Queen Gum

Queen Gum is a community development leader and youth coach based in Cape Town, with over 15 years of service to young people on the Cape Flats. Raised by a domestic worker who taught her to take responsibility and lead with integrity, Queen built her career from the ground up, starting as an HIV counsellor and tester with the Health 4 Life programme before moving into youth leadership and coaching. Queen currently serves as Leadership and International Programme Coordinator at Life Choices, where she coaches youth aged 18 to 30 through life skills, bursary and tertiary applications, job readiness training and internship placements. She coordinates the organisation’s German Exchange Programme, managing partnerships with international youth centres and preparing South African volunteers for a year of service abroad. Alongside this, she consults for different organisations on youth and community programmes, bringing her coaching and facilitation experience to new settings and partnerships. A servant leader, Queen is known for her honesty, curiosity and willingness to address difficult conversations directly, even when it takes courage. She believes in bridging inequality and using her platform to speak for those who are not heard. Above all, she is passionate about support: standing beside young people and fellow leaders, helping them see their own strength, and walking with them as they step into it