From the police officer handling a stolen car report to a radio talk show host, Molo Songololo's work with children and teenagers and its iconic magazine have made an impact -- and continues to do so.

'It's the 50-cent books we were waiting for. It was a real programme of democracy, teaching us our rights: I am a person, I am protected," recalls radio host Lester Kiewit of the Molo Songololo magazine that he helped distribute at the Kannemeyer Primary School in Grassy Park, Cape Town.

But it's the three-day 1997 trip to Robben Island with creative arts workshops and final-night performances that remains in his memory as a "most magical experience". Part of a children and democracy programme, the children came from the Cape Flats, townships and also from wealthy suburbs like Llandudno and Scarborough.

Twenty-five years after that outing as a 13-year-old, the memories remain vivid. It's the impact Molo Songololo has.

The young person-centred approach to empowerment and awareness and facilitating children to express themselves about what affects them continues today.

On 6 April, Molo Songololo was the South African participant in the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights global consultations -- led by two...