National Youth Service Green Paper

Call for Submissions

Preamble

Executive Summary

1 - Introduction

2 - A conceptual framework for National Youth Service

3 - Programmes and incentivies

4 - Institutional arrangements for National Youth Service

5 - Funding and resourcing the National Youth Service

6 - Next steps in establising the National Youth Service

7 - Opportunities for youth service in government programmes

8 - Interface between National Youth Service and Human Resource Development Policies

9 - Situation analysis of the capacity available to the National Youth Service

Appendices

 

 

 

 

 

 

National Youth Commission in the Office of the Deputy President

Youth Service for National Development

Call to all stakeholders

To all heads of departments at the national, provincial and local government levels, Youth organisations, student formation, education training institutions community-based, and other non-governmental organisations

Your participation is kindly requested to make a contribution in developing a policy framework for National Youth Service

The closing date for written submissions is January 30 1999 Written responses and queries must be addressed to:
The Chief Executive Officer
National Youth Commission
Private bag X938
Pretoria
0001

Fax: (012) 324-4759
Tel: (012) 325-3702

Thank your for your participation

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Preamble

Between February and the middle of October 1998, the Technical Team on the National Youth Service Green Paper was tasked with the development of a policy framework and strategies for establishing and building a national youth service for South Africa. The Commission is pleased to release this long awaited Green Paper, particularly in the context of the Job Summit and the opportunities it places before our youth.

The purpose of this Green Paper is to invite public participation, particularly youth and youth formations, in making input to the proposed framework and strategies. As part of the Commission's policy making initiative, the Green Paper on the National Youth Service is a realisation of one of the major policy objective of Youth Policy 2000.

Although this document ushers South Africa to join the many international countries in the implementation of the youth service concept, it also presents an innovative approach and model that locates the proposed national Youth Services in our historical reality and seeks to contribute to various government interventions by placing young people at the centre of national reconstruction and development.

The approach and framework stresses the cross-cutting nature of Youth Service and therefore complements governments policy of inter-governmental and civil society cooperation and coordination. While some Youth Service programmes will be prioritised and accredited, based on criteria outlined in the Green Paper, community driven youth services will be encouraged as part of building the required critical mass of provision and the support that is needed to accelerate opportunities for youth.

I take this opportunity to thank members of the everyone who supported and contributed to the development of this discussion document: the Deputy Presidents Office; provincial stakeholders and role players who participated in our preliminary policy discussion; provincial and national Commissioners; members of the inter-departmental Reference Group and in particular members of the Technical Team..

Mahlengi Bhengu
Chairperson
National Youth Commission

November 1998

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Executive summary

National youth service provides a long-term and effective means of reconstructing South African society whilst simultaneously developing the abilities of young people through service and learning. Reconstruction includes the physical rehabilitation and renovation of community resources, such as buildings and land, as well as providing the more intangible, but perhaps more critical, service of rebuilding communities. Reconstruction also includes the task of ensuring that young people have a valued and significant role to play within their communities and that they enjoy access to the opportunities they require to make a healthy transition to adulthood.

The National Youth Service is a structured entity proposed in this Green Paper. It will be established by government to provide various types of support to a wide diversity of youth service programmes operating within the framework of service, learning and development according to agreed values, principles and criteria, as defined in this Green Paper.

The document is divided into two sections, the last section provides strategic information on available opportunities in government programmes, an outline of existing and potential institutional capacity and a review of relevant policy trends.

1. Introduction

Chapter One provides policy background to the initiative of the National Youth Service and relates the Green Paper to existing complementary government policies and programmes. It briefly sketches the context related to the situation of youth within the broader development challenge of the country and presents the four key target groups that are central to the design of the proposed policy framework.

South Africa's population is predominantly young. Seventy two per cent of the total population is under 35 while 39% of the population is aged between 14 and 35, the national definition of youth. A brief overview of the education, which also examines the relationship between education and employment, indicates that 28% of all youth in South Africa have achieved only some level of primary school education or less and that there are significant variations according to race. There is also a strong relationship between educational level attained and the desire to continue with education.

Although education and unemployment are inter-related, poor education is not the only reason for the high levels of youth unemployment. For example, young women experience higher rates of unemployment than young men across all race groups. Unemployment has profound social and psychological effects on young people and, given that this is likely to have a long-term impact on South Africa=s overall development, it points to the need for programmes addressing issues of employment to do so in a comprehensive and integrated manner.

Little data is available on how many young people are involved in the judicial and prison systems. What is known is that increasing numbers of young people are coming into conflict with the law and do not have access to programmes that can adequately rehabilitate them into society.

2. Conceptual framework

Chapter Two provides the conceptual framework for the National Youth Service. It sets out a vision for national youth service, formulates four key objectives and articulates a statement of values which should inform the development of national youth service programmes in South Africa. Four international models of national youth service are briefly described, following which the chapter locates the concept of service in the South African context, relating it to national development objectives and government initiatives such as special employment programmes and learnerships.

The chapter recommends that a National Youth Service be established to create an enabling environment for all youth service initiatives which aim to benefit communities and are in line with national development objectives. The National Youth Service would have the responsibility of providing financial, capacity building, administrative and coordinative support for specific initiatives which meet the criteria described in Chapter Six. Primary beneficiaries of national youth service are defined as communities, and disadvantaged communities in particular, and young people participating in the service programmes. A secondary beneficiary, but one which is equally important, is the labour market and the broad economy which will benefit from the skills, responsibility and civic values developed in the course of well-structured national youth service programmes.

In order to ensure that programmes yield benefit to participants and to the recipients of service, it is recommended that a mixed approach be adopted initially towards participation in a National Youth Service. This means that it may be compulsory for some target groups to participate (eg. as part of their study requirement), while in the case of other target groups, voluntary participation may be most effective.

Six operating principles for the National Youth Service are defined. The are: service learning, sustainable development, the need for incentives in order to ensure that the families of participants do not suffer financial hardship, accredited learning, criteria for the selection of community sites for service, and the development of a culture of self-reliance. Finally, the chapter articulates some assumptions that inform the design of the National Youth Service and could affect its impact.

3. Programmes and incentives

This chapter examines the programmes that would broadly fall within the National Youth Service. It distinguishes between programmes that will be accredited by the National Youth Service and those which are not likely to be accredited, and proposes a number of criteria that could inform this prioritisation. Among the criteria are those which concern programme components, those which relate to the nature of the service and those which concern the duration of the service programme.

The chapter outlines what form the accredited programmes may take for each target group. It suggests that the emphasis of individual programmes will thus differ, depending on the nature of the programmes and the needs of the target group. The programme elements described in this Green Paper are not intended to be prescriptive, but illustrate how programmes can be designed for the different target groups and how they meet the criteria in each case.

The analysis assumes that, besides the accredited programmes, there are likely to be a wide range of other youth programmes in operation which are important in several respects, but which will not be considered to be accredited National Youth Service programmes.

The chapter explores incentives for participants in terms of the possible benefits which would accrue to participants and communities from National Youth Service programmes and concludes by outlining a process by means of which the discussion about youth service programmes could be taken forward.

4. Institutional arrangements for National Youth Service

The chapter contains recommendations for the establishment of a National Youth Service Agency that will provide overall co-ordination as well as provide for direct programmatic involvement by the provincial and local co-ordination agencies, and proposes a range of functions for each of these.

It is envisaged that a broad range of agencies, corporations and institutions will implement national youth service programmes in ways which are designed to reach key target groups identified and to meet their service learning objectives. The planning, funding and implementation of programmes should take place through the joint efforts of government, non-governmental organisations, the private sector, and organisations in the youth sector.

Given the cross-cutting nature of the national youth service programmes, the National Youth Commission and the Office of the President will be responsible for initiating and overseeing the establishment of the National Youth Service, including putting in place the required institutional arrangements. Various governments departments will play a defined role in programme design, accreditation, and implementation and it is recommended that all sections of government involved in development programmes should be reoriented to incorporate youth service programmes within their institutional arrangements and action plans.

5. Funding and resourcing the National Youth Service

This chapter puts forward some broad conceptual issues about the question of funding and resources for the National Youth Service. It points out that the South African government presently has five priorities in terms of the national budget: meeting basic needs, investment in infrastructure, developing human resources, sustained economic growth and job creation, and ensuring safety and security. The principles and programmes of the National Youth Service proposed in this document have been developed in a manner which is consistent with these priorities. The chapter suggests that the funding of National Youth Service programmes will therefore be accorded the same priority as the funding of the five national development priorities cited above. The programme conception will need to be costed during the pilot phase.

The chapter then looks at the resources that could be available from within government, the private sector, non-governmental organisations and international donors. It briefly outlines the experience of national youth service programmes in other countries and raises four issues in regard to devising a resourcing strategy for national youth service. Finally, the chapter recommends principles and strategies to guide the resourcing of the South African National Youth Service. The recommendations in this chapter relate closely to the recommendations made on programmes and incentives in Chapter Six and institutional arrangements in Chapter Eight.

6. Next steps in establishing the National Youth Service

This chapter outlines a programmatic implementation strategy that will be pursued parallel to the policy and legislative process that follows this Green Paper.

The National Youth Commission will facilitate the implementation of proposals in the Green Paper over a period of three years. In order to lay the ground for the launch of the National Youth Service in the year 2000, a limited number of projects will be implemented in 1999 to put in place the medium-term institutional arrangements. Parallel to this initiative, the Youth Commission will conclude the Green Paper process by developing a White Paper and related legislation by October 1999. Following the launch of the National Youth Service Agency and the National Youth Service Programme in the year 2000, a two-year development programme will be pursued and evaluated at the end 2001, leading to medium-term consolidation.

Pilot project activities include securing broad stakeholder participation and establishing an interim coordination structure for the implementation and evaluation of the pilot projects. The Interim structure will also develop a medium-term financial plan based on costing models derived from pilot and related activities, and building an awareness of the need for a national youth service and its benefits to communities, young people and the economy.

The chapter concludes with a set of recommendations that point to the immediate steps that need to be undertaken in order to lay the foundations for the National Youth Service. These will include the introduction of short-term initiatives while laying the groundwork for ensuring that the youth service can go to scale. The recommendations are intended to ensure that the unemployed youth target group will immediately benefit from this programme, while other target groups will benefit once the recommended processes have been concluded. It is the intention of the National Youth Commission that 1999 be a year in which young people start becoming effectively involved in service whilst simultaneously accessing learning opportunities.

7. Opportunities for youth service in government programmes

This chapter provides a broad overview of the initiatives and programmes that are currently being undertaken by government and which provide opportunities for service by young people. They include infrastructural programmes (such as those undertaken in regard to electrification, the provision of telephones, transport and housing), special employment programmes (undertaken in sectors such as public works, water, land, and the environment), municipal infrastructure programmes, and projects launched by the Department of Trade and Industry.

The chapter also outlines the social services programmes that have been developed by the Departments of Welfare, Health and Education and the initiatives launched by the Department of Justice in regard to the transformation of the judicial system. In all of these programmes, youth are already a specific target group and the National Youth Service is one of the mechanisms through which the programme objectives could be met. The South African National Defence Force Service Corps is the only example of a programme that was explicitly established as a service programme.

Preparations for the Jobs Summit have included a number of proposals targeting young people and these could be critical to the success of the National Youth Service. Two types of programmes being proposed include the establishment of youth brigades for unemployed young people and young people out of school, and student service, a proposal which still needs refinement. This Green Paper provides an initiative in which these proposals, and others, could be located and suggests that the National Youth Commission would need to be integral to the work of the steering committee responsible for planning the youth programmes. The chapter recommends that where possible, the existing management structures of these programmes could provide support to the delivery of national youth service components within the programmes.

8. Interface between National Youth Service and Human Resources Development Policies

This chapter examines the relationship between the National Youth Service and a range of policies that are central to the transformation and development of the education and training system. It establishes that the policy reforms currently being put in place are specifically designed to meet the needs of those young people who are targeted to form part of national youth service programmes.

The chapter identifies the National Qualifications Framework as critical to the ability of the National Youth Service to deliver effective education and training programmes to the target groups identified. Although the qualifications are still in the process of being designed, the development of standards and quality assurance structures are important because they will enable the National Youth Service to provide participants with education and training programmes which are accredited and receive national recognition.

The proposals contained in the Skills Bill are of particular importance to the National Youth Service. The Bill recognises the need for the provision of education and training to young people that are out of work and out of school; it emphasises the importance of linking learning with practical experience; it requires that education and training must be accredited and provides for structures that will be able to play this quality assurance role; and finally it provides a funding mechanism for such programmes. Although there are some important distinctions between learning through service and the learnership system, the chapter suggests that in providing opportunities for service learning, the National Youth Service compliments the learnership strategy.

Both the Further Education and Training Bill and the White Paper on Higher Education contain elements which are supportive of the orientation of the National Youth Service since both open up the possibility of integrating service into the curricula of learning institutions in which many of the potential youth service participants are located. The chapter recommends that the National Youth Service work in conjunction with the recommendations of the multi-year implementation plan for Adult Basic Education and Training so as to incorporate adult basic education and training provision in national youth service programmes as is required to meet the needs of the target groups.

9. Situation analysis of the capacity available to the National Youth Service

Currently, in South Africa only the non-governmental sector has experience in delivering youth service programmes. A range of non-governmental organisations have developed programmes that engage young people in service as a method of providing youth development opportunities, but to date the experience gained by these organisations has not been tapped in any formal way. Non-governmental and community-based organisations operating in the youth sector have the capacity to assist the National Youth Service with curriculum and materials development, programme design and programme staff training, as well as provide access to young people and assist with recruitment and programme delivery.

Most youth work in South Africa presently takes place on a voluntary basis and while this indicates that wide acceptance of a culture of voluntarism and service already exists among young people, it does raise a number of issues which require careful consideration. These include the varying range of standards in programme and service delivery, the need for support materials, and the strategic question of how to stimulate organisations so that their operations become more sustainable.

The chapter outlines the nature of provision in the higher education and further education and training sectors. It suggests that the Department of Education=s review of the funding formulae in the higher education sector provides an opportunity to examine the option of supporting service as an integral component of curriculum reform, where this is appropriate to the objectives of the learning programmes concerned. Similarly, the opportunity exists in the further education and training policy environment for the National Youth Service to influence the transformation of this sector.

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Chapter One: INTRODUCTION

This introduction sketches the context and process of developing the Green Paper. It highlights the link between the Green Paper and other major government policy initiatives and underscores the interface between national youth service and government's principle of constructive partnerships. It also outlines the situation which the National Youth Service seeks to address, and defines the four target groups of youth that will be prioritised for participation in the Service.

1 Origins

The Green Paper on the National Youth Service is a significant follow up by government on provisions of (1) the Reconstruction and Development Programme (1994) and (2) the Youth Policy 2000 (1997). The contribution of the National Youth Service is conceived within the parameters of South Africa's commitment to national development and the development of young people as a dynamic workforce for the 21st century.

Both policy documents identify the National Youth Service as a key initiative for human resource development and for promoting a culture of service towards communities and society. These policy documents recognise that young women and men in South Africa have played a major role in the achievement of freedom ... and are our country's most important resource that must be equipped to play a major role in the reconstruction and development of South Africa.

1.1 RDP and the National Youth Service

Responding to the challenge of youth development in South Africa, the Reconstruction and Development Programme asserts that:

Youth development must focus on education and training, job creation and enabling young people to realise their full potential and participate in society and their future. It must restore the hope of our youth in the future, and in their capacity to channel their resourcefulness and energy into reconstruction and development.

The RDP recognises that, by involving the youth in community service projects such as literacy, welfare, health, public works, peace monitoring and other priority national projects, the National Youth Service, when established, would play a significant role in creating an environment for youth empowerment and development in line with the Plan of Action of the International Convention on the Rights of Children.

This Green Paper, in line with the RDP, proposes the establishment of a national institution to coordinate the National Youth Service in consultation with community, private and public sectors. It agrees with the RDP that Aappropriate government departments must more forcefully represent youth interests, including through the allocation of resources to organisations involved with youth work.

1.2 The National Youth Policy 2000

The National Youth Policy 2000 was produced by the National Youth Commission and based on extensive public participation processes and research, through sectoral workshops and focus groups. The National Youth Policy 2000 recognises that young people are a critical and significant grouping within South Africa. The policy states that the need for youth development is an intrinsic component of national development strategies.

The National Youth Policy 2000 identified nine strategic areas for youth development. Under the strategy for education and training, the creation of a framework for the National Youth Service was mandated. The National Youth Service is a key vehicle for responding to the remaining eight strategies that affect youth in the field of health, economic participation, safety and justice, welfare and community development, sport and recreation, arts and culture, environment and science and technology.

1.3 Other related policies

The Green Paper takes into consideration existing policy frameworks which have a bearing on strategy and implementation. Some of these are:

• the National Qualifications Framework;
• the National Skills Development Strategy and legislation;
• the Higher Education policy and legislation; and
• the Further Education policy and legislation.

In line with new policy trends in education and training, social services and infrastructural development initiatives, the National Youth Service will have far reaching implications in terms of:

• curriculum transformation and the role of educators in the coordination of service learning;
• the design of funding formula for higher and further education;
• provision of local government services, particularly health, welfare and public works;
• sustainable provision of opportunities for youth service activities; and
• re-establishment of social cohesion through community support and participation.

In this way the National Youth Service will play its role in youth development, regeneration of communities, nation building and economic revival by harnessing youth energy and innovation.

2 Problem statement

South Africa has experienced an alarming increase in youth unemployment over the past twenty years. This stems from a range of reasons including a decline in the number of jobs available, the poor education and training which has been available to the majority of young people in South Africa, lack of exposure to work opportunities and to work experience, and a plethora of social and psychological stresses which have meant that many young people are regarded as poor candidates for employment opportunities.

The level of disengagement experienced by young people should serve as a serious warning signal for the rest of South African society. While this disengagement is seen most clearly in the levels of youth unemployment, it is also evident in many other ways: the vulnerability of young people to becoming involved in antisocial behaviour such as crime and substance abuse and their profound disillusion with society.

2.1 The situation of youth in South Africa

South Africa's population is predominantly young. Seventy-two per cent of the total population is under the age of 35 while 39% of the population is aged between 14 and 35, the national definition of youth. Forty per cent of young people are students, while 23% are unemployed. The C A S E report for the National Youth Commission in 1996 estimated that the figure for unemployment among youth who were available for employment was 43%. The 1995 October Household Survey stated that 28% of young people are employed in full time positions and 3% are employed part time.

2.1.1 Education

Only 12% of African youth have studied as far as they wanted to, as compared with 58% of their white counterparts. The 1996 census data, segmented according to age cohorts, has not yet been released. However the 1995 October Household Survey shows that 28% of all youth in South Africa have achieved only some level of primary school education or less.

There are significant variations according to population: 33% of African youth have achieved some level of primary school education or less, as compared with 3% of white youth. According to the 1995 October Household Survey results, only 8% of young people in South Africa had attained post-matric qualifications. These include tertiary education as well as any certificates or diplomas undertaken since leaving school. A major challenge that will confront the National Youth Service is addressing this education deficit.

African youth are more likely to want to continue their education than other racial groupings - 49% compared to 33% for white youth, 30% for Indian youth, and 29% for coloured youth. There is also a strong relationship between educational level attained and the desire to continue with education. Less than a third (29%) of young people with no formal education wanted to continue with their education as compared with 42% of those with some level of primary education, 49% of those with some level of junior secondary education and 52% of those who had achieved grade 11.

There are also significant differences in the education attained by young people in different provinces. Gauteng and the Western Cape have the highest proportions of young people who have undertaken additional education or training since leaving school as well as the lowest proportions of young people who have no formal education.

2.1.2 Employment

Education and unemployment are inter-related. It would be a mistake, however, to assume that poor education is the only reason for the high levels of youth unemployment. Despite an increase in young people's ability to access education over the past ten years, youth unemployment has continued to rise.

Young women experience higher rates of unemployment than young men across all race groups. Young women find it more difficult to access the labour market and face particular problems such as discrimination and harassment when searching for work. There is a particular need to address these issues when delivering programmes which prepare young women for entering the workforce.

Studies have shown that unemployed young people are more depressed than those engaged in youth programmes or employment, and they are therefore particularly vulnerable. It is important to note the profound social and psychological effects unemployment has on young people and the long-term impact this will have on South Africa's overall development. It points to the need for programmes addressing issues of employment to do so in a comprehensive and integrated manner.

The limbo in which many out of school youth find themselves contributes significantly to young people's feeling of being disrespected and de-valued by their families and communities. The National Youth Service will provide a comprehensive way of addressing these challenges.

2.1.3 Young people in conflict with the law

Data available on young people in conflict with the law only covers juveniles in the correctional service system. Juveniles are defined as law offenders, sentenced and unsentenced, who are 21 years and younger. According to the Correctional Services Annual Report 1997, juveniles constituted 15% of the total prison population.

Figures provided by Statistics South Africa indicate the following profile: of the total 218 394 convictions for serious offences in 1995/96, 17 526 or 8% were juveniles between the ages of 7 and 17; 30 565 or 14% were young adults between the ages of 18 and 20.

