18+ Campaign results in decrease in underage drinking

The 18+ Campaign was launched in November last year when 150 ordinary working South Africans from Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, aged between 23 and 30 years old, were appointed by Instant Grass Marketing to champion the cause. These young adults shared their stories of the mistakes made in their teenage years and gave advice to a total of 225 younger mentees, ranging from siblings, relatives, friends or someone in the community.

Mentors were encouraged to follow SAB’s 18+ Campaign on social media and share the content so that others could take the pledge online to 'Be the Mentor'.

By engaging in the programme, many of mentors found themselves looking at themselves in a new light, or starting up various community initiatives to help others such as a girls’ youth group and a mentorship programme for young men in a township.

Initial problem

“I realised that, with my experience, that alcohol was not the initial problem. The main problem is the social construction and the situation they are in which at times has led them to turn to alcohol or people who influence their lives in a bad way,” said Wongie Mafilika, who mentors a girl group in Khayelitsha.

The majority of the mentors said they had encouraged other adults to take on a mentorship role. In the five months since the launch of the campaign, more than 3,500 people have taken the online pledge to mentor someone.

South Africans are encouraged to take the pledge and to mentor the youth of the country by helping them make the right decisions, including saying no to underage drinking.