OPINION | The two faces of freedom: celebration versus lived reality

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If we are free, why are so many young South Africans still not feeling free – Karen Farred asks.

Freedom Day is a moment of national pride, reflection, and remembrance.

But beneath the celebrations a difficult question lingers that we dare not ignore. If we are indeed free, why do so many young South Africans still not feel free?

For many young people, freedom is not experienced as opportunity. It is experienced as survival.

It is waking up in unstable homes, carrying unspoken trauma, and trying to build a future with limited support, limited access, and few second chances.

While South Africa has made progress since 1994, the reality is that freedom has not been experienced equally.

At Girls and Boys Town South Africa, we see this day after day. Young people arrive carrying stories of neglect, loss, violence, and rejection. Many have had to survive long before they were given the chance to simply be young.

Freedom is not limited

Without support, these experiences shape identity, limit confidence, and narrow what young people believe is possible for their lives, and this is why our work matters.

Freedom is not limited to the political. It is also emotional and psychological. It is the ability to make choices, access opportunity, and believe in a different future.

At Girls and Boys Town, we see freedom begin again when a young person feels safe, is heard, and starts to rebuild their sense of self through counselling, education, and life skills support.

ALSO READ | Silence is Complicity

We see young people move from hopelessness to possibility. From silence to voice. From survival to direction.

Freedom is when a young person realises they have a choice. It is when they begin to see that their future can be bigger than their circumstances.

As we reflect on Freedom Day, we must be brave and honest. Political freedom opened the door in 1994, but social and emotional freedom are still being built every day.

If we are serious about South Africa’s future, we must expand what freedom means. It must include safety, support, mental health care, education, and real opportunity.

Because until every young person can live with dignity, hope, and possibility, the story of freedom in South Africa is not yet complete.

Written by: Karen Farred (Girls and Boys Town South Africa CEO)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the content belong to the author and not vmexsa, its affiliates, or employees.