The lack of a common definition of youth which can be used by all departments working with young people, particularly the departments of Correctional Services, Justice, and Safety and Security, means that little data is available on how many young people are in fact involved in the judicial and prison systems. What is known is that increasing numbers of young people are coming into conflict with the law and do not have access to programmes which can adequately rehabilitate them into society.

3 Target groups for national youth service

3.1 Four key target groups

Four key target groups will be prioritised for youth participation in the National Youth Service. These are: higher education students, further education and training students, unemployed young people and youth in conflict with the law. Each of these groups is defined below.

• Higher education students
  This target group refers to young people who are enrolled in higher education institutions. It refers to all students regardless of their year of study or subject area.
• Further education and training students
  This target group refers to all students who are enrolled in further education and training institutions, regardless of their year of study or subject area.
• Unemployed young people
  This target group refers to all young people aged 16B35 who are not engaged in formal education, employment, or income generating activities. It includes >out-of-school youth, which are those youth who have not completed their education, but who wish to return to it. Since this is such a large target group, it is suggested that some priority target groups be identified initially, for example young people who have been unemployed for a period of at least two years. The category >unemployed youth also refers to young people who may have completed higher education, but who are currently unemployed.
  Given the significant variation in need within this target group, it will be necessary to consider different strategies for the sub-groups identified within it.
• Youth in conflict with the law
  There are two distinct groupings within this target group. The first comprises young people who are encountering the criminal justice system for the first time and who may become involved in community service rather than entering the court system, or may become involved in community service through alternative sentencing. The second group will include young people who are exiting from correctional service institutions and who may be involved in community service as a way of becoming reintegrated into society.

3.2 Other categories within the youth sector

Within these target groups, and beyond them, other groups can be identified and their interests cut across the four target groups cited above. Their relationship with the four target groups is described below.

• Youth with special needs
  It is recognised that there are a number of special needs groups in the youth sector: for example young women, rural youth, disabled youth and demilitarised youth. All these young people, however, will fit into one of the above four groups. For example, there are rural youth and disabled youth who are in the further education and training and higher education systems, or who are unemployed, or who are in conflict with the law. A national youth service policy must provide for the special needs of youth to be aggressively promoted and catered for within the overarching programmes for each target group. For example, any programme for unemployed youth must actively promote ways of engaging young disabled people in service and providing for their needs. This approach contributes towards the key objectives of the National Youth Service which are to build nationhood and a common purpose among young people, rather than segregating youth who experience different needs.

  Young people under 15 years of age constitute a grouping which needs particular attention. The National Youth Service will encourage young people to move into employment, which is not legal for this age group. For this reason national youth service is not the most appropriate development intervention to be made with youth under the age of 15 years. Rather, special programmes need to be established which concentrate on enabling these participants to return to formal education. This does not preclude out-of-school fourteen year olds from being engaged in voluntary youth service.

• Youth who are employed or self-employed
  A further group of young people can be identified: those who are employed, engaged in post graduate study or successfully engaged in small, micro or medium scale enterprise (SMME) activity. These young people are an important group because they can be drawn upon to deliver service in several ways. They could mentor or develop skills in their peers who are not employed and they could undertake service for those who are disadvantaged. While many of these young people may be involved in service through organisations such as religious institutions, sporting clubs etc, it is not appropriate for these programmes to be a particular target of the National Youth Service. Nevertheless, in addition to their participation in such organisations, these young people could be drawn into programmes which do form part of the National Youth Service, possibly in a mentoring role.

4 The challenge

Given the historical conditions of youth and the vast scope of their needs within South Africa's socio-economic challenges, the nature of the envisaged National Youth Service will require a robust national effort that ensures an interface with other government programmes and therefore strong coordination of interests, multiple services and resources.

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Chapter Two: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE

A note on terminology

National youth service is a concept which is transformative in nature. It seeks to contribute to the transformation of South African society through reconstruction and development programmes which involve young people in service delivery and learning. Furthermore, it aims to support individual transformation through the growth of civic awareness in the young people involved, through their experience of service and through the development of their skills.

The National Youth Service Agency is a structured entity proposed in this Green Paper. It would be established by government to provide various types of support to a wide diversity of youth service programmes operating within the framework of service, learning and development according to agreed values, principles and criteria, as defined in this Green Paper.

A national youth service programme is one of many programmes operating within the framework established by the National Youth Service. It is distinguished from general youth development programmes by virtue of its focus on service and learning, its location within national development objectives and its alignment with the values, principles and criteria as outlined in this Green Paper.

1 International models of national youth service

National youth service is a phenomenon which is enjoying a resurgence world wide. Government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) throughout the world have initiated youth programmes which are categorised as youth service initiatives. The history and rationale for the programmes differ from country to country and in each case the reasons for initiating the programmes are instrumental in shaping their nature and the purpose. Increasingly, the exchange of views and information between service programmes in different parts of the world is resulting in the cross-fertilisation of ideas and in greater conceptual clarity. Inherent in each conception of national youth service is a definition of what is meant by >service=. Below are four conceptions of national youth service as defined in different parts of the world.

1.1 National youth service: An experiential education programme for young people

An increasing trend is for national youth service programmes to provide a transitional year or phase which gives young people access and exposure to the experience of work, and which assists them in making the transition from study to adult life and to work. In this way the year=s experience develops a maturity and level of self- awareness in participants which may not have been adequately developed during the schooling process.

A key aim of these programmes is to develop participants= work skills. The programmes recognise that many young people exiting from the school environment lack the information and skills to make a smooth transition into further education or employment. The programmes further recognise that in a global context of declining employment opportunities, experience in a service programme can increase participants' eligibility for the jobs which do exist.

1.2 National youth service: A method of fostering national development

In developing countries national youth service has been seen as a development tool which enables countries to meet their social service obligations and achieve their development goals by drawing on the skills, energy and resources of young people. In many cases government departments have used youth service programmes to deliver development programmes in education, health, water and agriculture to communities in far-flung rural areas, which would otherwise have difficulty in accessing mainstream development initiatives.

A further issue that emerges in this understanding of >national development= is nation building. The purpose of many youth service programmes in developing countries is to build a concept of nationhood which overcomes ethnic, geographic or cultural differences.

In general, these programmes focus less on the development of the individuals involved; rather they tend to concentrate on the delivery of development programmes in areas deemed to be a priority by government. In this respect they often provide critical support to the development planning objectives of government. Examples of countries implementing youth service in this way are Nigeria (particularly in relation to nation building) and Botswana.

1.3 National youth service: An alternative to military service

In Europe, the majority of youth service programmes have developed out of an understanding of national youth service as an alternative to conscripted military service. As the programmes develop and respond to changing international and intranational political, economic and social pressures, they are moving further and further away from this narrow definition. Today there is often no relationship between the national youth service programmes and the military.

These programmes tend to link with social service institutions and generally last for a period of at least twelve months. Programmes are seen as enabling young people to do >civic duty= and many focus on >classic= service activities which include working with vulnerable groups in society such as physically or intellectually disabled people, the elderly or children.

1.4 National youth service: Delivery of opportunity to young people

Youth service programmes have also become a means of intervening in situations of growing youth unemployment and dissatisfaction. Quite often they intervene where education systems have failed young people, or are unable to cope with the large numbers of young people who seek access to them. This fourth category of youth service plays a significant role in many of the youth service programmes, regardless of their origins: it seeks to provide young people with learning and experience through service which enables them to access opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to them.

2 National youth service

2.1 Vision

National youth service could provide a long-term and effective means of reconstructing South African society whilst simultaneously developing the abilities of young people through service and learning. Reconstruction includes the physical rehabilitation and renovation of community resources, such as buildings and land, as well as providing the more intangible, but perhaps more critical, service of rebuilding communities. Reconstruction also includes the task of ensuring that young people have a valued and significant role to play within their communities and that they enjoy access to the opportunities they require to make a healthy transition to adulthood.

A comprehensive approach to youth service is required to ensure that the special needs of young people are not marginalised in South Africa=s national development effort. Such an approach would include the following components:

• responding with urgency and determination to the issues faced by young people who are out of school and unemployed, youth at risk and youth in the schooling and higher education system;
• enhancing and developing the skills, standards and behaviour of those individuals and organisations who design, implement, manage and monitor youth development programmes and who work directly with young people in the provision of service;
• fostering a spirit of national unity among young people in South Africa;
• building a culture of service and voluntarism between young people and the communities in which they live;
• ensuring that the practical, social and environmental needs of young people in education and training are addressed so that they are able to make full use of the policy reforms being introduced;
• addressing the imbalances and barriers of the past in an equitable manner so as to enable young people to access emerging opportunities, and to protect and respect their rights; and
• creating an enabling legislative framework which ensures that there is cooperation between civil society and government to meet the needs of young people.

3 Purpose of national youth service in SA

Four purposes may be identified for national youth service:

• To enable young people to develop the skills, knowledge and ability necessary for them to make the transition to healthy independent adulthood.
• To give young people a way out of long-term unemployment by providing them with tangible opportunities which increase their likelihood of accessing the economy.
• To inculcate in young people an understanding of their important role in South Africa=s development, to assist them to participate constructively in community reintegration and nation building and to develop pro-social behaviour.
• To provide a vehicle through which South Africa can deliver its development objectives, through the deployment of young people.

4 Values of national youth service

It is recommended that the National Youth Service should be based on the following set of values.

4.1 The promotion of a common sense of nationhood

As articulated in Youth Policy 2000, one of the key objectives of national youth service is the development of a sense of nationhood. This means that young people should have a sense of being an intrinsic and valuable part of South Africa, and have a commitment towards the social and economic development of the country. Since the advent of democracy, many young people have struggled to develop an identity that is >South African= rather than geographic, political, ethnic or racial. National youth service should therefore seek to promote values of democratic citizenship that assist young people to develop a positive identity for themselves as South Africans.

4.2 National youth service should be accessible to all young people regardless of race, gender, religion or geographic location

While the National Youth Service will focus on providing service to the most disadvantaged communities within South Africa, it should offer opportunities for all young people. While some target groups will be specifically recruited into programmes that fall under the National Youth Service, the National Youth Service should encourage an environment which supports all service activities undertaken by youth.

4.3 National youth service should promote positive and integrated methods of youth development

In South Africa there is an increasing element of negativity developing towards young people. The National Youth Service should actively promote positive images of young people. Furthermore, it should promote an integrated approach to youth development B one which acknowledges and respects the fact that young people experience a range of social, educational, economic and psychological needs, and which seeks to respond to these in a holistic manner.

5 Defining national youth service

5.1 What is service?

Service is an activity which is undertaken for reasons other than financial reparation and which contributes to the overall well being of a community. There are different ways in which service can underpin youth programmes and each country establishing a youth service programme interprets or defines the service component as best suits its needs. What is important is that a common definition is established and used as a reference point for all programmes which seek to become part of overall national youth service delivery. This is an essential prerequisite for establishing a framework for national youth service.

In South Africa, the notion of youth service will be defined broadly as the involvement of young people in activities which provide a service which benefits the community.

5.2 Service in relation to community development

The notion of service as something which benefits a community is critical. Communities must be actively engaged in the process of identifying their development needs and in devising the ways in which a youth service programme could assist in addressing such needs. Youth development and youth service should not be seen outside the context of community development. In South Africa a key objective of national youth service is to reintegrate young people into their communities. It is thus vital to ensure that youth service programmes have the approval and support of the communities in which they are functioning.

5.3 National youth service in the context of national development objectives

Through the Reconstruction and Development Programme and in consultation with communities across the country, the South African government has identified key development priorities for the country. These priorities provide the framework in which national youth service should operate. National youth service should therefore be able to demonstrate, through the programmes it supports, a tangible commitment to assisting South Africa to meet its national development objectives. One of the criteria for programmes that receive specific support from the National Youth Service will therefore be a demonstration of how they contribute towards meeting national development objectives.

The priority areas for national youth service will be determined in relation to the development priorities identified by government. These must be matched with the opportunities such priorities offer for effective youth service. An initial assessment of areas where there is convergence between development priorities identifies by government and opportunities for youth service are in the following sectors:

• Public Works
• Education
• Water Affairs
• Environment and Tourism
• Welfare
• Health.

Within each sector a the specific service opportunities in which young people can participate will be identified. The relevant departments will identify the priority areas for service. For example, if there are service opportunities in the education sector, school readiness may be identified as the priority area for a youth service project.

The National Youth Service will locate its programmes within the national development objectives already articulated by Government.

5.4 Service as a method of development

Another aspect of service is the value which it adds to people=s lives. A service programme which provides care to the elderly, for example, adds significant social value to the lives of the people for whom the young people are caring. This may be in the form of providing company, counselling, physical assistance, etc. While it may be possible to determine or quantify this contribution financially, the contribution has significantly more than monetary value. It is thus important to understand and articulate the value which the service adds to the lives of recipients.

In addition, national youth service should add value to the lives of the participants. This Green Paper proposes national youth service as a way of delivering an integrated development programme to young South Africans.

5.4 Difference between youth service, special employment programmes and learnerships

There is often confusion about why there is a need for youth service when special employment programmes and learnerships have been established. It is important to note that national youth service does not compete with, but rather complements these two strategies.

• The primary objective of special employment programmes is poverty alleviation and the meeting of reconstruction and development needs. While some human resource development may take place, this differs across the programmes.
• The learnership strategy is one primarily designed to develop human resources through the provision of education and training together with opportunities for gaining experience in the workplace. It is unlikely that learnerships will be able to mobilise large numbers of young people, given the limited number of placement opportunities in the formal sector of the economy.

The objectives of the National Youth Service are to enable young people to develop a service culture and to contribute to the reconstruction and development of South Africa, while gaining learning and work experience. The National Youth Service thus responds to the specific needs of young people and has the potential of mobilising and engaging considerably larger numbers of young people than the other two types of programmes.

5.6 Service does not replace jobs

A fundamental prerequisite for many national service programmes, such as those in Germany, Israel and the USA, is that service programmes should not in any way work in competition with labour.

People who are employed will not be displaced by youth in service programmes. Where contracts are going out for tender, a youth service programme should not bid for these contracts on the basis that the participants do not earn salaries. There should be adequate consultation with communities to ensure that they understand the purpose of youth service and do not see it as a strategy which competes with older community members seeking employment.

5.7 Service does not involve financial reparation

As mentioned earlier, youth service is an activity for which there is no financial reparation. Therefore, while working in the public sector may involve an individual rendering a service to the community, this does not constitute service in the sense that the term is used in this Green Paper. In public sector employment, service is required in terms of the contract of employment.

Furthermore, youth service cannot be undertaken in a >for profit= environment: for example, volunteering to work for a company which generates profit does not constitute youth service. Here the primary purpose is job training or placement which is designed to serve corporate needs and interests, or those of individuals, rather than the needs of the broader community.

6 Who participates in national youth service?

National youth service is a concept which provides scope for overwhelming involvement by young people in South Africa. No young person in South Africa should be excluded from having the opportunity to be involved in a service programme. The broad definition of service above provides the opportunity for all young people across the country to participate in a range of activities which benefit communities and contribute towards national development objectives. The role of the National Youth Service is to create an enabling environment which ensures that such involvement is recognised, acknowledged and encouraged within all structures of society.

International experience shows that models exist both for voluntary and for compulsory youth service programmes. South African experience to date supports the recommendations of Youth Policy 2000 (Office of the Deputy President (1997), Youth Policy 2000, Pretoria, p32) which suggest that a mix of voluntary and compulsory elements may be required in the design of national youth service programmes. Some of the issues that need to be considered in the South African context are the following:

• Which model, voluntary or compulsory, would best meet the needs of the target group?
• Which model, voluntary or compulsory, would best meet the needs of the communities in which service is to be rendered?
• Is the chosen model likely to succeed in its objectives?
• Is there the capacity and the will to implement the chosen model?

Some examples of compulsory and voluntary programmes presently in operation include the following:

• Junior doctors are presently required to do compulsory community service as a condition of attaining their professional registration in South Africa. A similar scheme may soon be introduced for law graduates.
• Service programmes that form an integral part of a curriculum or a field of study are also compulsory in nature. This is likely to increase as institutions in higher education and further education and training seek to become more responsive to community need.
• Youth who are in conflict with the law may have to undertake compulsory service as an alternative to serving time in a correctional institution, but this is a decision of the judicial system and is taken on the basis of individual cases.
• At present many service programmes are undertaken within communities on a voluntary basis: for example, sports coaching, clean-up campaigns, renovating a community centre or clearing alien vegetation.
• Other voluntary service programmes at higher education level include students involved in the provision of health services (eg. on the Phelophepha Train), tutoring primary school youth, or providing peer counselling in HIV/AIDS.

The issue of whether participation is voluntary or compulsory will thus in part be determined by the criteria developed for participation in the service programmes, and on the needs and condition of the target groups in question.

In order to ensure that programmes yield benefit to participants and to the recipients of service, a mixed approach will be adopted initially towards participation in the National Youth Service. This means that it may be compulsory for some target groups to participate (eg. as part of their study requirement), while in the case of other target groups, voluntary participation may be most effective.

7 Beneficiaries of service

7.1 Primary and secondary beneficiaries

The primary beneficiaries of programmes which fall under the National Youth Service fall into two categories.

(a) Communities, and in particular, disadvantaged communities.

(b) Young people participating in the service programme.

A secondary beneficiary, but one which is equally important, is the labour market and the broad economy which will benefit from the skills, responsibility and civic values developed in the course of well-structured national youth service programmes.

Youth service is therefore a method of providing youth development as well as contributing to national development. Furthermore, it must be noted that participants will not benefit from youth service unless careful attention is given to the design and implementation of the service programmes.

8 Operating principles of the National Youth Service

It is proposed that the following principles should inform initiatives which are supported by the National Youth Service.

8.1 Service learning

The philosophy of service learning will underpin any programme falling under the National Youth Service and that programmes will be designed and resourced with a view to achieving the service learning objectives as formulated in this Green Paper.

Service learning refers to the learning that takes place through service programmes, particularly to the learning undertaken by participants engaged in service activity. For example, a young person engaged in a service activity, whether that be tutoring primary school youth, renovating a community centre, clearing alien vegetation or providing peer counselling in HIV/AIDS, can learn the skills of problem solving, planning, critical thinking, communication, team work, assertiveness and self confidence. The practical activity in which they are involved provides an ideal vehicle for learning such skills.

Service learning is a conscious and deliberate process. While some learning happens automatically in any service programme, much more than this is required. Clear learning objectives should be articulated for service participants, the programme design must ensure that these objectives are catered for, and monitoring should form an integral part of the programme to ascertain whether the learning objectives have been achieved or if not, why not.

Service learning encourages the ability of participants to think, analyse, reflect and grow as part of their service experience. Much of the learning may take place in informal learning environments, for example while travelling to the work site or during a lunch break. There is therefore a need to make sure that this learning is conscious and open for interrogation by all participants in the service programme.

In South Africa, particularly for the unemployed target group, the education component of programmes which fall under the National Youth Service (see Chapter Six) will have the specific task of redressing previous education deficiencies. Clear parameters will be set for what can realistically be undertaken within the context of service learning.

8.2 Sustainable development

Sustainable development refers to the extent to which an initiative is sustainable within and by the community in which it is located. Sustainable development becomes a critical factor in assessing whether a project should fall under the National Youth Service. For example, should a programme rely on the constant involvement of participants? What involvement should a community have in the instigation, management, monitoring and assessment of a service programme? How will the programme be sustained by community members in the long term?

Sustainability should be understood as delivering ongoing, long-term benefit for the community and the participants beyond the duration of the programme. The following criteria will be used to assess whether a programme is likely to be sustainable and whether it should be adopted as part of the National Youth Service:

• Community representation in managing and/or monitoring the provision of the service to the community.
• Identification of the need at a national and a community level.
• Mechanisms to assess whether the community is benefiting from the service.
• The involvement of community members in formulating strategies for sustaining the achievements of the service. For example, if a clean up campaign has been provided as a service activity, the community needs to ensure that the environment will be kept clean through agreements made with local authorities on waste collection, or other means.

8.3 Incentives to overcome financial hardship

A principle of youth service should be that participants and the families of participants do not experience financial hardship because of the young person=s involvement in the service programme. The incentives in national youth service programmes need to take account of this. It is important that young people are assisted to participate in youth service.

A range of incentives for the participants in youth service will be considered, such as discounted transport, food subsidies and allowances or stipends which make it possible for young people to be engaged in service.

8.4 Accredited learning

In the long term, youth service programmes should be accredited within the National Qualifications Framework. In the interim, programmes seeking to fall under the National Youth Service should be able to demonstrate the means by which learning will be accredited.

8.5 Selection of community sites for service

Communities which are the recipients of service programmes should be the most disadvantaged communities in the country. They should be unable to meet the need being addressed by the service programme through any other means. A range of processes for assessing community need have already been developed by different local, provincial and national government departments - for example for the Working for Water Programme. These processes should be used to determine the selection of sites for national youth service programmes.

