Giving Compass' Take:

• Global Citizen profiles a 62-year-old South African musician named Kolwane Mantu, who has applied his skills to help children in his community express their creativity and discover self-confidence over the course of three decades.

• Nonprofit professionals can learn a lot from Mantu's inspirational example, especially how important it is to engage and listen to young people.

• Here's how arts education helps train tomorrow’s workforce.

“Life without music would be a mistake.”

These words are printed on the backs of the T-shirts worn by students as they head in and out of a community hall in Diepkloof, Soweto, after school and on weekends.

They are each part of the African Youth Ensemble (AYE), a nonprofit organization founded by Kolwane Mantu, affectionately known as “Bra K.”

Mantu has adopted the printed words as his mantra, having spent over three decades teaching string instruments to township children — as a way to keep them from the issues facing many communities, such as substance abuse, crime, and teenage pregnancy.

Read the full article about the musician teaching Soweto's children for over 30 years by Mbali Kgame at Global Citizen.