Heritage Month: What We Choose to Carry Forward
Heritage Month is complicated. On the surface, it’s about the food, music, and traditions that make us proudly South African. But just beneath the celebration lies a deeper question: what parts of our heritage are we intentionally carrying forward, and which parts are holding us back?
At Lucha Lunako, we believe heritage isn’t just something to preserve like a family heirloom. It’s alive; woven with both trauma and possibility. It asks us to reflect, debate, and most importantly, to act.
Heritage through the lens of youth
“Our national heritage continues to be shaped by the deep scars of poverty, inequality, and injustice,” says Michelle Green, co-founder of Lucha Lunako. “With nearly half of our young people aged 15–34 not in education, employment, or training, youth unemployment has become a national emergency. Unless we make bold changes, dependency and disillusionment will take root in the very generation that should be leading us into the future.”
This reality isn’t just an economic statistic, it’s a human crisis. Every unemployed young person represents a dream deferred, a voice silenced, a potential contribution never realised. And yet, within the same young people lies creativity, resilience, and vibrancy strong enough to shift our country forward if only the right doors are opened.
Our organisational inheritance
Lucha Lunako was founded on a belief: that our young people are not “beneficiaries” of charity, but partners in shaping the future. As co-founder Alana Bond puts it, “We realised that skills transfer alone is not enough. What’s missing is a deeper journey of self-discovery, a process that helps young people reconnect with their own sense of agency and possibility.”
This belief is part of our organisational culture: we don’t work for young people, we work with them. We don’t “fix” them—we build spaces where they can see themselves as problem-solvers, creators, and leaders. Our work is not about imposing solutions but co-creating journeys.
Building bridges, together
As a hybrid social enterprise, Lucha Lunako is intentionally structured to hold two worlds together: the agility and financial resilience of a business with the purpose-driven heart of a non-profit. This allows us to stand firmly in partnership with corporates, philanthropies, communities, and most importantly, youth themselves. Collaboration isn’t just a tactic for us, it’s our organisational DNA.
We see South Africa’s best qualities; our warmth, our resilience, our ubuntu as living proof that we have what it takes to carry forward the inheritance worth keeping. And we see our youth, not as a “problem to solve,” but as the very bridge between what we’ve inherited and what we want to become.
A reflective invitation
Heritage Month shouldn’t end with a braai or a dance. It should leave us all asking:
- What parts of our heritage do we want to pass on?
- What cycles of exclusion or injustice are we ready to disrupt?
- And how do we, together, create a future worth inheriting?
At Lucha Lunako, our answer lies in co-creating opportunities for young people to thrive because when youth thrive, South Africa thrives.
To partner with us or learn more, please contact us here.