8.6 Developing a culture of self-reliance

Many development programmes, particularly those involving young people, unwittingly establish a culture of dependency. This is particularly prevalent when the development programme provides the only structure of support accessible to young people. For example, young people involved in a service programme may experience a range of health problems, financial problems and problems in the home. The expectation may then develop among some participants that the service programme will provide a way of solving these difficulties. This often means that participants are reluctant to leave programmes at the conclusion of their service. One example of this problem comes from the SANDF Service Corps, where participants remained in the programme for up to twelve months longer than initially planned because they expected the programme to meet all their needs.

All programmes which are supported by the National Youth Service should demonstrate how they will actively encourage a culture of self-reliance among participants through their objectives, design and education and training components.

9 Establishment of the National Youth Service

The National Youth Service Agency, an entity established by Government, will be created to provide an enabling environment in which youth service programmes can be pursued. The role of the National Youth Service Agency is to ensure that all community youth service initiatives are broadly encouraged and supported. The National Youth Service Agency will have the responsibility of providing financial, capacity building, administrative and coordinative support for specific initiatives which meet the criteria described in this Green Paper.

10 Assumptions

If national youth service is to have wide ranging impact on reconstruction and development throughout South Africa and on the development of large numbers of young people, a number of assumptions must be made about the environment in which national youth service programmes are seeking to operate.

10.1 There is a national commitment to the development of young people in South Africa

A critical factor in the success of national youth service is the commitment of all sectors of society to implementing the National Youth Policy as adopted by Cabinet. In government it will be the task of the National Youth Commission and the Office of the Deputy President to ensure that the Youth Policy 2000 is incorporated into programme implementation strategies of line ministries so as to make available the incentives and resources required to deliver successfully the programmes of the National Youth Service.

10.2 Service opportunities for young people are accessible

While there is likely to be a broad range of service opportunities available for young people, an assumption made in this Green Paper is that there is the administrative and bureaucratic capacity, and willingness, to access such opportunities.

For national youth service to achieve its aims and objectives, a significant level of support, cooperation and mutual understanding is required from existing agencies to support the philosophy of youth development. For example, the Working for Water programme already has a commitment to clearing catchment areas. However, for the National Youth Service to cooperate effectively with this initiative, the Department of Water Affairs will have to commit to understanding that the need to develop the young participants in the programme is equal in importance to the task of clearing the catchment area.

10.3 Standards and accreditation mechanisms identified under the National Qualifications Framework are functional in the education and training areas offered within national youth service programmes

All education and training offered by national youth service programmes must be accredited under the National Qualifications Framework. A major constraint in the short term is that many of the mechanisms for providing this accreditation are not yet in place. Interim accreditation arrangements will be required for national youth service programmes in the short term, and these should assist in laying the foundation for the longer-term accreditation system.

10.4 Resources and funds are available for the National Youth Service

This assumption relates specifically to the issues raised above. All sectors of society will have to make a commitment to making available the financial, human and physical resources required to support the programmes of the National Youth Service.

10.5 Youth service opportunities are developed in relation to prospects for increasing employment opportunities over the next five to ten years.

The National Youth Service has as its aim that participants move from involvement in a youth service programme into one of the following activities:

• employment in the formal sector;
• taking up study opportunities in further education and training or higher education;
• initiating sustainable income-generating activities; and
• participation in local economic development strategies.

The success of the National Youth Service will thus be closely linked to the extent to which employment opportunities increase in the country as a whole. While the National Youth Service can ensure that participants are in the best position possible to pursue one of these directions, it is not possible for the Youth Service to ensure that these opportunities exist.

11 Summary

11.1 Vision

National youth service will provide a long-term and effective means of reconstructing South African society whilst simultaneously developing the abilities of young people through service and learning.

11.2 Purpose

• To enable young people to make the transition to healthy independent adulthood;
• To give young people a way out of long-term unemployment;
• To inculcate in young people an understanding of their role and to assist them to participate in community reintegration and nation building;
• To deploy young people to meet South Africa=s development objectives.

11.3 Values

• The promotion of a common sense of nationhood
• Accessibility to all young people
• Promotion of positive and integrated methods of youth development

11.4 Definition of service

The involvement of young people in activities which provide a service which provide a service which benefits the community. The service should meet a community need, fit within national development objectives, and add value to the beneficiaries and participants.

The national youth service is not a special employment programme or learnership; should not replace labour; and does not involve financial reparation.

11.5 Participation

A mixed approach will be adopted initially towards participation in the National Youth Service. This means that it may be compulsory for some target groups to participate, and voluntary for other target groups.

11.6 Beneficiaries

The primary beneficiaries are disadvantaged communities and young people participaintg. Secondary beneficiaries are the labour market and the board economy.

11.7 Operating principles

• Service learning
• Sustainable development
• Incentives to overcome financial hardship
• Accredited learning
• Selection of the most disadvantaged communities through existing government processes
• Active encouragement of a culture of self-reliance

11.8 Establishment of the National Youth Service

A National Youth Service Agency will be established to create an enabling environment for youth service and to provide support for specific initiatives.

11.9 Assumptions

• There is a natioanl community to the development of young people.
• Service opportunities for young people are accessible
• The NQF is functional in the education and training areas offered.
• Resources and funds are available for the National Youth Service.
• Youth service opportunities are developed in relation to prospects for increasing employment opportunities over the next five to ten years.
  

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Chapter Three: PROGRAMMES AND INCENTIVES

This chapter examines the programmes that would broadly fall within the National Youth Service. It distinguishes between programmes that will be accredited by the National Youth Service and those which are not likely to be accredited, and proposes a number of criteria that could inform this prioritisation. The chapter goes on to outline what form the accredited programmes may take for each target group and explores incentives for participants in terms of the possible benefits which would accrue from national youth service programmes. The chapter concludes by outlining a process by means of which the discussion about youth service programmes could be taken forward.

1 Conceptualising programmes that form part of the National Youth Service

Different target groupings have varied needs and abilities. The needs and context of each target group will thus impact on the type of service that is possible, as well as the nature of the programme - for example whether there is an emphasis on the education and training components, what type of incentives will be provided, and what type of life skills will be required. Within each target group there will also be differences among different categories - for example, within the unemployed group there will be unemployed graduate and unemployed out-of-school youth.

However, within these differences it is crucial to define what makes a programme part of the National Youth Service. A key objective of the National Youth Service is to create, and to encourage a culture of service amongst young people in South Africa and to develop in them a spirit of patriotism and nation building. A further objective is to change the perceptions that many people have about young people. For this reason it is critical that the National Youth Service support all initiatives that involve young people in providing a >needed= service to the community. The implication of this is that the National Youth Service could draw together a broad range of programmes that involve young people in providing a service to the community. Examples of the diversity of programmes include the following:

• initiatives which involve unemployed young people in a year-long programme where they receive education and training and deliver a service such as the building of low cost housing;
• a church programme where young people provide a service once a week serving soup to homeless people;
• a programme that involves young people in three days of activity to clean a river or to remove alien vegetation;
• a programme which involves young people in higher education running a tutoring programme once a week for students in historically disadvantaged schools;
• a class of students in a further education institution reading to the elderly once a month;
• a medical school graduate who does a year=s service in a rural community which otherwise has very little access to medical care.

There is thus a very wide range of service programmes in which young people could be involved that would fall within the bounds of a national youth service. The key characteristic that brings these programmes together is the concept of service, as discussed in Chapter Two. All of these service initiatives are important and worthy activities, and as such would need to be encouraged and supported by the National Youth Service.

1.1 Accreditation of particular programmes under the National Youth Service

Because the National Youth Service is likely to have limited resources available to it, a mechanism must be established whereby particular youth service programmes are prioritised and given additional support. The process of identifying and prioritising the programmes should be called accreditation. Used in this way, the term refers to recognising certain types of service programmes which then become eligible for support from the National Youth Service, and authorising them to conduct their activities according to certain benchmarks.

The programmes would have to be accredited against clear criteria. Accredited programmes would be eligible for specific types of support from the National Youth Service or from government departments working in partnership with the National Youth Service. They may also be able to receive certain other benefits or incentives, once defined.

2 Criteria for programme accreditation

In line with the definitions of youth service cited in Chapter Two, it is recommended that all national youth service programmes ensure that youth are involved in providing a needed service to the community which is in line with national development objectives.

All programmes will be evaluated for accreditation against three sets of criteria:

• those which concern programme components,
• those which relate to the nature of the service, and
• those which concern the duration of the service programme.

2.1 Criteria for programme components

Programmes accredited by the National Youth Service should incorporate the following components:

• Service to a community
• Learning (which may include accredited education and training)
• Personal development and the promotion of active citizenship (counselling, life skills, values/attitudes, employment-related elements such as placements and career guidance).

These elements are inter-related, and while they will differ in terms of the extent that they are developed within programmes for different target groups, they will need to be built into all programmes. Thus the shaded area represents programmes that will be accredited by the National Youth Service.

Emphasis will be reflected in the weighting given to each of the programme components. While the detail of this still needs to be developed, the principles that will guide such weighting are listed below. The implications for programme design are further explored below, as are some of the issues pertaining to each of the sectors.

2.2 Criteria regarding the nature of the service

For a service programme to be accredited by the National Youth Service, it will be measured against two yardsticks:

• it must meet a need which is both an expressed community need as well as within the framework of national development objectives.
• it must have a tangible impact in that community. The community should be able to reflect on the service and feel that it has been worthwhile.

This approach avoids the accreditation of programmes that are selected because they are easy for the youth to achieve, yet do not improve people's lives in any real way. However, this aspect will need to be explored further since measuring the specific contribution of service to development will depend on the type of service rendered - for example, the provision of infrastructure such as building a community centre versus tutoring disadvantaged learners in school.

2.3 Criteria regarding duration of service

A minimum number of hours of service will have to be stipulated in each programme. This remains an issue that will require further development. However, at this stage, it is recommended that:

• Unemployed young people who do not have specialised skills should serve for a period of a year so as to ensure adequate education and training as well as service.
• Those young people in conflict with the law who do not have specialised skills and knowledge, should serve for a minimum of a year, however this could be longer depending on the nature of the service. Where the young person does not require education and training, the service could be shorter, however it should be of sufficient duration to ensure an adequate life skills and reintegration component.
• The duration of the programme for those young people in higher education, further education and training, or for those required to complete their service as a condition for professional registration, should be set by the appropriate institution, quality assurance or professional body.

2.4 The development and application of the criteria as applied to each of the target groups

2.4.1 Young people in higher education

The Joint Education Trust study states that:

The threefold mission of higher education teaching, research and service B has traditionally been understood as charging institutions with the responsibility for developing public citizens as well as individuals with the appropriate professional skills required by a changing economy. In much of the literature this role is defined as one which strengthens moral and civic values, and which prepares individuals to take an active part in a democratic society.

This understanding represents the cornerstone of the argument as to why it is important to involve students in higher education in service activities and is supported by this Green Paper. Through their involvement in service to the community, higher education students will be able to develop a sense of democratic citizenship in a range of ways:

• Firstly, they will be able to develop skills that are relevant to the needs of the majority of society B a key factor in developing professional excellence in terms that are respected within the profession and are appropriate to the conditions found in South Africa.
• Secondly, they will be able to gain a better understanding of the concerns of communities with whom they work B a factor that students commented on in positive terms in the Joint Education Trust study.
• Thirdly, their participation in service could inculcate a long-term commitment to active and voluntary participation in communities.

Another aspect to this argument is the acknowledgement that government, and therefore the community, have made a large contribution (in part through the university subsidy) to ensure that students have access to higher education. The service component provides opportunities for youth to respond to this by making a meaningful contribution to community development.

The implication is that in the case of higher education students, the emphasis will primarily be on ensuring that young people provide the community with service by drawing on their experience, knowledge and skills gained through higher education.

While the focus of the programmes will primarily be on service and experiential learning, these programmes should also ensure that they provide opportunities for learning, and for students to be sensitised to the needs of those communities that have been disadvantaged in the past. This could be achieved through the incorporation of a reflective component into the programme where students can critically analyse what they have learned through the process.

Educational institutions should take responsibility for assisting students to make the linkages between the formal curricula and their experiences in the community. As the Joint Education Trust study notes, benefits to students and institutions depend on the Anature of the programme, programme structure and supervision@.

2.3.2 Young people in further education and training

Students in further education and training institutions are similar to those in higher education in that they are also involved in a structured and accredited learning process. In further education and training there is a need to develop both a breadth and depth of knowledge and skills. The requirements of the further education and training qualifications demand that fundamental and core skills as well as the more specialised electives should underpin all FET programmes.

The White Paper on Further Education and Training states that:

A successful further education and training system will provide diversified programmes offering knowledge, skills, attitudes and values South African require as individuals and citizens, as lifelong learners, and as economically productive members of society. It will provide the vital intermediate to higher level skills and competencies the country needs, to chart its own course in the global competitive world of the 21st century.

It acknowledges that while many students who exit from the further education and training band will still wish to access further or higher education institutions, others will want to enter the world of work. However, across these differences is the recognition that there is a need to ensure that young people leaving further education and training have a wide range of options open to them.

The introduction of an emphasis on service into further education and training provides an opportunity to develop the civic values and attitudes required by individuals for active participation in a democracy, including a greater appreciation for a culture of service (voluntarism), community development, and inter-generational understanding. This latter point refers to the need to develop better communication patterns and relations between young people in the community with their parents and grandparents - that is, the elder generation. The programme for the further education and training target group will be designed with the following emphasis:

• Service
• Learning (gaining practical skills, which could enhance employability as well as the learning process)
• Developing civic values through service and in this way building a culture of teaching and learning and service.

To illustrate this, students could be required to perform 75 hours of community service and to write a report on what they have learned from the experience. Students could also be assigned to apply classroom knowledge to particular service projects. As examples, chemistry students regularly check air and water pollution levels and publicise the results; or history students visit elderly residents of nursing homes and record their impressions of wars and depressions and other events of half a century ago. The White Paper on FET recognises inherent implications for curriculum changes and the role of educators.

2.3.3 Unemployed youth

The A Growing Up Tough@ baseline youth survey by JEP/CASE (1992) identified unemployment as a critical indicator in establishing whether a young person is engaging in society. The CASE/National Youth Commission status report on youth in 1996 estimates that 43% of young people in South Africa were unemployed. Unemployment makes young people particularly vulnerable to a range of anti-social behaviour as they struggle to generate income, and many young people experience significant levels of anger and depression.

In the category of unemployed young people, two broad sectors are defined. The first sector includes those youth that have not completed their education to the level initially planned. The second sector includes those young people who have acquired a specialised skill but are unable to access employment. This particularly refers to graduates of higher education, but could also include some young people that have attained a more occupationally related further education and training certificate.

The emphasis of service programmes for unemployed youth needs to provide a comprehensive way of engaging unemployed young people in a programme, which gives them a way of achieving dignity within their families and communities, as well as providing these young people with access to education and training or practical experience. This should enable these young people to develop skills to withstand an increasingly fatalistic youth culture and gives them tangible means of generating an income which will allow them to become economically independent. Programmes for the unemployed target groups will be designed with the following emphasis:

• Delivery of a service;
• Learning (enhancing employability through education and training and through practical experience);
• Development of civic values and other critical life skills.

The programme for unemployed youth will need to both provide a service to the community, as well as ensure that participants develop knowledge and skills that will assist them to be employable. Given this, it is critical that programmes will ensure that youth are equipped to provide the service, that a life skills component is included. Career counselling is also central to the success of the programme and should be offered to young people prior to their participation on the programme, as well as before they complete the programme.

For those young people that already have specialised skills, emphasis will be on practical skills for gaining work experience.

2.3.4 Youth in conflict with the law

The framework for this category can be derived from the approach adopted by the Department of Justice, as well as the South African Law Commission. The Law Commission states that:

Restorative justice relies on reconciliation rather than punishment, on offenders accepting responsibility for their behaviour@, ... and the need to introduce these principles and practices to Afacilitate the reintegration of the offender back into society, drawing on community-based and indigenous models of dispute resolution@ (South African Law Commission, Issue Paper 9).

This category includes those young people that have committed an offence and are required to undertake community service as an alternative to entering the criminal justice system. Rather than go to court and enter the criminal justice system, they instead agree to officers of the court to undertake community service. This category also includes those young people that are sentenced to undertake community service as a condition of suspension or postponement of sentence. Also, those who have completed their sentences and then select to undertake community service as a means of reintegrating into the community could be given an opportunity through such a programme.

The approach Afocuses on repairing harm done to the victim or to society, rather than on retribution by the state@, and on ensuring that the perpetrator takes responsibility for his/her actions and pays back his/her debt to society and the victim. Some of the options available to the court (in terms of section 297), and which are relevant to a national youth service, include the possibility of:

Rendering to the person aggrieved of some specific benefit or service in lieu of compensation for damage or pecuniary loss;

Performance without remuneration and outside the prison of some service for the benefit of the community under the supervision or control of an organisation or institution (ie community service).

Complications include differences within age cohorts. For the purposes of the National Youth Service young people that fall between the ages of 15 and 35 are included. However, the law defines a child as up to and including 17 years of age. This category is part of the juvenile justice system, and there is a strong move to ensure that they do not form part of the main criminal justice system. In the case of this category, it may be possible to develop guidelines which can be utilised in the family and children=s courts. The usage of these guidelines could be assisted by the proposal to train personnel in matters pertaining to juvenile justice. This includes the need for an appropriately trained special public defender.

However, youth that are older than 17 years of age will form part of the main criminal justice system and for these youth the possibility of corrective supervision exists. The concept of correctional supervision refers to a wide range of measures, which have in common that they are all applied outside of prison. While the law, as illustrated above, allows for corrective supervision, there is currently no policy in place to guide this process and it is at the discretion of the courts to decide in which cases corrective supervision will be used as an alternative to sentencing. Programmes for youth in conflict with the law will be designed with the following emphasis:

• Delivery of a service as a means of rehabilitation B again this would be a way for young people to make a contribution to the community in acknowledgement of what they have taken from the community. This would be key to reintegrating young people back into that community;
• Learning (enhancing employability through education and training as well as creating opportunities for re-entry general, further or higher education);
• Development of civic values and life skills.

Programmes that are to be accredited by the National Youth Service will be guided by the criteria discussed above. The emphasis of individual programmes will thus differ, depending on the nature of the programmes and the needs of the target groups. Each target group will require distinct programmes.

3 Programme principles and guidelines

While criteria will be used to determine which programmes can be accredited by the National Youth Service, it is important to develop also a broad set of principles or guidelines that can assist service programmes. These potentially apply to all service programmes. However, in the case of accredited programmes, it may be necessary for the National Youth Service to evaluate whether the programmes require additional capacity and support in order to realise key aspects of what could be considered "best practice". In some cases, the guidelines overlap with the criteria in that they both constitute "best practice" models as well as defining criteria.

These guidelines include the following:

3.1 Strong organisation

• The programme has a clear mission that is relevant to community needs.
• The organisation has a viable strategic vision, as well as a fully developed implementation plan.
• The organisation has a strong management structure that recognises the importance of strong community support.
• Sufficient resources are devoted to recruitment, training and development of staff.
• The organisation encourages teamwork.
• The organisation is built on effective programme and fiscal management processes.
• The programme is a visible model for national service, with documented evidence of its achievements.

3.2 Excellent national service projects

• Services address real needs and create direct and demonstrable results. The results can be identified by members of the community.

• The programme organisers and the community agree about the results to be achieved and the role of participants. They also understand the mission and goals of the youth service programme.
• Participants do not displace workers or volunteers, or duplicate their efforts, in carrying out their projects.
• Service programmes draw on the unique abilities and qualities of their participants; their professional education or training, age, diversity, idealism, intelligence, and other assets.
• Service projects are well planned and the key elements of the programme are well documented. When appropriate, opportunities for learning are built into the programme design.
• Participants get the training they need for the projects. Projects consist of tasks and activities which are safe and appropriate for participants.
• Service projects are properly managed and there is close supervision.

3.3 Quality of experience for participants

The programme must provide a high quality experience for participants. This includes a clear structure in which to work, sufficient training and learning, and good support. Participants are able to express their expectations clearly, prior to the commencement of the project. Likewise, the programme clearly articulates the expectations it has of the participants. This could take the form of written contracts. A spirit of commitment is developed among the participants B to national service, the community and to each other. This will develop participants sense of themselves as actors with an ability to assist the community. Respect for diversity and cooperation is developed amongst the project participants. Learning is built into all programmes. The programme helps each participant to prepare for and make the transition to his or her next endeavour, whether education or work. Effective preparation for participants includes teaching project-related skills and leadership, and enables participants to understand the value of service, the nature of citizenship, and the national needs which their service will address. Effective training balances the complementary goals of project skills development and personal development, enabling both to happen. Training is an on-going activity; it does not end with orientation. Participants, where required, are linked to essential support services. This implies that the programme has a strong referral network. The programme develops personal and social skills, including self-discipline, independence and competence. Staff should preferably have competence in basic counselling, crisis intervention and referral to services.

3.4 Partnerships

The basis for the partnership is that national service can meet critical community needs to the mutual benefit of participants and communities. All partners make a strong commitment to support the success of the programme. Effective channels exist to foster communication between the partners.

