learn, and step into something I never imagined I could do.

Thank you all for walking this journey with me.