The #BeFree Movement hosted its #BeFree Ballers, a youth-centred initiative bringing together young men, mentors and service providers to engage in conversations on masculinity and sexual reproductive health amongst others.

The programme drew over a hundred young men who engaged with these topics. 

Speaking at the gathering, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sanlam Allianz Investment, Tega Shiimi, urged men to build their self-esteem by adopting a positive mindset and to avoid blaming others when things don't go their way.

"Confidence itself, I think, is crucial, crucial. Because if you don't believe in yourself, then the rest of the world won't believe in you. So if you don't show and exude that confidence, then no one else will show that confidence in you. So you need to start within yourself. Guys, you can't just be blaming the world every time. You must look at yourself, be introspective, and have any stuff conversations, right? And you need to be vulnerable; you need to be able to trust."

Pastor John Kamati, who also spoke at the event, emphasised the power of football in reaching out to young men on sexual reproductive and mental health matters. 

"Football is something that man relates to. It has a symbolic significance in terms of what is important to us as men. We discuss it even today as we started; you know, everybody's talking about Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester because many guys, many boys, can relate to that." 

During the meeting, an inmate, Rachimo Haradoeb, who is currently serving his 35-year sentence in prison since 2006, shared his life story – highlighting his regrets and bad decisions that have cost him his freedom.

"When I was sentenced to 35 years, I went to prison. At that time, a correctional facility was not as it is now; it was just locking up. Close to there, there was no rehabilitation; there was none. You just locked in. It's only after five years, knowing my sentence, that, you know, people started talking and that I started realising I needed to be made and I needed to own up to my own actions. So as a man, I think we are, in a way, we need to own up to our own actions and not blame others."