3.5 Evaluation

• Programmes have clear objectives against which the programme can be evaluated.
• Programmes have mechanisms to collect and document information.
• Lessons are well documented.
• Programmes seek continuous improvement, based on this information and learning.

4 Incentives

The provision of incentives or benefits to participants in national youth service programmes need to be balanced with the overall objectives of the National Youth Service. There is a recognition of the need for the service to inculcate a spirit of service and commitment to the development of South Africa. Further, the service needs to ensure that communities remain key beneficiaries of the service. However, particularly with certain target groups, such as the unemployed and those young people in conflict with the law, it is also important to ensure that national youth service programmes enable participants to access opportunities once the service has been completed. This is central to the longer-term success of these programmes.

In order to promote such a concept, it is important to outline what benefits the National Youth Service may hold for various stakeholders by balancing the importance of developing the values of service and nation-building with the need to ensure that it is possible for young people to participate in these programmes, and that the programmes open up opportunities for them.

4.1 Participant benefits during an accredited service programme

Depending on the target group and the nature of the programme there may be a range of incentives and benefits during a national youth service programme. These will vary greatly depending on the nature of the target group. For example, they could include a stipend, travel allowance, and/or lunch. Youth may also receive access to accredited quality education and training which could provide an incentive for those who are unemployed and those young people in conflict with the law. This factor is influenced by developments within the National Qualifications Framework, as discussed earlier. In the interim, however, it is proposed that education and training programmes should be accredited either by an Industry Training Board or a recognised educational institution. Other benefits may derive from the experience that young people gain through their participation in the service, access to learning processes, as well as their increased ability to access a range of services, such as counselling.

Young people are likely to benefit from their participation if they can gain knowledge and skills which include practical experience. Their participation in the programme can also lead to the enhancement of learning, to the development of analytical skills and, as documented in the Joint Education Trust study, to the development of new values and attitudes towards different groupings in society through their exposure to community needs and problems.

4.2 Participant benefits upon completion of an accredited service programme

On condition that participants complete a programme they may receive additional benefits, these differ across target groups, and may include:

• Reference letters that are nationally authorised so as to encourage employers to employ young people that have completed service (all participants);
• A qualification, or part thereof (programmes containing a significant education and training component);
• Educational awards (to pay for an education or training programme or to pay back loans) or loans for small businesses as well as appropriate support (unemployed or youth in conflict with the law);
• Education credits for their service. Criteria for this will be set by the relevant quality assurance structure, and this will require new forms of assessment practice if the different components of the service programme are to be assessed (further education and training, and higher education).

4.3 Criteria for participants to enable them to access these benefits

Young people must have completed all the hours of service or will require permission if they miss any aspect of the programme. This will be based on a set minimum number of hours that young people have to complete in order to qualify for certain opportunities.

• The Green Paper recommends that participation in a curriculum-related programme where the young person earns an educational credit will not qualify the young person for financial aid. In the case of higher education (with regards to access or repayment of loans), the young person will have to complete a service programme which then entitles the young person to this educational award. This programme could possibly be for the duration of a year. This issue is clearly contentious and will require much debate.
• Young people in the unemployed category and those who have been in conflict with the law could qualify for an award upon completion of the programme. This could be for a set amount of money (in effect it will be a percentage of the allowance, which is saved). It may only be used for education and training or starting a small, medium or micro enterprise. This will enable these young people to utilise the skills, knowledge and experience they have gained to access further opportunities with the aim of accessing the economy and participating fully and positively in all aspects of society.
• The young person must have a record of discipline and cooperation during the programme.

4.4 Benefits that youth in non-accredited service programmes will receive

This area needs to be explored, as it is important to encourage young people to participate in these programmes as well as in accredited programmes. A possible benefit could include preferential access to accredited national youth service programmes, as there are likely to be more applicants than opportunities. These young people will also benefit from the practical experience that they gain through their participation in these programmes.

4.5 Benefits for institutions of learning

An issue that requires some discussion is the benefit that accrues to the learning institutions through their participation in the National Youth Service. The Joint Education Trust study cites a number of benefits to higher education gained though their participation in service activities. They include:

• bridging the gap between communities and higher education institutions;
• providing a mechanism whereby higher education institutions can contribute to society through the application of the knowledge and skills of the faculty;
• positively changing perceptions about higher education institutions;
• improving current curricula;
• providing opportunities for research, focused on problems facing the community;
• providing new sources of funding for higher education.

In addition and complementary to the above, these programmes can benefit the education and training institution for a number of reasons. Firstly, the National Qualifications Framework and the requirement that unit standards include both knowledge and skills, require that institutions provide their learners with opportunities for practical application. These programmes provide one mechanism for learners to attain both knowledge and the applied skills. Secondly, funding that supports these programmes can assist institutions to develop their capacity to provide innovative programmes, including the possibility of more open learning, as required by the Further Education and Training Bill.

4.6 Benefits to the community

This section will not go into this issue in any depth as it has been covered in Chapter Two as well as in the criteria relating to service. However it would be incomplete to consider the benefits of the programme and not to include a mention of the community at this point. It is clear that if these programmes are to achieve their objectives, the service must address real needs and create direct and demonstrable results. The results should be identifiable by members of the community, and members of the community should feel that they have benefited through the programme.

4.7 Benefits to staff at institutions

Considerable investments would need to be made in building the capacity of staff if they are to acquire the skills required to make youth service programmes a success. Furthermore, while institutions may benefit from these programmes, a key aspect that needs to be considered is the manner in which staff will benefit through their participation in these programmes. Neither further education and training nor higher education institutions currently recognise these type of activities when considering promotion or remuneration for staff. If staff are to participate actively in these programmes, this issue will need to explored in greater detail. This aspect will need careful consideration and will have to be negotiated with staff so they willing participants in these programmes.

5 National youth service support to all programmes

All programmes that involve young people in service will qualify for broad support from the National Youth Service. The National Youth Service will support these programmes by creating an enabling environment for youth service programmes. A media strategy on the contributions made by youth service will be undertaken. Awards will be given to youth in the different categories as a method of popularising the work that is done as well as providing recognition for the youth.

The above is particularly important in ensuring that all role players in society understand the goals of youth service, and are committed to these goals. This has a number of important benefits, which include:

• Creating a climate in which fundraising for such programmes is made easier;
• Encouraging communities and other agencies, such as government, to create opportunities for youth service, and to support the youth in their service programmes;
• Working to change the perception of youth so that youth feel appreciated in their own communities.
• Research and development of materials and guidelines that will support the work of different service projects. There is also a need for the National Youth Service to assist in capacity building and technical support. This latter service may only be for those projects that receive grants from the National Youth Service, and this issue will need to be explored in more detail.
• A national youth service day should be introduced. National youth service programmes would use this day to launch their programmes, and there could also be a range of media events planned around this day to publicise the contributions made by youth in service.

5.1 Support for programmes that are accredited by the National Youth Service

Programmes that are accredited by the National Youth Service will qualify for financial support. Once guidelines have been adopted by government possible support funding mechanisms will be designed. For example, as discussed earlier, where the programmes in further education and training and higher education relate to the curricula it may be possible to change (in the case of higher education) or develop (in the case of further education and training) the funding formulae to assist institutions to support these programmes. Another example is an immunisation programme supported by the Department of Health. Grant will differ depending on the target group and the nature of the programme.

6 Illustrative programmes

The final section of this chapter provides illustrative programmes that relate to the four target groups. The programme elements described are not intended to be prescriptive, but illustrate how programmes can be designed for the different target groups and how they meet the criteria in each case. This analysis assumes that, besides the accredited programmes, there are likely to be a wide range of other youth programmes in operation which are important in several respects, but which may not be accredited national youth service programmes.

6.1 Higher education

This target group has been well documented in the Joint Education Trust studies which provided different categories of programmes:

• Extension services: in these programmes students and staff are involved in service that requires the specialised knowledge and skills of their specific academic disciplines, and sometimes involve inter-disciplinary or multi-disciplinary studies. In most cases recognition is given either through credits or the form of research publications.
• Curriculum related: in these programmes the focus is on internships that are integrated into the curriculum. The primary purpose is related to learning and skills development, that is experiential learning, rather than on financial assistance or provision of services to the community.
• Volunteer service programmes in which service is treated as an extra-curricula activity: carried out during vacations or outside tuition time. The current emphasis is on student involvement in general tasks, rather than those specifically related to their fields of study: thus no academic credit is provided.
• Placements: these programmes are also requirements of the course with the primary purpose being that of skills development for individual students, rather than on the provision of service.

The 1998 Joint Education Trust study categorises these programmes into a continuum that moves from programmes in which students use the knowledge gained in their professional studies, to programmes which do not require specialist knowledge for participation. The study notes that the programmes differ in their duration and have a range of different objectives. They include programmes that are post-degree as well as those that take place during the degree.

6.2 Further education and training

Programmes that have been run include the following:

• Programmes where young people in schools undertake different services such as looking after the elderly once a week, or performing activities to raise monies for "charities".
• Groups such as the Girl Guides have involved this category in a range of service activities.
• Programmes in which the service is built into the curricula and forms part of the learning programme.
• Programmes where the young people are involved in service in order to raise monies either for their school, or as is the case in some international examples, to raise monies for development aid. This could include twinning projects.

6.3 Programmes for unemployed youth

There are three examples of the types of programmes which might fall into this category:

• Lengthy service programmes that typically would include a range of life skills development programmes as well as support such as counselling of young people that have substance abuse problems, and dealing with sexuality and sexually transmitted diseases. Some of these programmes include a formal education and training component. Others provide only the basic skills required for a particular service area, Underlying almost all the programmes is a commitment to developing the >value system= and employability of the youth. Young people may receive a per diem on these programmes.
• Short programmes in which the young people provide a service, and may receive access to basic skills training. Participants generally receive a per diem on these programmes.
• There are also a range of programmes run by different organisations, for example church or youth organisations, which involve young people in voluntary service activities. These programmes may run over a lengthy period, with youth people being encouraged to assist in rendering service as and when they are available.

6.4 Youth in conflict with the law

Current programmes being run for this target group include the following:

• Diversion programmes by National Institute for Crime Prevention and Reintegration of Offenders which include youth empowerment schemes (a six-session life skills training programme);
• pre-trial community service (between 30 and 100 hours);
• family group conferencing;
• the Journey Programme, which is a programme that involves young people in outdoor experiential learning.

7 Summary of recommendations

7.1 The National Youth Service will support all initiatives that involve young people in providing a needed service to the community and which qualify in terms of the stated criteria outlined in this chapter.

7.2 Programmes will be evaluated for accreditation against three sets of criteria:

• Criteria which concern programme components
• Criteria which relate to the nature of the service, and
• Criteria which concern the duration of the service programme.

7.3 All programmes accredited by the National Youth Service should incorporate the following components:

• Service to a community
• Learning (which may include accredited education and training)
• Personal development and the promotion of active citizenship (counselling, life skills, values/attitudes, employment-related elements such as placements and career guidance).

7.4 Programmes for the higher education target group should be designed with the following emphasis:

• Service: the emphasis would be on young people making a contribution to society in recognition of the support that they have received to enter and complete their studies at higher education level.
• The application of professional or other specialised expertise to development needs.
• The inculcation of civic values and an awareness of the responsibilities of democratic citizenship.

7.5 Programmes for the further education and training target group should be designed with the following emphasis:

• Service
• Learning (gaining practical skills which could enhance employability as well as the learning process)
• Developing civic values through service and in this way building a culture of teaching and learning and service.

7.6 Programmes for the unemployed target groups should be designed with the following emphasis:

• Delivery of a service
• Learning (enhancing employability through education and training and through practical experience)
• Development of civic values and other critical life skills.

7.7 Programmes for youth in conflict with the law should be designed with the following emphasis:

• Delivery of a service as a means of rehabilitation
• Learning (enhancing employability through education and training)
• Development of civic values and life skills.

7.8 The service must meet a need which is both an expressed community need as well as being within the framework of national development objectives and the service programme must have a positive impact on the community.

7.9 A minimum number of hours of service will have to be stipulated in each programme. This remains an issue that will require further development. However, at this stage, it is recommended that

• Unemployed young people who do not have specialised skills, should serve for a period of a year so as to ensure adequate education and training as well as service.
• Those young people in conflict with the law who do not have specialised skills and knowledge, should serve for a minimum of a year. This could be longer depending on the nature of the service. Where the young person does not require education and training, the service could be shorter, but it should be of sufficient duration to ensure an adequate life skills and reintegration component.
• The duration of the programme for those young people in higher education, further education and training, or for those required to complete their service as a condition for professional registration, should be set by the appropriate quality assurance or professional body.

7.10 During an accredited service programme there should be benefits, or incentives, for young people that participate in the programmes, but these would need to be balanced within the overall objectives of a national youth service programme. Depending on the target group and the nature of the programme there may be a range of incentives and benefits.

7.11 Upon completion of an accredited service programme participants could receive reference letters, a qualification or part thereof, educational awards or loans for small businesses, or education credits.

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Chapter Four: INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE

1 Introduction

This chapter proposes the nature and scope of institutional arrangements for the support, coordination and prioritisation of National Youth Service activities. It identifies key issues for consideration in institutional arrangements for a National Youth Service in South Africa. It argues that support for the National Youth Service depends on intergovernmental and civil society cooperation and coordination. It recommends the establishment of a national co-ordinating structure and two levels of responsibility, through devolution of management to provinces.

2 Current context

The concept of a National Youth Service introduces challenges in organisational and capacity areas that are deepened by the cross-cutting nature of the Youth Service initiative. As this concept is new and largely dependent on government and non-governmental organisational infrastructure, innovation will be required to build the necessary partnerships and reciprocal roles between the envisaged national structure and other service providers. Although there have been coordination efforts at inter-governmental levels, relevant institutional arrangements currently remain fairly small and fragmented. The envisaged nature of institutional arrangements should allow for planning, coordination, financing and monitoring that supports governmental, civil society and private sector initiatives on one hand and inter-governmental and cross-sectoral initiatives on the other hand.

3 International experience

Service programmes in different countries have been initiated, managed, coordinated, administered and supervised in a wide variety of ways. The brief description provided below is intended to provide an overview of international >models= and does not provide any evaluative comment on their strengths or weaknesses.

In some cases, government initiates, organises and supervises the service programmes - either centrally or by devolving operational responsibility to state secretariats. In other cases, government sets the framework and provides the resources, but leaves the organisation, management and supervision to a non-governmental secretariat or to higher education institutions. The following are examples:

3.1 A federal/bureaucratic model

In some cases where government has played a central role, extensive bureaucracies have been established. In Nigeria, for example, the National Youth Service Corps is governed and managed by the Federal Ministry of Social Development, Youth and Culture. The National Youth Service Corps has a directorate which includes representatives of the academic community, employers, armed forces and other government ministries.

The Directorate headquarters in Lagos is responsible for policy making, finances and general administration of the scheme. It also controls the mobilisation of youth and their deployment to the 21 different states. Each state also has a secretariat which is responsible for matching the qualifications of participants with needs of employers. State officials control the day to day administration of the scheme within their states, including monitoring of performance, payment of monthly allowances and dealing with recurring problems.

3.2 A secretariat model

In other cases where government has played an important role, the bureaucracies have been less extensive. In Botswana for example, an independent government body has been established and takes responsibility for the Tirelo Sechaba programme. It has a small secretariat which takes responsibility for allocation and orientation of participants. Service is overseen by other government departments, parastatals or NGOs which are supported by this independent body in carrying out their programmes. .

3.3 Education provider-driven model

In some countries where service has been made compulsory for higher education students, the programmes are administered and supervised by university faculty members. Guidelines are issued by the Directorate of Higher Education and each university has an institute of community service that operates the programme. Faculty members have to support students in overcoming problems encountered while doing projects. Depending on the service involved in particular programmes financial support of students is shared between government ministries.

3.4 Public/private model

In the United States, the Corporation for National Service was established as a statutory body and operates under the control of a bipartisan board of directors and a management and administrative team. The Corporation for National Service selects programmes, provides resources, oversight and evaluation to ensure that programmes achieve their goals.

State commissions on national and community service or similar entities appointed by the governor of each state have also been established to ensure that the most important regional and local priorities are met and that service activities are coordinated through each state.

The programmes are locally managed and implemented and themselves consist of public private partnerships.

4 Conceptual issues

National coordination is required in order to achieve the desired objectives of the National Youth Service. In addition, it is envisaged that a broad range of agencies, corporations and institutions will implement national youth service programmes in ways which are designed to reach key target groups identified and to meet their service learning objectives.

The planning, funding and implementation of programmes should take place through the joint efforts of government, non-governmental organisations, the private sector, and organisations in the youth sector. Specific roles for various role players will be outlined in the final implementation plan.

Given the cross-cutting nature of the national youth service programmes, the National Youth Commission and the Office of the President will be responsible for initiating and overseeing the establishment of the National Youth Service, including putting in place the required institutional arrangements.

Various governments departments will play a defined role in programme design, accreditation, and implementation.

All sections of government involved in development programmes should be reoriented to incorporate youth service programmes within their institutional arrangements and action plans.

The National Youth Service Agency will take steps to foster the national character of youth service, for example through balancing funds to achieve geographic diversity and ensuring that there is an appropriate balance of youth participants from selected categories.

5 Recommendations

5.1 Central coordination

A national coordinating agency should be established. The objective of the National Youth Service Agency will be to manage the National Youth Service, establish the framework within which youth service programmes can be accredited for support and put in place the funding strategies required to realise national youth service.

The Agency will take steps to foster a sense that youth service is a national activity, for example, through balancing funds to achieve geographic diversity and an appropriate balance of youth participants from selected categories. The functions to be performed by the national coordination agency include the following:

• Recruitment and deployment of resources (including human resources).
• Staffing and administration, including payment of allowances, transport and accommodation.
• Budgeting, finance, and allocation of funds and grants.
• Developing criteria for the selection of pilot projects.
• Developing guidelines and materials for capacity building in pilot projects and service projects in general.
• Provision of information and communication services.
• Education and training provision and accreditation.
• Supervision and programme assessment.
• Monitoring and evaluation.
• Lobbying and advocacy.

5.1.1 Role of the National Agency in relation to programmes

• The Agency will not operate programmes itself, but will:
• Publicise opportunities for various forms and types of youth service.
• Refer potential participants to approved programmes.
• Allocate funds and/or grants to approved programmes.
• Monitor programmes to ensure compliance with grant conditions.
• Evaluate programmes in relation to the goals of the youth service programme.
• Provide support and capacity building activities to approved programmes.
• Undertake lobbying and advocacy functions.

5.2 Programme coordination

While the National Youth Service Agency develops an overall national identity across all target groups, the location of the target groups suggests that different institutional arrangements may be required for the operation of the programmes in each case:

Young people in higher education and further education and training institutions take their identity from the fact that they are involved in formal learning in an institution. This reflects current arrangements B for example where programmes are run and coordinated by higher education institutions.

By contrast young people in conflict with the law are not located within any one particular institution. Institutional arrangements for this grouping are therefore more complex and require particular consideration. For example, young people could be referred to youth service programmes by a court. However at this point there is no national institutional form that takes responsibility for these young people in any coordinated manner. While there are certain programmes to which young people may be referred (notably NICRO), these programmes do not yet have the responsibility or the capacity to absorb all these young people into service activities.

In the case of unemployed young people, a limited number of programmes are in place which that involve these young people in service, but there is currently no national coordinating arrangement that enables these young people to access service activities.

5.3 Provincial coordination

Actual management and administration would be carried out by governement departments, provincial governments, local implementation agencies, non-governmental organisations and youth organisations

5.3.1 Provincial coordination

At a provincial level, the coordination functions would include the following:

• Ensuring the programmes comply with to national standards, norms and criteria.
• Overseeing the implementation of youth service programmes.
• Ensuring that local initiatives are coordinated.
• Recruiting and selecting participants.
• Monitoring and evaluating youth service programmes in line with national policy.

5.3.2 Local coordination

At a local level, the coordination functions would include the following:

• Initiate and implement youth service programmes in line with set standards and criteria.
• Needs assessment should be done in consultation with community based institutions.
• In coordinating and implementing these programmes, youth development agencies should work in collaboration with the private sector, the non-governmental sector, and youth organisations.

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Chapter Five: FUNDING AND RESOURCING THE NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE

1 Introduction

This chapter puts forward some broad conceptual issues about the question of funding and resources for the National Youth Service. It looks at the current context in terms of resources which could be available from within government, the private sector, non-governmental organisations and international donors. It then briefly outlines the experience of national youth service programmes in other countries. Finally, it recommends principles and strategies to guide the resourcing of the National Youth Service. The recommendations in this chapter relate closely to the recommendations made on programmes and incentives in Chapter Three and institutional arrangements in Chapter Four.

The South African government presently has five priorities in terms of the national budget: meeting basic needs, investment in infrastructure, developing human resources, sustained economic growth and job creation, and ensuring safety and security. The principles and programmes of the National Youth Service proposed in this document have been developed in a manner which is consistent with these priorities. In fact the conceptual framework for the National Youth Service locates national youth service squarely within the ambit of the key development priorities identified by government. The funding of national youth service programmes will therefore be accorded the same priority as the funding of the five national development priorities cited above.

