Following the advent of democracy in 1994, the new democratic government declared 16 June as National Youth Day and June as Youth Month. Youth Month 2015 was celebrated in South Africa under the theme "Youth moving South Africa Forward”.
While the youth of 1976 fought for freedom and the creation of a democratic state, today's youth activism is directed towards successfully tackling the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment. Some of the challenges faced by youth in 2015 include HIV/AIDS, substance abuse and unemployment.
Under the leadership of The Presidency, all local, provincial and national government leaders embarked on youth programmes throughout the country, ensuring that programmes of all government departments respond to the challenges faced by young people.
As espoused in the National Youth Policy 2020 (NYP2020) that youth development is everybody's business, other sectors of society such as the private sector, civil society, the religious sector, and labour federations also focused their programmes towards youth development and empowerment.
Young people continually expressed their resolve in the quest for a better South Africa and promised to contribute positively towards this despite all the challenges they face. On National Youth Day, the youth demonstrated this by handing over a pledge to the government wherein they pledged to be catalysts for social change and to play a significant role in the transformation of society for a better South Africa.
"At the center of this are the young people who are actors in their own development and demonstrating their leadership potential in the spaces they occupy. Young people have played a role in their development throughout this month; they got involved in their communities and organisations. We hope to see more of this even beyond Youth Month”, said Deputy Minister Buti Manamela.
Focusing on the implementation of the National Youth Policy 2020, a number of key initiatives were launched. These include the launch of the Presidential Working Group on Youth, established by President Jacob Zuma to accelerate the implementation of programmes that will enable young people to be empowered.
The second key implementation initiative is the partnership between the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and Mara Foundation to mentor one million young entrepreneurs through an online platform. This platform facilitates a connection between entrepreneurs and business leaders who can support them on the road to entrepreneurial success by providing mentoring and coaching.
Through the Integrated Youth Development Strategy more implementation initiatives will be launched throughout the mid-term to ensure that the NYP2020 makes a positive impact in the lives of the youth of South Africa.
Enquiries:
Matshepo Seedat
Cell: 082 679 9473
Email: Matshepo@presidency.gov.za or Matshepo@gmail.com
