Youth Day is a time to reflect on the sacrifices and oppression previous generations had to suffer for us to have freedom today. It is important to acknowledge and pay tribute to the past generations who helped pave the way for the future ones.

One of Riky’s greatest passions was the youth, the kids, and the upcoming generation. He selflessly dedicated a lot of his time, his energy and his focus to helping develop and mentor youth.

It was hugely important for him to find ways to help them elevate themselves and to grow. He was dedicated to helping them build and create things that belonged to them.

Earlier this year, Riky tweeted, “Please believe in young people. Give them as many opportunities as they need to prove themselves. At any cost.” He desperately wanted to inspire others like him to help empower the youth, to allow them room to learn, grow, create and explore the opportunities around them.

He saw huge potential in our “kids” and he constantly looked for ways to give them a voice. He wanted to give the youth, the dreamers, the creatives, all the tools they needed to drive the culture forward and to help them one day earn a seat at the table.

I hope that we can continue to use the music, various art forms and Riky’s messages to help the youth build on the culture whilst creating something amazing for their future. We had a shared passion and vision around creating spaces, platforms and opportunities for youth to shine. I will continue to work toward realising this vision.