A detailed costing of the National Youth Service has not been carried out. A thorough research process is required to cost the programme conception contained in this Green Paper during the pilot phase.

2 Current context

2.1 Summary of government expenditure on community service

The development programmes launched by different government departments which directly or indirectly target young people are detailed in Section Two. Some financial information was made available during the research process, but it is not complete and is provided primarily as an indication of the level of funding and programmes which could be accessed by the National Youth Service.

The government programmes of the most interest in terms of the National Youth Service, and with the highest level of funding, are the labour-intensive infrastructure programmes in the Department of Public Works, the Department of Constitutional Development and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. Capital expenditure financed by national and provincial government is projected to increase from a total of R14.4 million in 1998/99 to a total of R 16.3 million in 2000/01. Most of these funds, however, are to be spent on capital-intensive, rather than labour-intensive programmes (land and buildings for public works, water schemes and related infrastructure, transport projects).

The largest labour-intensive programme is the Municipal Infrastructure Programme which will rise from an expenditure of R583 million in 1998/99 to R990 million in 2000/01. Smaller programmes are the Community-Based Public Works Programme and the Working for Water Programme, operating at a level of R100B300 million per year, with some additional funds from the Reconstruction and Development Programme and the Poverty Relief Fund.

The social service government departments like education, health and welfare, do not have youth service programmes per se, but are important in terms of the youth service opportunities which they could provide. Together, these departments account for 42% of government expenditure, but as is mentioned above, the flexibility to reallocate resources within each is limited.

The only major service programme funded by government has been the Service Corps of the South African National Defence Force. This programme was restricted, however, to demobilised non-Statutory Force members, and will be limited to rationalised Defence Force members in the future. The total cost of this programme is estimated at R70B90 million, but it did not, for a range of reasons, fulfil its original intent of involving the Service Corps in community service activities.

At the same time, government is constrained in terms of generating additional resources by its macroeconomic policies and in terms of redistributing resources among and within departments. For this reason, a range of strategies will be required to lever the required funding for the National Youth Service from various sectors in government and from other sources.

2.2 Government funds available to development agencies

A recent report on poverty and inequality in South Africa indicates that the number of non-governmental and voluntary organisations participating in development in the country is uncertain. However, the South African NGO Coalition claims that the number is between 17 000 and 30 000. Government is reported to subsidise over 2 000 welfare-related posts in the non-governmental sector.

To ensure that the needs of many service-providing non-governmental and community-based organisations are not neglected, government has been involved in establishing a permanent arrangement for the funding of these agencies. A National Development Agency is envisaged by government and Nedlac as the appropriate vehicle for the coordination of funding to non-governmental and community-based organisations, for which the Transitional National Development Trust was conceived as a testing ground. There are, however, concerns that if the National Development Agency process is not fast-tracked, the country runs a risk of suffocating those non-governmental organisations active in, among other areas, issues relating to young people in South Africa.

Section Two of this Green Paper has identified the roles which non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations will play in the design and implementation of the National Youth Service. This suggests that the National Development Agency will be crucial to the ability of the National Youth Service to harness the capacity of these and other organisations.

2.3 Private sector funding

Private sector organisations support development initiatives through corporate social investment grant making and through specific initiatives such as that which launched the Joint Education Trust in 1992. The most recent example of the latter is the announcement by the National Business Initiative of a R1 billion initiative for education and training in the tourism industry and for the upgrading of the quality of education in schools, among other purposes.

2.4 Non-governmental funding for youth-in-service programmes

Research conducted into non-governmental organisations and universities suggests that annual budgets for youth-in-service programmes ranged from R100 000 to R2 million. Foreign donors were the largest contributors of funds, followed by national businesses. The amount of funding available through non-governmental organisations is therefore very limited, and their scale of operation tends to be small. In focus group discussions, non-governmental organisations indicated that if they were to significantly expand their operations, they would have to design completely new strategies and modes of delivery.

2.5 International donors

A wide range of international foundations, trusts, foreign embassies and intergovernmental bodies, such as the United Nations agencies, are active in South Africa and will be approached for support of the National Youth Service. However, a great deal of foreign funding is now made available to South Africa through bilateral agreements between governments, and this would determine in large measure how these funds are to be accessed.

3 International experience

International experience suggests that there are a number of ways in which national youth service programmes have been funded in other parts of the world: general funding by government or funding by a specific government department, limited financial contributions by universities, in-kind support from communities (such as housing and food), foreign aid, and a mix of public and private funding. In a number of cases more than one mechanism has operated simultaneously.

According to research undertaken in 1997 by the Joint Education Trust, an overview of international experience in this regard suggests the following:

• Most of the service programmes surveyed were financed by government B even those managed and administered by higher education institutions. However, government support for these programmes has been considerably influenced by changes in the economy with the result that in most cases, government support has been reduced over the years and in a number of cases (including Indonesia and Ghana), it has dried up altogether. In Israel the education department is almost entirely responsible for funding the programme. In Nigeria the programme is funded and sponsored by the federal government. Project implementation is highly dependent on this funding and on state and local cooperation in acquiring land and other resources.
• In Mexico, general funding was provided at a national level from 1978. Although many students were initially paid a minimum wage for their service, this was greatly reduced from 1980 following an economic crisis. Government departments and agencies still share in financial support of students, while communities sometimes provide housing and food. Universities also provide funds, sometimes supplemented by non-governmental funding. In Nepal the programme was funded by government through the university budget and supplemented by Unicef.
• The AmeriCorps programme is an exception to those described above in that the private, public and independent sectors all contribute to the implementation of programmes. In 1994B95, more than 600 businesses and foundation contributes over US$20 million in financial support directly to local AmeriCorps programmes. In addition, millions of dollars of in-kind contributions in the form of loaned personnel, training facilities, computer networks and supplies have integrated private sector partners into the daily activities of AmeriCorps programmes.

Some of the core issues which emerge from international experience are the following:

• How to fund national youth service in a way that is sustainable? In cases where government was the sole funder of national youth service, many countries found it difficult, if not impossible, to sustain continued levels of funding. Those who succeed in doing so have largely been the wealthier countries.
• How to fund the National Youth Service in ways which make it an integral part of government=s strategy to deliver services to underdeveloped communities and avoid the possibility of youth service programmes being marginalised?
• How to make the division between core costs for the running of the National Youth Service and programme costs for initiatives supported by the youth service so as to devise a differentiated funding strategy which supports all the components of the National Youth Service?
• How to ensure that the National Youth Service will operate in a cost-effective manner that adds value to national development objectives?

4 Principles for funding the National Youth Service

The following principles will inform the resourcing strategies of the National Youth Service:

• That the National Youth Service be seen as one of the instruments through which government is able to achieve its national objectives for reconstruction and development.
• That a distinction is made between core funding and programmatic funding for the National Youth Service.
• That three year funding in line with the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, is provided by government for the core costs of the National Youth Service in order to ensure that it is able to undertake its medium and long-term planning and coordination functions.
• That no new Fund be created for the programmes of the National Youth Service within the government budget, but that existing resources be accessed.
• That in seeking funds for programmes, the National Youth Service employ a mix of strategies outlined in the next section.

In terms of these principles, the following definitions apply:

• Core costs: the operating costs of the National Youth Service Agency, consultancies from organisations and individuals, research, marketing, and advocacy.
• Programme costs: recruitment of participants, staffing, and operating costs or the youth service programmes (including stipends, transport and any other incentives for participants, food and accommodation, insurance, equipment for service provision, education and training, etc.).

5 Strategies for programmatic funding

Strategies for resourcing programmes of the National Youth Service will incorporate the following components:

• Leveraging resources from existing line budgets and from funds such as the National Skills Fund through appropriate working and programmatic relationships with government departments.
• Stimulating institutional action to undertake community service programmes, especially in the higher and further education and training sectors, and encouraging funding policies which support such action.
• Devising a range of partnerships including:
  • Interdepartmental partnerships B with one or more government department through which new initiatives are launched in which the partners have joint goals, or through which the National Youth Service is able to add value to programmes which are already running.
  • Institutional partnerships B with higher education and further education and training institutions for the provision of education and training to support the National Youth Service objectives, or for the provision of community service opportunities as part of the curriculum.
  • Partnerships with local government B through which youth service can be integrated with municipal infrastructure development projects.
  • Public/private partnerships B where private sector organisations agree to provide funds to government initiatives.
  • Regional partnerships B for example in the SADC region, through which youth service programmes could be launched and jointly supported by the respective governments and international donors.
  • International partnerships B between countries seeking to support particular development initiatives and for which bilateral aid may become available.
• Joining forces with other government departments to influence policy initiatives from the point of view of national youth service.
• Stimulating community-based initiatives, possibly through small grants, which are then able to leverage contributions from local government or local business.

6 Differentiated funding strategies for the target groups

Funding strategies will be devised according to the target group and their institutional location. The four target groups differ from one another in a number of respects, but primarily in terms of their institutional location. Young people in higher education and further education and training institutions are involved in formal learning programmes in an institution. Young people who are in conflict with the law are possibly in correctional service institutions, about to enter such institutions, or appearing before court. Unemployed youth have no institutional location.

Programme planning for each target group would take account of the institutional location, and funding strategies would be devised accordingly. For example:

• For young people in higher education and training, funding for service activities that relate to the curriculum will be accommodated within the funding formulae for these institutions B in other words, programme funding from the Department of Education for these institutions will take into account the cost of the service activities.
• For young people in further education and training institutions which are also programme funded, the same would apply. For those in further education and training institutions which are not programme funded, ie. senior secondary schools, service objectives and the development of civic values will form part and parcel of learning goals and some of the programme costs of youth service will be supported by the schools= budget and the Department of Education=s contribution to teacher salaries. Private sector organisations at local level will also be approached to support additional costs such as transport or equipment.
• For young people who are unemployed, existing government programmes will be adapted or expanded according to the National Youth Service criteria and guidelines, in which case the funding will be drawn from existing budget sources. Education and training components will be accommodated under existing arrangements such as the National Skills Fund. Relevant funding agencies will be approached to support service provision by non-governmental and community-based organisations. Other sources of funding are also possible.
• For young people who are in conflict with the law, the funding arrangements will be similar to those for unemployed youth.

7 Summary

7.1 Principles

The following principles will inform the resourcing strategies of the National Youth Service:

• That the National Youth Service be seen as one of the instruments through which government is able to achieve its national objectives for reconstruction and development.
• That a distinction is made between core funding and programmatic funding for the National Youth Service.
• That three year funding in line with the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, is provided by government for the core costs of the National Youth Service in order to ensure that it is able to undertake its medium and long-term planning and coordination functions.
• That no new Fund be created for the programmes of the National Youth Service within the government budget, but that existing resources be accessed.
• That in seeking funds for programmes, the National Youth Service employ a mix of strategies outlined in the next section.

7.2 Strategies

Strategies for resourcing programmes of the National Youth Service will incorporate the following components:

• Leveraging resources from existing line budgets and from funds such as the National Skills Fund through appropriate working and programmatic relationships with government departments.
• Stimulating institutional action to undertake community service programmes, especially in the higher and further education and training sectors, and encouraging funding policies which support such action.
• Devising a range of partnerships including:
  • Interdepartmental partnerships
  • Institutional partnerships
  • Partnerships with local government
  • Public/private partnerships
  • Regional partnerships.
  • International partnerships B between countries seeking to support particular development initiatives and for which bilateral aid may become available.
• Joining forces with other government departments to influence policy initiatives from the point of view of national youth service.
• Stimulating community-based initiatives, possibly through small grants, which are then able to leverage contributions from local government or local business.
• Funding strategies should be devised according to the target group and their institutional location.
  

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Chapter Six: NEXT STEPS IN ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE

1 Introduction

The overall mandate for the National Youth Service has been established through the Youth Policy 2000. This chapter outlines a programmatic implementation strategy that will be pursued parallel to the policy and legislative process that follows this Green Paper.

The National Youth Commission will seek to facilitate initial national youth service programmes through limited pilot activities in 1999, with the view to gaining experience of programme design and implementation according to the criteria and principles outlined in this document.

Various processes over the past year have led to the development of a range of initiatives that relate closely to the National Youth Service. These include proposals developed for the Jobs Summit and initiatives in the higher and further education sectors. The following outlines some of the initiatives that lend themselves to the design of envisaged pilot programmes.

2 Contextual readiness for the National Youth Service

Within each of the target groups identified for national youth service, various processes have contributed to preparing the ground for the introduction of such programmes. These provide important foundations for taking forward the recommendations in this Green Paper.

2.1 Higher education sector

Institutions in the higher education sector are presently embarking on extensive restructuring processes through which they are attempting to respond to the transformation imperatives outlined by the White Paper entitled A Programme for Transformation in Higher Education, published by the Department of Education in 1997. The final report on an in-depth research project into community service in higher education has recently been published by the Joint Education Trust. It makes a range of proposals about the possibilities for integrating the notion of service into the process of curriculum reform and the constraints which are likely to arise. At the same time, the Department of Education is reviewing its funding formula for higher education and may take into consideration ways of providing financial support for service objectives where these become an integral part of higher education teaching, learning and research objectives.

2.2 Further education and training sector

The further education and training sector has recently completed its policy process with the adoption of the White Paper on Further Education and Training by Cabinet. This lays the basis for discussion of the possibility of service activities within the further education and training band. The Jobs Summit process has also endorsed the need for the Ministry of Education, with the support of the Ministry of Labour, to engage in a process to explore these possibilities further.

2.3 Unemployed youth

The Jobs Summit process has taken forward the work of the National Youth Policy, and has agreed to a resolution that supports the need for programmes that involve the unemployed in service activities whilst enabling these young people to access accredited education and training through these programmes. The proposal emerging from the Jobs Summit suggests that a steering committee will be established which includes the National Youth Commission, government representatives as well as a representative from each of the other constituencies of Nedlac B labour, business and the community. It further recommends that more people may be coopted on to this committee to provide additional expertise. This committee will have the responsibility of finalising guidelines for three lead projects: Working for Water, Community-Based Public Works and the Clean and Green Cities campaign. The committee will also oversee the implementation of these three projects and may identify other project opportunities. Actual implementation of the three lead projects will be the responsibility of the respective departments: Water Affairs and Forestry, Public Works, and Environment and Tourism.

2.4 Youth in conflict with the law

The sector that is responsible for young people in conflict with the law has also begun to engage with the concept of service programmes. There is support, as expressed in the South African Law Commission, for the potential that service offers as an alternative sentencing option, and as a mechanism for realising the strategy of restorative justice. Relevant government departments (such as the Departments of Justice, Safety and Security, Correctional Services and others) have already begun collaborating on these issues and this provides a forum in which to take forward proposals emerging from this Green Paper.

3 Recommended next steps

3.1 The three year programme of action

The National Youth Commission will facilitate the implementation of proposals in the Green Paper over a period of three years. In order to lay the ground for the launch of the National Youth Service in the year 2000, a limited number of projects will be implemented in 1999 to put in place the medium-term institutional arrangements.

Parallel to this initiative, the Youth Commission will conclude the Green Paper process by developing a White Paper and related legislation by October 1999. Following the launch of the National Youth Service Agency and the National Youth Service Programme in the year 2000, a two-year development programme will be pursued and evaluated at the end 2001, leading to medium-term consolidation.

3.2 Pilot project activities

In order to implement pilot projects for the four target groups, the following steps are necessary:

3.2.1 Stakeholder involvement

For the National Youth Service to be successful and to reach large numbers of young people, close involvement of different stakeholders will be needed. Therefore, in implementing pilot projects, the National Youth Commission will ensure broad stakeholder participation.

3.2.2 Interim coordination

During 1999, the National Youth Commission, together with relevant agencies and implementing organisations, will establish an interim structure to coordinate pilot projects and undertake their evaluation in preparation for the establishment of the proposed National Youth Service Agency.

3.2.3 Monitoring and evaluation

Pilot projects will be linked to monitoring and evaluation activities that will seek to find answers to medium-term considerations such as the required institutional and funding arrangements to be devised by the National Youth Service.

3.2.4 Costing and financial planning

In the year 1999, the Interim Coordinating structure will ensure the development of a medium-term financial plan based on costing models derived from pilot and other related activities.

3.2.5 Building awareness

An advocacy campaign will be launched to create awareness of the need for a National Youth Service and its benefits to communities, young people and the economy. Such a campaign will include a National Service Day as proposed.

3.3 Steps to be undertaken with regard to specific programmes

3.3.1 Higher education and further education and training

A process coordinated by the Ministry of Education, involving provincial MECs, the National Youth Commission, members from the Council for Higher Education and the National Board on Further Education, will be established to consider three key issues:

• firstly, the need to integrate the concept of service into the curriculum by higher education institutions and institutions of further education and training;
• secondly, ways of addressing related issues of programme funding, staffing, institutional involvement and the identification of service opportunities; and
• thirdly, linkages between student financial aid and programmatic opportunities for youth service.

3.3.2 Unemployed youth

The Jobs Summit has identified three projects for implementation in 1999. These include the Community-Based Public Works Projects, the Clean and Green Cities Campaign and the Working for Water Programme. These will be added to other appropriate projects for unemployed youth.

The National Youth Commission, through its participation in the Steering Committee following the Jobs Summit will promote relevant youth service activities that are related to the above government projects. The following are recommended for implementation:

• Firstly, that projects should be located in a range of institutions, including local government and non-governmental organisations. This should ensure that by the end of 1999, up to 15 000 young people are involved in the National Youth Service.
• Secondly, that participating service organisations should be supported with some capacity building to ensure the implementation of the proposed programmatic criteria and guidelines.
• Thirdly, programmes selected for implementation in 1999 would already have secured basic funding and institutional capacity for the delivery of projects.
• Fourthly, that discussion be held with key government departments, including departments of Education, Finance and Trade and Industry, to develop agreements around financing of participants= benefits including support for small, medium and micro enterprises.

3.3.3 Youth in conflict with the law

The National Youth Commission will initiate a process with the Ministries of Justice, Correctional Services, Safety and Security and Welfare, as well as with the South African Law Commission and other relevant stakeholders to consider the following:

• Firstly, to agree on a policy framework that guides the placement of young people in conflict with the law into national youth service programmes.
• Secondly, to determine the practicalities of such programmes, including institutional and supervisory arrangements.

4 Conclusion

These recommendations point to the immediate steps that need to be undertaken in order to lay the foundations for the National Youth Service. These steps should include the introduction of short-term initiatives, while laying the groundwork for ensuring that the youth service can go to scale. The recommendations ensure that the unemployed youth will immediately benefit from this programme, while other target groups will benefit once the recommended processes have been concluded. 1999 will be a year in which young people start becoming effectively involved in service whilst simultaneously accessing learning opportunities. This is a systemic intervention that will enable thousands, and ultimately millions of young people to benefit, while contributing to the reconstruction and development needs of South Africa.

5 Summary

5.1 The National Youth Service will initially confine its focus to the four target groups identified, and will seek to launch a limited number of pilot programmes with a view to gaining experience of programme design and implementation according to the criteria, values and principles outlined in this document.

5.2 The National Youth Commission will devise and implement the strategies necessary for drawing the key stakeholders into the process of conceptualising and planning the National Youth Service.

5.3 The National Youth Commission, together with relevant government agencies, will establish an Interim Coordinating structure for the pilot phase.

5.4 An advocacy campaign will be launched to promote the National Youth Service and its benefit to communities, young people and the economy.

5.5 Pilot projects will be linked to monitoring and evaluation in order to find answers to medium-term considerations such as the required institutional and funding arrangements to be devised by the National Youth Service.

5.6 During 1999, the Interim Coordinating structure will ensure the development of a medium-term financial plan based on costing models derived from pilot and other related activities.

5.7 In order to take the planning process forward in the higher education and the further education and training sectors, there will need to be a process coordinated by the Department of Education which involves provincial MECs, members of the National Youth Commission, members from the Council for Higher Education and members of the Further Education and Training Board.

5.8 The National Youth Commission, through its participation in the Steering Committee following the Jobs Summit, will promote relevant youth service activities that are related to the above government projects. The following are recommended for implementation:

• Firstly, that projects should be located in a range of institutions, including local government and non-governmental organisations. This should ensure that by the end of 1999, up to 15 000 young people are involved in the National Youth Service.
• Secondly, that participating service organisations should be supported with some capacity building to ensure the implementation of the proposed programmatic criteria and guidelines.
• Thirdly, programmes selected for implementation in 1999 would already have secured basic funding and institutional capacity for the delivery of projects.
• Fourthly, that discussion be held with key government departments, including Departments of Education, Finance and Trade and Industry, to develop agreements around financing of participants= benefits including support for small, medium and micro enterprises.

5.9 In regard to youth in conflict with the law, a process will be initiated with the Ministry of Justice and relevant government departments, as well as other stakeholders to agree on a policy framework which guides the placement of these young people into national youth service, and examines the practicalities of such programmes.

