Wynberg teen selected for

Global Youth Fellowship

At just 17, Wynberg Boys’ High School pupil Zac Lewis balances civic leadership with first-team sport, competitive boxing and music — and is now the first announced Fellow of the Global Youth Council.

By Cassandra Pillay, Communications Manager, T4 Education . Founding cohort . 5 min read

Five pursuits, one Fellow:
"I've never wanted to be a master of one thing."

Lewis serves on the Junior City Council (JCC), is a first-team basketball and rugby player, a competitive boxer and a musician. He has earned full colours playing marimba and also plays the saxophone.

Now, the teenager has been selected as the first announced Fellow of a new global youth fellowship bringing together young people from around the world.

According to Cassandra Pillay, communications manager at T4 Education, Lewis will take part in the 12-month Global Youth Council fellowship, created by T4 Education for young people aged 16 to 18.

Pillay said the programme will bring together young people from different countries and backgrounds to learn from global experts and mentors, exchange ideas and explore ways to create public impact.

Wynberg teen wants to
bring global lessons home

Lewis learned about the fellowship through his mother and was drawn to the chance to meet young people from different cultures and backgrounds.

“What interested me was the opportunity to meet young people from around the world and learn from people who have different cultures and completely different backgrounds from me. I also liked the idea of being able to bring what I learned back to South Africa.”

The application included written questions, a video submission and an interview, according to Pillay. Lewis said the video gave him a chance to show more of his personality, while his involvement in the JCC helped demonstrate his leadership and community involvement.

His willingness to try different things has also shaped his approach to life.

“I’ve never wanted to be a master of one thing. I’d rather try different things, even if I’m not the best at all of them, because you learn something from every experience.”

Lewis said his curiosity, desire to change South Africa and attitude towards failure all drive him to take on new challenges.

“If something doesn’t work, it’s not the end. I can try again, learn from it and keep going until I succeed.”

Creating more
opportunities

That desire to make a difference is also reflected in the issue Lewis would most like to see change in South Africa: unequal access to opportunity, particularly in education. He said he knows he has been fortunate to have access to opportunities including a good school, boxing, the JCC and now the Global Youth Council.

“I think there is so much potential in South Africa. There are so many young people with incredible talent, ideas and the ability to make a difference, but not everyone gets the same opportunities to show what they can do.”

For Lewis, making education and other opportunities more accessible could help unlock that potential. He hopes the fellowship will give him a chance to learn how young people elsewhere have tackled challenges in their own communities and to bring those ideas back home.

“I’m really curious to learn about who these young people are, where they come from and what their experiences have been.”

Lewis is also looking forward to meeting the programme’s mentors and developing his communication and leadership skills.