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Chapter Seven: OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH SERVICE IN GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES

This chapter provides a broad overview of government initiatives and programmes. These provide opportunities for service by young people. The information in this chapter illustrates the types of programmes that are currently being run, available opportunities for youth service and points to possible institutional linkages that could be made.

Much of the information on programmes and budgets in this chapter was gleaned during interviews held with selected government departments. The information is not complete and is provided primarily as an indication of the level of funding and the programmes which might be accessed by the National Youth Service.

1 Introduction

In its employment strategy framework, government recommitted itself to the central pillars of the RDP which aim to achieve macroeconomic stability, job creation, human resource development, the meeting of basic needs and the provision of a social security safety net. The strategy framework argues that in order to achieve any one of these goals in the long term, it is essential that plans and programmes are implemented in a coordinated, mutually reinforcing manner. The strategy further points to the need to develop a more targeted approach with greater emphasis on the sequencing and coordination of policy.

The strategy cites a number of the components that are central to the creation of jobs. Of particular relevance to the national youth service is the commitment to expand Special Employment Programmes so as to raise the level of job creation as quickly as possible. This is given effect through the Medium Term Expenditure Framework which allocates approximately R1 billion to special employment programmes in 1998/9. This figure will rise to almost R1.8 billion by 2000/2.

The employment strategy framework states that, Aalthough these are short-term employment generators, improved coordination with local planning, private sector promotion activities and human resource development programmes should enable the building of important community assets and of entry points to longer-term opportunities@. The document also provides details of the elements that will need to be put into place to improve the employability of labour. This includes the need to improve Aeducation and training levels, with an emphasis on better coordination in the responses of secondary and tertiary education to labour market needs, dramatic improvements in the provision of basic education, and the institutional transformation of the system of industrial skilling@. A key focus of the strategy will be on greater coordination in the provision of basic infrastructure, of social services, of information services and of job creation support programmes. This vision is to be monitored through a Cabinet Employment Cluster Committee.

2 Infrastructural programmes

Infrastructural development has been cited as an area in which young people in service can make an important contribution. The Draft White Paper on Establishing an Enabling Environment in the Construction Industry states that in order to overcome the current backlog of physical infrastructure requirements, output will have to be increased by up to 100% within the next five to ten years. This signals a period of profound growth for the construction industry and, in a context of limited resources, suggests that there may be the possibility of delivering elements of such a strategy through the national youth service.

While this chapter concentrates on those campaigns where special employment programmes are currently taking place, it is worth noting that there are a wide range of large-scale activities taking place in other departments which are not cited below. These may also provide possibilities for youth service that could be explored with the departments concerned.

2.1 Electrification and telephones

Huge strides have been made with regard to the electrification of communities around the country. More than 400 000 electricity connections were made in 1997/98 and this has enabled the country to reach an electrification level of 58%. Extensive programmes have also been undertaken to make telephone connections available to communities countrywide.

2.2 Department of Transport

The Department of Transport has undertaken a range of activities which include the maintenance, rehabilitation and upgrading of new facilities as well as RDP and spatial development initiative projects. In 1996/1997 expenditure in this regard amounted to R1 019 644 and it is anticipated that in 1999/00 expenditure will rise to R1 731 216. This created a total of 8 462 work days in 1996/97 (including skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled employment) and 15 446 work days are projected for 1999/00.

Of particular importance are the rural access roads projects which have been taking place in KwaZulu-Natal. These are using labour-intensive methods which provide an opportunity to involve young people in service programmes. It has been agreed that these programmes will grow rapidly in the coming year as they provide access for people living in these areas and thus are likely to have a significant impact on the economic potential of these areas.

2.3 Department of Housing

This department has committed itself to maximising job creation in the construction and allied sectors. It is estimated that in 1997, 109 445 direct and 164 168 indirect employment opportunities were generated through the expenditure of under R2 billion on the subsidy programme. The different housing programmes (and the subsidy programme in particular) have housed over 1.2 million South Africans through the construction of some 400 000 houses.

Preparatory discussions for the Jobs Summit suggest that the summit is likely to agree on a large project to deliver houses in the immediate future. There is considerable potential for the involvement of young people in the programmes designed to deliver the agreed housing targets.

2.4 Infrastructural needs of social departments

Social service departments such as Welfare, Health and Education have articulated a range of infrastructural needs which are outlined in more detail in section 6 below. The programmes designed to meet these needs may also provide opportunities to involve young people in employment and service.

3 Special employment programmes

3.1 Community-Based Public Works Programme

The Community-Based Public Works Programme was established in 1994 as part of the National Department of Public Works. The Community-Based Public Works Programme is the key component of the government=s strategy to create employment through the development and delivery of community-based infrastructure. Its objectives were to:

• reduce unemployment;
• educate and train beneficiaries;
• create, rehabilitate and maintain physical assets; and
• build the capacity of communities.

The following were among those targeted by the programme:

• rural women;
• young people; and
• the poorest of the poor.

The Community-Based Public Works Programme is one of the government development programmes which has been evaluated and it thus provides important experiential lessons for the design of the National Youth Service.

Although the objectives of the Community-Based Public Works Programme included the reduction of unemployment and building the capacity of communities, about 92% of jobs created through the programme were short-term without any firm prospect of further employment elsewhere after the completion of the projects. Only 8% of the projects evaluated lasted for eight months. Most of the jobs were unskilled and low-paid. For example, over 67% of the Community-Based Public Works Programme workforce lived below the poverty line and 56% were unemployed. About 41% were women and 12% of the workforce were young people. Women and young people accounted for 30% and 18% of the workdays respectively.

Training and capacity building is regarded by the Community-Based Public Works Programme as an important aspect of the infrastructure delivery programme. About 34% of the workforce received training ranging from technical training to literacy skills. The distribution of training was heavily biased towards traditional male occupations such as bricklaying. As a result, more men (62%) received training than women.

3.2 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry

The White Paper on Water Policy states that between 12 and 14 million South Africans do not have access to safe water, and that over 20 million have inadequate sanitation. This has a major impact on communities, particularly on women and children in rural and peri-urban areas. The costs of addressing this backlog are estimated at some R12 billion.

By February 1998 community water supply had reached 1.7 million people. By August 1998 the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry had provided water to 1.9 million people through RDP projects. This has taken place though more than 1000 projects in all provinces. In addition, a large number of projects have focused on providing rural households with sanitation.

Working for Water, a major project of the Ministry of Water Affairs and Forestry, involves members of the community in clearing water-absorbing alien vegetation so as to promote water security. The project operates as a special employment programme and aims to improve the quality of life and the environment. It currently and provides limited education and training to its participants, mainly in work-related skills (that is, those skills required to do the job), life skills, business management skills and environmental management skills (eg. in respect of water conservation). A number of government departments, including Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Welfare and Population, Public Works, Agriculture and Land Affairs, and Health cooperate in its implementation. More recently close links have also been forged with the Department of Trade and Industry to ensure that the necessary relationships are developed between the Working for Water programme and employment creation projects.

The programme has developed a 20 year strategy which will require 750 000 hectares to be cleared annually at a cost of R600 million per year, after which the department will incur more limited, follow-up, costs. Proponents of the programme argue that this strategy could have the following benefits:

• Over 50 000 direct and indirect jobs will be created (for example in charcoal manufacturing and flower picking as well as transport and food), supporting a further 250 000 people, most of whom are the poorest of the poor;
• preventing the loss of over 4 000 million cubic metres of water from the hydrological cycle every year;
• intensive and extensive use of over one million hectares of land after 20 years;
• use of over one million tonnes of wood per year (eg. for crafts, furniture, charcoal, chips); and
• reduction in the risk of fires and the flooding which follows fires.

3.3 Department of Land Affairs

A campaign which is related to the Working for Water programme and supplementary to it, is the Land Care Campaign which focuses on the rehabilitation and conservation of natural resources (soil, water sources and vegetation). It achieves this through a programme that facilitates sustainable utilisation of natural resources and the creation of a conservation ethic through education and awareness. It supports the Working for Water programme, concentrates on wider catchment areas away from the waterways and eradicates invader plants and declared weeds which are degrading the agricultural potential of these areas. Like the water programme, the Land Care Campaign could provide young people with opportunities in which they could render service.

3.4 Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism

The "Clean and Green Cities" campaign which will have a key role in implementing municipal waste collection in poorly serviced areas. The campaign will link up with small recycling operations to facilitate the sustainability of the programme. It also intends to facilitate the creation and maintenance of recreational facilities and to support some inner-city building rehabilitation. The campaign has the potential to involve young people in these activities through the national youth service and can also help to inculcate a sense of pride in our cities.

Another initiative in which this ministry is involved concerns the provision of environmental education and training in all programmes, including the new school curricula. The education and training programmes are being developed in a manner that is consistent with the National Qualifications Framework and are likely to provide important opportunities for the education and training components of the national youth service.

4 Municipal infrastructure programme

The Municipal Infrastructure Programme, together with the Community Water and Sanitation Programme, directs investment towards basic service infrastructure for low income households and towards the rehabilitation of collapsed infrastructure in historically disadvantaged areas. The programme was established to provide affordable bulk and connector services to all South Africans through the provision of capital grants.

The following table shows what services have been provided through this programme up to April 1998:

Category of provision	No of beneficiaries (000's)	Percentage
Water	7 574.1	46.41
Sanitation	5 108.7	31.30
Roads	2 176.0	13.33
Refuse	504.8	3.09
Electricity	303.1	1.86
Community & health facilities	654.2	4.01
TOTAL	16 320.9	100.0

Unlike many of the other special employment programmes, the municipal infrastructure programme has an urban focus although about one-quarter of the funds are spent in rural areas. The Department of Constitutional Development estimates that by the end of 1997, 242 520 people were employed on these projects. More than a third of these people will have received some form of training through their participation in these projects.

By March 1998, the municipal infrastructure programme had disbursed R1 302.2 million to the provinces for work on the rehabilitation of collapsed infrastructure in historically disadvantaged areas and for the programmes run by the community water and sanitation programme. R1 268.5 million of this amount had been disbursed onward to the implementation agencies. A total of 1 060 projects are being, or have been implemented.

5 Department of Trade and Industry

The Department of Trade and Industry has an extensive programme to support the development of small, medium and micro enterprises. This initiative may provide post-service opportunities for youth in the small, medium and micro enterprise sector and may provide a means of assisting young people who complete a national youth service programme to find the means for self-employment.

Programmes include:

• The mentorship programme which involves business people working in conjunction with support institutions to build the capacity of small, medium and micro enterprises as well as supporting fledgling small businesses with financial management skills, loan applications, feasibility studies, business plans and general managerial skills development.
• A venture capital programme and loans under the guarantee scheme.
• The establishment of a regulatory body to oversee the provision of micro-credit, in the range below R50 000.
• The development of local business service centres around the country. These assist with business counseling and advice, training, information and networking.

5.1 Spatial development initiatives

Spatial development initiatives aim to cluster or package a number of reinforcing industrial projects which can be introduced to potential investors. Physical infrastructure is installed or upgraded as part of this package. Each spacial development initiative is designed around at least one anchor project. There are presently about 400 projects relating to spacial development initiatives and it is estimated that more than 100 000 jobs will be created directly through these initiatives.

6 Social services

6.1 Department of Welfare

The Department of Welfare has developed a number of programmes which address the needs of families, children (child labour, child protection, child emergency line, alternative care), youth (youth at risk, HIV/AIDS), women and the aged. The department has also established a unit for community development which is divided into policy and programmes (including community integration, substance abuse).

With regards to the youth, the department has identified specific categories of youth that require services. These include youth with disabilities, youth involved in substance abuse, juvenile offenders, homosexual and lesbian youth, young victims and survivors of violence and crime, young people with HIV/AIDS, youth in dysfunctional families, young women, homeless adults and those surviving on the streets, out-of-school unemployed young people, pregnant or teenage mothers, and youth in gangs.

Of particular importance to the national youth service is the emphasis in the White Paper for Social Welfare on the development of a volunteer culture though encouraging young people to participate in social and community programmes. Other potential opportunities for the involvement of young people lie in the promotion of mediation programmes as support mechanisms for community development.

Government's employment strategy commits the Department of Welfare to implement a pilot skills development programme for youth to improve their capacity to access the job market. This programme is targeted at young people below the age of 18, and aims to reach a minimum of 250 000 young people.

6.2 Department of Health

In his opening speech to Parliament in 1998, the President stated that government had surpassed its plans to build or upgrade 500 clinics in 1997 and stated that the primary school feeding scheme had reached 4.9 million children. In terms of ongoing needs, the Department of Health has determined that addressing the backlog in building and maintaining hospitals and clinics will require expenditure of R13 billion.

There are a number of areas in the health sector in which opportunities could be identified for young people to engage in youth service programmes. These include:

• The placement of health sciences students as interns in rural hospitals as well as in clinics in disadvantaged areas. Pilot programmes of this nature are currently taking place under the auspices of the Rural Support Network Group.
• Young people could assist with administrative functions in clinics and hospitals.
• An area that is likely to become a priority is that of health promotion, health education and immunisation. For example, in KwaZulu-Natal there is a proposal to link an immunisation campaign to the proposed spacial development initiative so as to improve the general health of the population whilst simultaneously making the area more attractive to tourists.
• HIV/AIDS and sexual awareness counseling: the Department of Education, together with the Department of Health, has already been involved in programmes to train teachers to fulfill these functions.
• The White Paper for the Transformation of the Health System in South Africa calls for obligatory service requirements for all health professionals, generalists and specialists. It proposes that the training of registrars should include one year=s public sector experience in an underserved area. In 1998 the Department launched its community service programme for junior doctors which places medical graduates in areas of need.
• Within the higher education sector there are a number of institution-based service programmes which provide health promotion programmes and health services (such as dental services) through the involvement of diploma and degree students in medical and dental faculties.
• In terms of providing infrastructure within the health care sector, R100 million has been committed by the department to the upgrading of hospitals.

6.3 Department of Education

Through the School Register of Needs, the Department of Education was able to formulate a clear indication of the development needs in the education sector as well as their location, nature and extent. The range of problems includes the finding that 24% of the country=s schools have no water within walking distance, more than half the schools in the country (57%) have no access to power, 38% of schools have telephones, and 12% of schools (over 3 000 schools) have no toilet facilities. The most disadvantaged provinces have been identified as being the Eastern Cape, Northern Province and KwaZulu-Natal.

The department has also identified as a major priority the need to create a culture of learning, teaching and service. The Culture of Learning, Teaching and ServiceCampaign is the primary vehicle for this campaign and there are likely to be a number of opportunities through which the national youth service could play a role in advancing the aims of the Culture of Learning, Teaching and Service campaign.

Other education programmes which could provide opportunities for young people include the following:

• The possibility of assisting with tutoring of young people in schools.
• Assisting with the provision of after-school activities such as cultural and drama groups, sporting activities and other extra-curricula options.
• Assisting with the delivery of adult basic education and training.
• The building and maintenance of schools. In phase one of the school building project, a total of 744 schools were built or had additions built on to existing schools.

7 Department of Justice

The Department of Justice is involved in programmes which could impact on youth service in two ways. Firstly, an initiative is being designed to involve law graduates in providing a year=s service in areas of need. Secondly, a process has been put in place to review the policy framework relating to juvenile justice and corrective supervision. These are critical issues faced by youth in conflict with the law.

Young people could render assistance would be counselling victims of crime, as well as working with the perpetrators of crime in structured programmes. The Department of Justice has also launched a number of initiatives to develop the capacity of practitioners to work with young people. Some of these practitioners have the responsibility of identifying service opportunities for young people as a form of alternative sentencing and as a means of preventing the institutionalisation of young people. Initiatives such as these should be considered when deliberating on the resources which may be available to assist the national youth service.

8 South African National Defence Force: Service Corps

The Service Corps was established in order to deal with those individuals who were demobilised during the integration process in the mid-1990s. One of the key aims of this programme was to ensure that the programme participants were given the skills necessary for their reintegration into society. The programme thus provided demobilised young people with education and training as well as life skills. The education and training programmes were offered by providers who had been contracted by the Service Corps to undertake this work, and the initiative was coordinated by the Department of Labour.

The service components of the programme were not completed, however, as participants refused to undertake service. This related to a number of difficulties that were being experienced in the programme and to high levels of frustration among programme participants.

The Service Corps will now be taking responsibility for 20 000 people who are to be retrenched from the SANDF over the next three years. The process will take the form of resettlement programmes, the emphasis of which will be on career counselling and education and training.

9 Jobs Summit

In the course of preparing for the Jobs Summit, parties to the summit have developed a number of proposals targeting young people. These are important not only for the longer term goal of growing the economy and increasing job opportunities within the economy, but could also be critical to the success of the National Youth Service.

The Jobs Summit preparatory process established a committee which has responsibility for the exploration of youth programmes and specifically for the concept of youth service. This committee has looked at two types of programmes:

• one for youth brigades
• one for student service.

9.1 Youth brigades

At the point that this Green Paper was being finalised, agreement had been reached on the need for the establishment of youth brigades that would target unemployed young people and young people out of school so as to involve them in service and public works. It is proposed that the young people involved in this initiative should receive an allowance for the duration of the programme, and that they should also gain access to accredited education and training. Three lead projects have been identified for this purpose: Working for Water, Community Based Public Works, and the Clean and Green Cities campaign.

The Jobs Summit is to establish a steering committee comprising the youth sector, government representatives and three representatives from Nedlac to develop national guidelines for the delivery of these programmes. These would relate to the level of the allowance to be paid to participants, as well as the nature of the education and training to be provided.

9.2 Student service

Final agreement has not yet been reached with regard to the student service. However, the proposals argue for service to be integrated appropriately into the learning programmes of further education and training institutions as well as higher education institutions. A process is being proposed to take these ideas forward.

9.3 Relationship with Green Paper proposals

The Jobs Summit process is complementary to the proposals being developed in this Green Paper. A number of proposals made, including the youth brigades, are central to the National Youth Service.

10 Conclusion and recommendations

There is a wide range of activity taking place which has been initiated by government departments. Within these there are enormous opportunities for cooperation between the line ministries concerned and the National Youth Service. Iin exploring how and under what circumstances the National Youth Service could forge working relationships with the programmes cited in this chapter, the following issues will be considered:

• Youth are already a specific target group in these programmes and the National Youth Service is one of the methods through which the programme objectives could be met.
• Where possible the existing management structures of these programmes could provide support to the delivery of national youth service components within the programmes.
• The scale of existing government programmes provides crucial experience for the National Youth Service in regard to planning and costing the delivery of large-scale programmes that involve hundreds and thousands of young people.

Chapter Eight: INTERFACE BETWEEN NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT POLICIES

1 Introduction

The 1998 Medium-Term Expenditure Review for Education by a sub-group on The Funding of Skills Development observes that South Africa makes inadequate provision for technical and vocational education and does a poor job of preparing its citizens for the world of work. It suggests that there are a number of factors that require attention in the short term and puts forward certain medium-term objectives which centre on improving the quality and relevance of learning programmes. The group proposes a shift in expenditure from academic to more vocationally-oriented programmes and suggests that conditional grants and earmarked funding be used to address national and provincial priorities in skills development for young adults.

This chapter outlines the key education and training policy developments that have particular significance to the National Youth Service. These education and training initiatives are critical if the National Youth Service is to meet its objectives and become one vehicle which contributes to the transformation of the education and training system in line with the objectives spelled out in national policy.

Key policies that will be reviewed in this chapter are the following:

• the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Act;
• the National Skills Bill;
• the Further Education and Training Bill;
• the multi-year implementation plan for Adult Basic Education and Training; and
• the Higher Education Act.

2 South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Act

The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Act provides for the establishment of the Board which has as its central responsibility the development of the National Qualifications Framework. The first South African Qualifications Authority bulletin states that, the objective of the National Qualifications Framework is the creation of an integrated national framework for learning. Access, mobility and progression are key object ives, as is the need for enhancing quality in education and training. Attention must be given to the speedy redress of past discrimination in education, training and employment. Through these objectives, the National Qualifications Framework contributes to the full personal development of each learner and the social and economic development of the nation at large.

The responsibility of the Board is also to develop of national standards and qualifications on the one hand, and the establishment of quality assurance structures on the other. This provides a mechanism to ensure that irrespective of where the education and training takes place, or what mode of delivery is used, as long as the provider is accredited by a quality assurance structure and learners are assessed against nationally registered standards, learners are able to receive national recognition for that learning.

The development of standards and quality assurance structures are important because they will enable the National Youth Service to provide participants with education and training programmes which are accredited and receive national recognition. The National Qualifications Framework integrates theory and practice, or knowledge with ability; the service component of national youth service provides opportunities in all the bands of learning for learners to access accredited work experience. This means that learners will have the option of taking their learning further upon completion of the service, if they so wish. This is in sharp contrast with the previous system which, in the main, only recognised learning that took place in formal learning institutions.

3 Green Paper on Skills Development and the Skills Development Bill

The Department of Labour=' Skills Development Strategy for Economic and Employment Growth in South Africa is intended to complement the formal education system and link skill formation to the requirements of a developing economy. A key concern is to improve the intermediate level skills base of the country and to provide labour market training for identified target groups including the unemployed, retrenched workers, youth, women, the disabled and people in rural areas. An important mechanism for such training will be the provision of learner ships which will combine structured learning and work experience and will lead to nationally recognised qualifications.

The Skills Bill proposes two types of programmes: learnership programmes as well as skills programmes.

• The learnership programmes consist of a structured learning component, as well as practical work experience, and must lead to a qualification registered by South African Qualifications Authority.
• Skills programmes are occupationally-based and, when completed, will constitute a credit towards a qualification registered in terms of the National Qualifications Framework

The Strategy is closely linked to the macro-economic, industrial, labour market and science and technology policies of the country. A new National Skills Authority will determine skills priorities for the future and will develop and promote a national skills development strategy for the country and link such priorities to the National Skills Fund. The National Skills Fund will be used for projects that are identified as national priorities. This will include the provision of training in areas that have growth potential, such as tourism, or other strategic priorities. Amongst the key target groups for this fund are young people that are unemployed and out of school.

The remainder of the levy (80%) will go directly to the Sectoral Education and Training Authorities. Companies which provide accredited education and training will be able to draw funds from the Sectoral Education and Training Authorities for this purpose. This will be used primarily, but not exclusively, for workers at all levels in the industry. Sectoral Education and Training Authorities will have the responsibility for human resources development planning in their sector, as well as quality assurance arrangements.

The final aspect of the Skills Bill that has particular relevance to the National Youth Service concerns the institutions that will be established under the Bill. These include the Skills Development Planning Unit and the Employment Services Unit, whose functions are:

• to provide employment services for workers, employers and training providers;
• to register work-seekers;
• to register vacancies and work opportunities; and
• to assist prescribed categories of persons
  • to enter special education and training programmes;
  • to find employment;
  • to start income-generating projects; and
  • to participate in special employment programmes.

These proposals are significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Bill supports the need for the provision of education and training to young people that are out of work and out of school. Secondly, the Bill and the Green Paper emphasise the importance of linking learning with practical experience. Thirdly, the Bill requires that the education and training which is provided must be accredited and provides for structures that will be able to play this quality assurance role; and fourthly, the Bill provides a funding mechanism for such programmes.

3.1 Implications for the National Youth Service

Through its programmes for out-of-school and unemployed youth as well as those programmes for young people in conflict with the law, the National Youth Service can make an important contribution to meeting the human resources development needs of the country by complementing the skills Bill through its service learning concept. Learning through service is distinct, however, from the learnership in a number of ways. It does not necessarily lead to a qualification, but rather leads to credits towards a qualification. It fulfills a dual function in that it provides young people with access to education and training while facilitating the delivery of basic services and infrastructure to communities.

The National Skills Fund can make an important contribution to the funding of the education and training components of the Youth Service, where these are in line with national priorities. Finally, the proposed labour centres can play an invaluable role in providing services to young people who wish to access a programme, as well as to those that are completing their programmes and need advice as to what avenues are possible for them.

4 White Paper on Further Education and Training and the Further Education and Training Bill

The White Paper and Bill on Further Education and Training are aimed at establishing a single, coordinated system, which is more responsive to the needs of learners and to the requirements of social and economic development. The Further Education and Training Bill allows for the establishment of a National Board for Further Education and Training which will monitor the performance of the further education and training system. Provincial advisory bodies will also be established to advise the MECs on relevant FET issues.

A range of different institutions (schools, colleges, training centres as well as private providers) will be able to offer programmes that fall within this band, including those programmes which fall within levels 2 to 4 on the National Qualifications Framework. While some institutions may occupy specialised niches in the labour market, others may develop a broad and comprehensive menu of programmes to meet the needs of a diverse clientele of young people, adult workers and the unemployed.

The new policy framework will challenge institutions to take a broad and inclusive view of their role in human resources development in the province. This will entail moving beyond traditional conceptions of their role in technical and vocational education, and reviewing their mission and goals in relation to the needs of identified target audiences and specific needs. They will have to become strongly client-oriented, place greater emphasis on learner support services, community outreach, the provision of a range of services to industry to communities, and on marketing themselves to current and potential clients.

This approach will be encouraged through the move towards programme-based funding B an arrangement which includes formula funding, earmarked funding and student aid. While the norms and standards of these funding arrangements have not yet been developed, some key aspects have already been highlighted. They include a strong emphasis on redress, as well as the need to ensure that institutions can offer programmes in a range of modes of learning.

4.1 Implications for the National Youth Service

The Further Education and Training Bill has a number of elements that are important in the conceptualisation and planning of the National Youth Service. Firstly, it articulates a commitment to providing education and training to those young people who have left the education system and are unemployed. Secondly, it recognises that learning programmes must be more flexible with multiple sites of delivery and a greater emphasis on open learning opportunities. Thirdly, it reorients programmes towards the needs identified in a broader human resources development strategy. Fourthly, the movement towards programmatic funding allows for a broader range of programmes that can be offered in different modes and by a range of providers. And fifthly, the Further Education and Training Quality Authority will facilitate effective quality assurance arrangements.

Youth Service programmes should be integrated into the curricula of formal learning institutions in ways which assist these institutions to meet these legislative requirements. Since the formulae for the funding of further education and training institutions have not yet been developed, there is an important opening to suggest the inclusion of service into this approach. This would obviously relate to the extent that linkages between learning and service are made in the curricula.

5 Adult basic education and training policy

The adult basic education and training component of the general education and training band has not yet gone through the legislative process. However, the policy document and multi-year plan suggest a similar approach to that being proposed in the further education and training process.

A key aspect of the plan includes the need for an integrated approach to adult basic education and training. This can be achieved in a range of learning sites. One option is that of adult basic education programmes that are offered within the context of development programmes. The plan also proposes the quality assurance arrangements that will be developed to ensure that all programmes can be accredited.

It places great emphasis on the need for effective coordination amongst government departments to improve the quality of adult basic education and training in all other programmes. It also recommends a programme to develop the capacity of adult basic education and training practitioners. This is consistent with the approach being developed in the national youth service and will ensure the effective delivery of adult basic education and training in these programmes.

6 Higher Education White Paper and the Higher Education Act

The Higher Education White Paper=s identification of a number of serious deficiencies in the sector. Among them are the inadequate response by higher education to the development needs of society, the failure of the sector to lay the foundations for a critical civil society, and inappropriate policies and practices in teaching and research.

The White Paper provides, inter alia, Higher Education Quality Committee, that will be responsible for quality assurance and quality promotion with respect to higher education, in accordance with the policies and criteria set out by the South African Qualifications Authority. It also provides for programmes-based funding of higher education and for system-wide and institutional governance and planning. In the Department of Education=s review of funding formulae for higher education which is currently taking place, there is a unique opportunity for encouraging institutions to explore ways in which service and learning could be combined so as to achieve the goals of academic excellence, service and the promotion of democratic citizenship in different disciplines.

6.1 Implication for Youth Service

The mission of higher education, teaching, research and service, provides the opportunity for integrating the notion of service into these institutions. A report recently produced by the Joint Education Trust on Community Service in Higher Education argues that the appropriate integration of service into higher education curricula can have three important results. It can:

• assist in the transformation of higher education institutions towards greater social responsiveness;
• enable participating students to develop greater social awareness and, in the case of professional training, a greater understanding of their roles as professionals given the conditions of poverty experienced by many South Africans; and
• deliver quality social services to poor communities in the process.

The report cites four important factors which are likely to determine whether or not these benefits are realised in combining learning with service in the higher education context. The first requirement is a close articulation between the curriculum goals and the goals of the service programmes. The second is the orientation of the institutional leadership towards achieving greater social responsiveness through teaching and research. The third is the extent to which the programmes provide a site for the realisation of specific teaching and research goals. Finally, programme design and management were found to be critical factors in the successful integration of service and learning in higher education.

The report recommends that service learning opportunities should not be obligatory across the board for all students and faculty, but rather that initiatives be taken which are meaningful in academic terms and appropriate to the meeting of community need.

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Chapter Nine: SITUATION ANALYSIS OF THE CAPACITY AVAILABLE TO THE NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE

The previous chapters outlined a range of opportunities for the delivery of service by young people through existing programmes being run by government departments and examined the relationship between the National Youth Service and emerging policies for human resources development. The conception of national youth service as outlined in Chapter Two argues strongly for an integral link to be established between service and learning. This section provides a brief assessment of the capacity available to the National Youth Service for the integration of service with learning. It provides an overview of the expertise and capacity which is currently located in non-governmental organisations working within the youth sector, and also examines the situation with regard to providers in the further education and training sector and in the adult basic education and training sector.

The analysis shows that in all these sectors, organisations and institutions are situated in a period of change and transformation. While the National Youth Service will have significant opportunities over the next few years to influence the transformation programmes in formal institutions and in building the youth development expertise in civil society more generally, it also needs to be informed about what service learning strategies are likely to be most effective.

1 The non-governmental sector as a strategic resource for youth service

In South Africa, currently only the non-governmental sector has experience of delivering youth service programmes. There are a range of non-governmental organisations which have developed programmes that engage young people in service as a method of providing youth development opportunities. However, the experience gained by these organisations has not been tapped in any formal way and this represents a major lost opportunity for efforts being made by government to establish the National Youth Service.

2 Range of services provided by non-governmental organisations in the youth sector

2.1 Sectors of operation

Youth organisations operate within a broad range of sectors and undertake a wide range of activities. The table below highlights the sectors within which different types of youth service organisations operate.

Sectors encompassing service organisations targeting youth as well as youth service organisations

Accommodation	Democracy	Human rights	Research
Advice and information	Disability	Leadership	Science and technology
AIDS	Early childhood development	Legal services	Shelter
Arts and culture	Education	Media	Social awareness
Bursaries	Entrepreneurship	Museums	Sport
Child abuse	Environment	Places of safety	Students organisations
Child Care and protection	Environmental education	Politics	Student support
Children=s homes	Family services	Recreation	Training
Community development	Funding	Rehabilitation	Voluntarism
Crisis counselling	Health	Religion	Youth development and support

2.2 Categorisation according to core business

Non-governmental organisations active in working with young people fall into a number of categories, depending on their core business. Some include young people in their activities, although young people may not be their sole or priority target group. Others specifically focus on working with young people. These organisations fall into one or more of the following categories:

• cultural organisations
• youth commissions
• community-based organisations
• non-governmental organisations
• youth projects
• youth forums
• youth clubs
• mass-based youth movements/organisations
• youth associations and coalitions
• service organisations.

Some, but not all, of these organisations fall under the umbrella of the South African Youth Council. They have particular expertise in accessing young South Africans and working with them. They are likely to provide some of the best opportunities through which the National Youth Service could initially recruit young people into its programmes.

The organisations perform a range of activities, including the following:

• Training and facilitation of workshops for youth clubs, individuals within youth organisations and community members;
• Advocacy and lobbying;
• Fundraising;
• Coordination and ensuring interdepartmental approaches to youth well-being;
• Running youth camps and sports days;
• AIDS awareness and other health issues;
• Computer and other vocational skills;
• Conflict resolution;
• Changing and supporting marginalised youth through holistic multi-disciplinary service delivery;
• Community outreach programs, for example, soup kitchens;
• Environmental awareness programmes;
• Cultural activities;
• Conducting youth work schemes;
• Promotion of development of target groups e.g. young women;
• Research;
• Educating and encouraging parents to be involved in their children's education;
• Career guidance, after school centres;
• Promoting an understanding and tolerance of diversities;
• Organising and facilitating local and international youth exchange and networking programs;
• Providing technical assistance and support to youth clubs and associations;
• Disseminating information; and
• Developing and supporting entrepreneurs through funding for youth.

In carrying out these activities, most youth organisations have developed strong links with the communities in which they work as well as extensive networks with each other. For most of the organisations, participation in networks extends well beyond their own communities and sectors. These factors represent important opportunities for the National Youth Service.

3 Capacity and expertise available in non-governmental and community-based organisations

3.1 Curriculum and materials development

Youth development organisations have developed a wide range of material in the areas of life skills, leadership training and values education. These materials have been used with large numbers of young people, although they have not necessarily been exposed to rigorous testing. In some cases the materials form part of education and training curricula devised for young people in the different target groups identified as a priority by this Green Paper. They represent a targeted set of resources which could provide models for youth service programmes, could be used in their existing form, or could be adapted to meet some of the learning and development criteria cited for national youth service programme design in this document.

3.2 Programme design

Over the years, youth development organisations in South Africa have gained particular skills in developing programmes which are attractive to young people and which achieve a range of development objectives. Many youth organisations also have the skill to develop programmes that meet the integrated needs of young people (their economic, educational and social needs) and reintegrate youth with communities. The organisations therefore have an important role to play in advising on and assisting with the design of integrated and effective programmes that fall under the National Youth Service.

3.3 Training programme staff to work with youth in service

One of the key constraints to implementing a large-scale national youth service will be the limited capacity to provide supervision which is sensitive to and skilled in good youth development practices. In order to facilitate service learning, it will be crucial to train staff supervising young people in effective youth development practice. For example, the national Working For Water programme may involve 3 000 participants in youth service programmes. It is envisaged that the existing supervisory capacity within Working for Water will be allocated to the programmes, but these supervisors do not necessarily have the skills to motivate young people and provide a developmental context for their work. Several youth non-governmental organisations have the capacity to train these supervisors and to give them an orientation that will make their work more effective.

A second issue which needs to be noted is that there is virtually no formal training which exists in the area of life skills for young people, particularly those who are out of school. Youth organisations have the capacity to train youth workers who will implement this aspect of the development programme which is one of the criteria for programmes falling under a national youth service.

3.4 Providing access to young people and assisting with recruitment

The recruitment of young people into national youth service is a massive challenge, particularly in the unemployed target group. Youth non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations, mass-based organisations and youth clubs can play a very useful role in assisting with the recruitment and screening of potential candidates.

3.5 Programme delivery

While non-governmental organisations have not had experience in delivering programmes on a large scale, they have gained extensive experience in delivering youth service programmes for between 50 and 1000 young people. As outlined above, this experience will assist the National Youth Service in developing its own programmes. However non-governmental organisations should also be considered as direct service providers for the National Youth Service. In the same way that it is envisaged that government campaigns such as Working for Water, Community-Based Public Works Programme and the Clean and Green City campaign will deliver programmes in conjunction with the National Youth Service, NGOs should also be used as delivery agents in order to increase the range and reach of programmes offered.

3.6 Widening the diversity of service activities

Chapter Two outlines the need for the National Youth Service to encourage and acknowledge all community youth service initiatives, regardless of whether they are eligible for additional support from a national coordinating structure. Many youth organisations already include service in their scope of work. For example many religious youth organisations undertake service as part of their core activities. Engaging these organisations in a process which better equips them to plan and deliver service programmes could be constructive in increasing the reach and diversity of youth service programmes into communities throughout the country.

The National Youth Service will engage in a proactive strategy which utilises the expertise of non-governmental and community based organisations in the delivery of youth service programmes. This will entail:

• Contracting youth organisations with specialised skills to design programmes, prepare materials and train personnel who will be working in national youth service programmes.
• Contracting non-governmental organisations as agencies to deliver programmes that fall under the National Youth Service.
• Develop a resourcing strategy that compliments the existing funding relationships of non-governmental organisations.

4 Voluntarism within the youth sector

4.1 Scale of voluntarism in youth work

It is important to note that most youth work in South Africa presently takes place on a voluntary basis. This means that activities are organised by voluntary leaders or workers, and that young people participate in them voluntarily.

This is important because it indicates that there is already a wide acceptance of a culture of voluntarism and service which exists among young people. Current practice provides immediate access for national youth service, particularly into the target group of unemployed young people who fall outside of most formal institutions in society.

Youth service organisations operating on a voluntary basis could thus assist the National Youth Service to increase its outreach by drawing on some of the programmes which are already providing service activities.

4.2 Issues for consideration

The prospect of involving voluntary youth organisations in the National Youth Service raises several issues which need to be considered carefully.

• Voluntary organisations achieve a varying range of standards in their delivery of programmes and/or services. There is therefore critical to look at building the capacity of these organisations to provide the quality of service required by the National Youth Service.
• There may be a need to provide support to voluntary youth organisations with materials and other resources so that they may supplement national youth service programmes. Chapter Six provides more detail on how programmes may be recognised for particular support by the National Youth Service.
• Small-scale funding may be required to enable programmes that are primarily voluntary in nature to operate under the umbrella of the National Youth Service. Such funds may be required for discrete and short-term items of expenditure eg. transport costs for participants travelling to communities, or equipment required to deliver the service. It may be possible to raise matching funds from private sector organisations if the National Youth Service were able to find a formula for such short-term grants.
• One of the key concerns with voluntary work is that it tends to depend on the commitment and energy of a handful of committed leaders. When these individuals move out of the programme, the work may come to an end. A question therefore arises about the incentives that could be offered to such voluntary organisations which would enable them to continue operating in a sustainable manner.

Voluntary youth organisations will assist the National Youth Service to access young people, and play a supportive role in the delivery of programmes. In order to achieve this, the following steps will be taken:

• A capacity building programme for the leaders in voluntary service organisations will be initiated.
• Materials will be developed which voluntary youth organisations could use in implementing programmes that fall under the National Youth Service.
• Incentives, such as small scale funding, will be considered to increase the capacity of the voluntary organisations= work.

5 Education and training providers

The proposals made in this Green Paper argue strongly for the integration of service and learning in national youth service programmes. The first part of this chapter has examined the capacity which non-governmental organisations are able to provide in a range of sectors and has identified the very important role they could play in designing and delivering national youth service programmes which operate on the basis of service learning. However, a survey of the capacity available to the National Youth Service would be incomplete without some discussion of what public and private providers can offer youth service programmes in relation to education and training. This section focuses on providers in three key sectors: higher education, further education and training and adult basic education and training.

5.1 Higher education

The research study recently completed by the Joint Education Trust (Joint Education Trust, Community Service in Higher Education: Final Report, Johannesburg, September 1998) indicates that higher education institutions see community service (as it is presently called in this sector) as one way of responding to calls by government and the public to become more responsive to the needs of society. However, most institutions do not indicate whether community service is regarded as a separate function from teaching and research or whether it is integral to these activities. While community-based work is a curriculum requirement in some departments, most institutions do not have institution-wide policies on community service.

A wide variety of community service programmes operate on South African campuses B some compulsory and curriculum-related, others of a voluntary nature with no relation to the curriculum. While most community service programmes draw on professional skills, fields such as engineering and commerce do not feature prominently in service programmes.

The majority of community service programmes based at higher education institutions rely heavily on external funding. Higher education institutions do provide infrastructural and human resources to community service programmes and in many cases the human resources provided are considerable. However, most institutions are not able to cost their contribution to community service programmes which makes it difficult or impossible to determine their level of investment in these programmes. Higher education faculty and managers see potential benefits for students and for their institutions in community service, but also see the lack of human, financial and administrative resources in their institutions as the main constraints to the introduction of community service in higher education. The present financial cutbacks which institutions are facing have resulted in staffing cuts which are likely to inhibit the introduction or extension of community service programmes. This is all the more difficult because of the time-consuming nature of much of what makes up good service work and the fact that, even where programmes do enjoy a close relationship with the curriculum, faculty members do not receive academic recognition for these initiatives.

The National Youth Service will engage with the Department of Education on the review of its funding formula for higher education. The research undertaken by the Joint Education Trust recommends that the Department of Education seeks input from higher education institutions on the following issues which may impact on the design of national youth service programmes in this sector:

• how institutions intend factoring community service into their planning frameworks for transformation;
• how the goals of academic excellence, service and the promotion of democratic citizenship can be met in different disciplines;
• how disciplines which do not lend themselves to service view their role in fostering civic values among students and staff; and
• a framework for costing learning programmes in all disciplines so as to establish their real cost to the institutions, including the costs of the service components (such as those in community service programmes).

5.2 Further education and training

5.2.1 Range of providers

Further education and training is provided by the following types of institutions:

• senior secondary schools from Grades 10 to 12;
• adult education centres or night schools offering programmes across the spectrum from Grade 1 to 12;
• youth colleges and finishing schools;
• state and state-aided technical colleges which offer programmes from N1 to N3;
• universities and technikons through their outreach and community programmes;
• government departments which provide training for civil servants;
• training trusts, regional training centres and private providers which deliver training funded by the Department of Labour;
• government departments other than Education and Labour which deliver training programmes;
• enterprises which train their own employees in-house and fund industry training boards;
• industry training boards;
• community colleges/centres;
• private, for-profit colleges; and
• non-governmental organisations.

5.2.2 Scale of provision

There are no readily available figures on the precise number of further education and training providers. The 1997 Report of the National Committee on Further Education estimated that there were in the region of 8 000 further education and training providers, excluding enterprise-based, employer training where no estimate was made. This figure was broken down as follows:

Provider	Number
Senior secondary schools	6 460
Technical colleges	152
Other colleges	160
Community colleges	20
Private education and training providers	400
Training trusts	6
Regional training centres	9
Industry training boards	28
Total	7 235

The capacity of these institutions in 1996 was estimated at some 1.4 million learners in senior secondary schools, about 60 000 in technical colleges, approximately 70 000 in private colleges, and an estimated 5 000 in community colleges, youth colleges and finishing schools.

Total expenditure from all sources (government, private sector and NGOs) was estimated at R10 billion. Funding for this sector is drawn from three major sources: government, private/user fees, and business. Government funding (estimated at 69% of total further education and training expenditure) is provided primarily through the Department of Education to the provinces in support of senior secondary schools and technical colleges. It is also provided through the Department of Labour, primarily for the Training of the Unemployed Scheme B which provides about R150 million per year for the training of 40 000 to 50 000 people B and through government employee training. Business funding (estimated at 14% to 20% of total further education and training expenditure) is provided through in-house training, industry training board contributions and corporate social responsibility. User fees are estimated to provide 9.5 to 17% of the total revenue available to further education and training.

5.2.3 Implications for national youth service

A situational analysis of the 33 technical colleges in Gauteng in 1998 indicated that the infrastructure of these colleges was under utilised and there was scope for offering more evening, weekend, and holiday programmes. These facilities could be accessed for participants in national youth service programmes who are not located in formal institutions, possibly on a block release system.

While little information is available on the qualifications, experience and methodology of staff in further education and training institutions, what is known is that training is often outdated, and that staff in technical colleges often lack the skills necessary for working with young people who have not been in a formal learning environment for many years. If providers are to support the learning objectives of national youth service programmes, skills training programmes will need to be designed to incorporate the personal development objectives which are set for all programmatic components. Staff will require orientation and training in working with the target groups for national youth service so as to meet the education and training objectives of the programmes.

The Further Education and Training Bill lays the basis for the transformation of the sector in terms of changing governance, programmes, teaching approaches, and funding. As is outlined in Chapter Four, transformed technical colleges will form the nucleus of this new further education and training sector and some institutions may develop a broad and comprehensive menu of programmes to meet the needs of a diverse clientele of young people, adult workers and the unemployed. This approach will be encouraged through the move towards programme-based funding B a funding arrangement which includes formula funding, earmarked funding and student aid.

The opportunity thus exists in the policy environment and in the timing of the launch of the National Youth Service to influence the transformation of the further education and training sector in directions which will ensure that in the long term, further education and training institutions are in a position to support youth service programmes through the provision of education and training to the groups targeted for national youth service.

A strategy will be devised to influence the transformation of further education and training provision towards meeting the service learning needs of the target groups identified for the National Youth Service programme, not only those young people currently located in such institutions, but also those in the categories of unemployed youth and youth in conflict with the law. The strategic plan will be developed with the participation of the departments of Education and Labour, the departments which are launching the lead projects identified by the Jobs Summit (Water Affairs, Public Works and Environmental Affairs and Tourism), as well as representatives of public, private, NGO and CBO education and training providers.

5.3 Adult basic education and training

5.3.1 Scale of provision

Adult Basic Education and Training is provided by the following types of institutions (These figures are drawn from A survey of adult basic education in South Africa in the 90s, 1996):

• adult education centres or night schools, of which there were 1 440 throughout the country in 1994, reaching close to 100 000 learners (While these centres are large-scale in numbers and widely spread, the 1996 study found that most are not sufficiently flexible in terms of their hours of operation to meet the needs of adult learners, the cirriculum has not been adjusted for adult learners, and teaching tends to be of poor quality);
• prisons;
• municipalities;
• some public libraries;
• some universities B in a number of areas university involvement in the field varies from direct provision of adult basic education classes, to adult basic education materials development, to offering advice and support to others in the field, as well as research and teacher training;
• major parastatals;
• companies B with increasing involvement to a level of about 140 000 learners in 1995;
• commercial training organisations;
• Non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations and Section 21 companies B with numbers steadily increasing; and
• religious organisations.

The breakdown of the different types of institutions in the survey was as follows:

Provider	Number
Night schools	1 343
Companies	60
NGOs	70
Parastatals	14
Commercial training organisations	13
Religious organisations	13
TOTAL	1 513

An update on the survey, which is due to be published in November 1998, indicates that the situation remains much the same, with the provision of adult basic education and training by the Department of Education and companies up slightly, and the provision by NGOs down. An estimated 400 000 learners are currently in class. Only a small proportion are youth, attributed to the fact that most youth have received a basic education.

For all types of institutions, the provision of teaching in classes is the major activity, as is the assessment of learners. Training of educators is an important activity for non-governmental organisations, parastatals, some including universities, commercial training organisations and religious organisations. Few providers include a skills training component in their programmes.

5.3.2 Implications for national youth service

The National Youth Service will engage in a planning process with the Department of Education in order to establish how the multi-year implementation plan for adult basic education and training could assist national youth service programmes in realising their service learning objectives.

Non-governmental organisations active in adult basic education and training have experienced severe funding setbacks in recent years, which has led to a sharp reduction of capacity. However, the launch of the National Youth Service provides an opportunity for the development of new, coordinated, strategies B both of funding, capacity-building and provision B so as to direct adult basic education and training resources towards youth service programmes, especially those targeting young people who are not presently in institutions of learning.

6 Summary of recommendations

The National Youth Service will engage in a proactive strategy which utilises the expertise of non-governmental and community-based organisations in the delivery of youth service programmes.

Voluntary youth organisations will assist the National Youth Service to access young people, and play a supportive role in the delivery of programmes.

The National Youth Service will engage with the Department of Education on the review of its funding formula for higher education.

A strategy will be devised to influence the transformation of further education and training provision towards meeting the service learning needs of the target groups identified for the National Youth Service programme, not only those young people currently located in such institutions, but also those in the categories of unemployed youth and youth in conflict with the law.

The National Youth Service will engage in a planning process with the Department of Education in order to establish how the multi-year implementation plan for adult basic education and training could assist national youth service programmes in realising their service learning objectives.

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APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Technical Team Members
Motsumi Makhene, Convenor
Penny Foley, Joint Enrichment Project
Christof Heyns, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Danie Brand, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Carmel Marock, Congress of South African Trade Unions
Nkhabele Prusent Marumo, Department of Labour
Moagi Ntsime, Community Agency for Social Enquiry
Rahmat Omar, South African Institute for Distance Education
Helene Perold, Helene Perold & Associates

Support Staff
Jennifer Mueller, Intern, National Youth Commission
Gail Motsi, Research Coordinator
Jacqui Tshabalala, Logistics Coordinator
Mandisa Dukumbana, Secretary

Provincial Focus Groups
Mr Gavin Paulse, Provincial Youth Commissioner, Western Cape
Free State Provincial Youth Commission
Mpumalanga Provincial Youth Commission
Northern Cape Provincial Youth Commission
North West Provincial Youth Commission
Participants from a range of organisations too numerous to mention

Youth Service Organisations Focus Group
Community Agency for Social Enquiry
Ipelegeng
Joint Enrichment Project
Matie Community Service (formerly USKOR)
Volunteer Centre

Organisations Completing Questionnaire

National Organisations
African Enterprise: Intern Programme
Bertrams Development Brigade
Boy Scouts of South Africa
Ipelegeng
Joint Enrichment Project
School Leavers Opportunity Training
Matie Community Service
Volunteer Centre
Wits High School Partnership Programme

Western Cape
Catholic Welfare and Development
Community Development Trust
Life Line/Childline Western Cape
Resource Action Group (RAG)
Southern Cape Technical Institute

Free State
Community Conflict Management and Resolution (CCMR)
NICRO
Planned Parenthood Associates
Department of Health -
Harrismith District Health Services
HIV/AIDS/STD Subdirectorate
School and Youth Health
Thaba Nchu Youth Development
Department of Social Welfare -
Bohlokong Development Enterprise
Bopanang cooking, Baking & Catering
Itsoseng Broiler Project
Jacobsdal Upholstery Group
Khulani Carpentry Project
Moroto Poultry and Piggery Project
Ntha-Lebohang Bakery
Phumalong Youth Catering Project
Reahola Dry Cleaning Project
Smithfield Youth Club
Thusanong Youth
Thusanong Upholstery Project
Vuka Garden Service

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APPENDIX 2: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE PROGRAMME

Name of Organization:

Contact Person:

Name of Project/Programme:

Address:

Telephone No.:

Fax No:

E-Mail Address:

Conceptual Framework

1 Why was the project/programme initiated and by whom?

2 What is the emphasis of the project or its key elements? (Rank the items in order of emphasis from 1 to 6)

Service

Technical skills training

Access to employment

Lifeskills

Work Experience

Business skills training

Youth-In-Service

3 What kind of youth-in-service does the project/programme provide?

4 What provision is there for maintaining this service after the project/programme is completed?

Programmes

5 What are the goals of the project/programme?

6 What are the main activities of the project/programme? Describe them.

7 Where do the project/programme activities take place? (province, city or town, community)

8 How long does the project/programme take?

9 Is participation in the project/programme compulsory or voluntary?

Target Group

10 How many participants are there in the project/programme?

Please quantify these participants if possible along the following lines:

Gender:

• % Male
• % Female

Employment Status (prior to the project/programme):

• % Employed Full-Time
• %Employed Part-Time
• % Unemployed
• % Students

Level of Education (prior to the project/programme):

• % None
• %Primary (Gr0-Gr 7)
• % Junior Sec (Gr 8-9/NTC)
• %Senior Sec (Gr 10-12/NTC)
• % Post-Secondary

Nationality:

• % South African
• % SADC Regional
• % International

11 Education and Training

Over what period of time does the education and training take place? (Total elapsed time)

What is the frequency of the training? (# of times/week or month)

What is the total number of contact hours?

Is the education and training formally accredited and if so, at what level?

12 What social/psychological interventions are made by the project for participants?

13 What incentives are offered to participants during and after the project /programme? (Tick the ones which are applicable.)

• Access to education
• Technical training
• Employment
• Work experience
• Cash income
• Potential bursaries

14 What do the participants do after the project? (Please put an estimated percentage for each item.)

• Further education and training (i.e. technical colleges, senior secondary school)
• Higher education and training (i.e. universities, technikons)
• Employment in the formal sector
• Self-employed
• Other (specify)

15 How many staff are involved in the project/programme? (Please fill in the boxes with numbers.)

• Full Time
• Part Time
• Voluntary

What type of staff are involved? (Please fill in the boxes with a number.)

• Management
• Programme
• Administrative

Governance and Institutional Arrangements

17 Who approves the policies, workplan and budget related to the project/programme?

18 With which organisations or institutions do you collaborate on your project/programme?

What form does this collaboration take (i.e. consultations, involvement in decision-making, involvement in delivery, reporting, etc.)?

Funding and Financing

19 What is your project/programme's annual budget?

20 What is the cost per participant?

21 What are your sources of funding? (Please fill in the boxes with a percentage of the total)

• Government funds
• Foreign donor contributions
• National businesses
• Local businesses
• Individual contributions
• Income generated from programme or other activities of the organisation

22 What in-kind contributions do you receive? From what sources?

Conclusion

23 What are the key reasons for the success of your project/programme, i.e. its strengths?

24 What are the key constraints, i.e. weaknesses?

APPENDIX 3: LIST OF GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS INTERVIEWED

Department of Constitutional Development
Richard Kruger
Municipal Infrastructure Programme

Department of Defence
Brig. Gen. J. M. A. Swanepoel, Chief
Service Corps

Department of Health
Mr. Hendricks, Director, Health Resource Planning
Mr. Mabope, Chief Director, National Health Systems

Department of Justice
Zelda Moletsane
Gender and Children's Directorate

Department of Public Works
Alec McKay, Chief Director
National Public Works Programme

Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
Clayton Lillienfeldt
Institutional and Social Development, Working for Water Programme

Department of Welfare
Dr. Maria Moate, Melanie Henry, Stefane Scholte, Frances Viviers, Mrs S Moodley, Coenie du Toit, Thuli Mahlangu, H Dubazana, Nettie Boshoff, Vasiniti Pillay, Louise Erasmus, Sophie Mkhasibe
Children, Youth and Family Programmes

APPENDIX 4: LIST OF REFERENCES

International Information

Argentina
Australia
Botswana
Canada
China
Egypt
Finland
France
Gambia
Germany
Ghana
Great Britain
India
Israel
Italy
Kenya
Lesotho
Malawi
Middle East
Namibia
Nigeria
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Russia
Seychelles
Trinidad and Tobago
UK
USA
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Selected Reading

A survey of adult basic education in South Africa in the 90s, Anne Harley, John Aitchison, Elda Lyster, Sandra Land, 1996

Charter of the International Association for National Youth Service: Remarks

Community Service in Higher Education : A concept paper, Helene Perold and Rahmat Omar Joint Education Trust, September 1997

Hewers of wood and drawers of water? Analysing the views and needs of out-of-school youth in South Africa,@ Community Agency for Social Enquiry, December 1995

Joint Education Trust Report on Workshop Held with Members from Higher Education Institutions, 30 March 1998

Knowledge and Skills for The Smart Province: An Agenda for The New Millennium: A Situational Analysis of Technical Colleges, National Business Initiative, October 1998

Lessons Learned : 32 Effective Youth Employment Initiatives, PEPNet 97, National Youth Employment Coalition, 1997

National Service : An Action Agenda for the 1990s

National Youth Service : A Democratic Institution for the 21st Century

National Youth Service : A Global Perspective

National Youth Service in the 20th and 21st Centuries, Donald J. Eberly, International Association for National Youth Service

Out-of-School Youth Report: Policy and Provision for OutBof-School and Out-of-Work Youth, Wits EPU, February 1996

Pilot Research and Identification for Possible Housing and Urban Infrastructure Projects, Compiled by Palmer Development Group for The Independent Development Trust, 1993

Poverty Elimination, Employment Creation, and Sustainable Livelihoods in South Africa, A. Adelzadeh, C. Alvillar, C. Mather, National Institute for Economic Policy

South Africa : Training for Employment Concept Paper, Produced for the U.S. Agency for International Development under the auspices of the Academy for Educational Development, January 1993

Towards a South African Student Volunteers Organisation, University of Pretoria Centre for Human Rights, 1993

UNESCO Youth Commitment into 2000

Youth Job-skills Training : Strengthening provision and developing policy, Joint Education Trust Conference, 12 September, 1995

World-wide Update on National Youth Service

Programme Literature

A Manual for Participants in the Wits/High Schools Programme, November, 1995

Case Study on the University of Natal Pietermaritzburg Student Employment Project for the Joint Education Trust, 27 March 1998

Pilot Partnership Project Between University of Witwatersrand and Twenty Black High Schools in the Gauteng Region, Project Information Booklet, 30 April 1997

Pilot Partnership Project Between University of the Witwatersrand and Twenty Black High Schools in the Gauteng Region, Project Manual, May 1997

SASVO Audit of Project Results, 1993-1997

Southern African Student Volunteers Organisation (SASVO) Project Description and Funding Proposal: Two Year Plan (December 1997 to January 2000)

Southern African Youth Practitioners= Working Conference (17-22 March 1996)

Student Services Centre, 1997 Annual Report

University of the Witwatersrand Partnership Programme Final Report: Analysis of Matriculation Results in Partnership Schools, June 1998

Government

Department of Agriculture

• Centers for Tertiary Training in Agriculture
• Draft Proposal for Entrepreneurship Development in Agriculture

Department of Constitutional Development

• Consolidated Municipal Infrastructure Programme (CMIP), Monthly Report, February 1998
• Consolidated Municipal Infrastructure Programme (CMIP), Monthly Report, July 1998
• Consolidated Municipal Infrastructure Programme (CMIP), Monthly Report, June 1998
• Consolidated Municipal Infrastructure Programme (CMIP), Monthly Report, March 1998
• Municipal Infrastructure Programme and Extension to Municipal Infrastructure Programme, Monthly Report to 31st March 1998
• Municipal Infrastructure Programme and Extension to Municipal Infrastructure Programme, Quarterly Report, January 1998 to March 1998

Department of Defence

• Defence in a Democracy: White Paper on National Defence for the Republic of South Africa, May 1996
• Draft National Service Corps Bill, 1997
• Regulations for the Auxiliary Service to be known as the Service Corps, 1 March 1996
• Resettlement Organisation for the SANDF, March 1998

Department of Education

• A National Multi-Year Implementation Plan for Adult Education and Training : Provision and Accreditation, October 1997
• Annual Report 1997
• A programme for the transformation of Further Education and Training, Education White Paper 4, August 1998
• A Programme for the Transformation of Higher Education, Education White Paper 3, 24 July 1997
• Further Education and Training Bill, 1998
• Green Paper on Further Education and Training : Preparing for the Twenty-First Century Through Education, Training and Work, April 1998
• National Commission on Higher Education: A Framework for Transformation,1996
• National Education Policy Act, 1996 (Act No. 27 of 1996): Regulations to provide for the establishment, composition and functioning of the National Board for Further Education and Training
• Policy Document on Adult Basic Education and Training, October 1997
• Provision of Education and Training Programme for Out-of-School Youth Within the Framework of Community Colleges and Community Learning Centres, A Project of the Department of Education, 1997
• Report of the National Committee on Further Education : A Framework for the Transformation of Further Education and Training in South Africa, 14 August 1997

Department of Environment Affairs and Tourism

• Discussion Document on Environmental Education, December 1997
• Draft National Environmental Management Bill, July 1998
• Presentation on the Policy Development Process
• White Paper on Environmental Management Policy, July 1997

Department of Finance

• Budget 98: National Budget Review, March 1998
• Growth, Employment and Redistribution: A Macroeconomic Strategy, 14 June 1996

Department of Health

• Health Department Memorandum re: Government Youth Services
• White Paper for the Transformation of the Health System in South Africa, 1997

Department of Justice

• Legislation Promoted by the Department for Justice Since 1994 which has a Direct or Indirect Bearing on Fundamental Human Rights or Obligations in Terms for the Bill of Rights, A Summary

Department of Labour

• Annual Report 1997, Chapter 5, Human Resources Development and Employment Services
• Creating Jobs, Fighting Poverty: An Employment Strategy Framework, June 1998-08-03
• Draft Guidelines for the Short Term Training Contract Under the Scheme for the Training of Unemployed Persons, March 1998
• Green Paper Skills Development Strategy for Economic and Employment Growth in South Africa, March 1997
• Monthly Bulletin of Registered Unemployment Statistics, June to December 1997
• Provincial Skills Development Pilot Project : Mid-Term Review Final Draft Report, Carl Bro Management, May 1998
• Restructuring the South African Labour Market: Report of the Presidential Commission to Investigate Labour Market Policy, June 1996 The Skills Development Bill,1997

Department of Public Works

• 1997 Annual Report
• An Experiment In Empowerment: An Evaluation of the Community Based Public Works Programme, Final Report, Community Agency for Social Enquiry and the International Labour Organisation, October 1997
• Construction Industry Development Policy, August 21, 1998
• Public Works Towards the 21st Century: White Paper, September 1997
• The Realigned CBPWP: A Pre-Implementation Task Team Report, Final Report to the Department of Public Works, Prepared by Oni Dliwayo and Malusi Damane

Department of Trade and Industry

• Project Crime Buster : A feasibility study on Opportunities for Youth Enterprise in Recycling Industry, Commissioned by Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency, Joint Enrichment Project, May 1998
• Proposal for Technopreneur Training Programme, Special Projects Units, Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency
• Technopreneur Programme Implementation Manual, Version 1, 1998-99, Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency
• White Paper on National Strategy for the Development and Promotion of Small Business in South Africa, 20 March 1995

Department of Water Affairs and Forestry

• Sustainable Forest Development in South Africa: The Policy of the Government of National Unity, White Paper, March 1997
• White Paper on Water Policy, April 1997
• Working for Water Programme, Annual Report, 1997/98

Department of Welfare and Population Development

• Interim Policy Recommendations, The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Young People at Risk, November 1996
• Minimum Standards South African Child and Youth Care System, Interministerial Committee, May 1998
• White Paper for Social Welfare, July 1997

Human Sciences Research Council

• Position Papers: Education and Training, Development and sustainable livelihoods, Research Capacity Development, People and Work, Democracy and Governance
• Programmes 97/98 and 98/99

National Youth Commission

• Act No.19, 1996, To provide for the establishment, constitution, objects and functions of a National Youth Commission; and to provide for matters connected therewith
• Debates of the Free State Youth Parliament, 12 June 1998
• Inter-Departmental Committee on Youth Affairs Guide to Government Youth Programmes and Programme Plan 1998/99
• Mpumalanga Youth Commission Business Plan for Graduate Experience Bridging Initiative National Youth Policy, 3 April 1998
• National Youth Policy, December 1997
• Policy Colloquium : Youth Solutions AMade Easy@, Draft Concept Document on Unemployment but with Specific Reference to Employable Youth, Mpumalanga Youth Commission, 1997

Reconstruction and Development Programme

• Education and Training: A Summary
• RDP Provincial Youth Detachment
• Reconstruction and Development White Paper, September 1994

South Africa Law Commission

• Sentencing Restorative Justice : Compensation for victims of crime and victim empowerment, Issue Paper 7, 30 June 1997
• Juvenile Justice, Issue Paper 9, 31 August 1997

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