Job creation, healthy lifestyle and economic development for young people were some of the key issues that the Department of Social Development and Special Programmes shed light on when it held a Youth Development Summit in Cradock in the Chris Hani District Municipality.
The summit was one of the district youth activities that are aimed at developing young people in commemoration of Youth Month, June. The main objectives of the summit was to develop path that would ensure socio economic development and job creation initiatives among young people in the district and to encourage young people to actively participate in their own development.
The youth of Inxuba Yethemba/Tsolwana local municipalities were the main participants in the summit including youth in business, youth in projects, youth in sport, ex-offenders, unemployed youth and youth in health activism. Ten representatives from fourteen wards within the district and officials from various government departments were also invited to partake in the summit.
Speaking at the summit, the department’s Youth Development Senior Manager Masiza Mazizi gave a broad input and statement of commitment on behalf of the department’s MEC Dr Pemmy Majodina. Mazizi said the challenge faced by the youth in the entire area cannot be separated from the challenges faced by the youth worldwide.
He said the historical role of youth in our country which represent and promotes small business must be maintained and strengthened. “Youth must engage local, provincial and national government to ensure that all obstacles to the growth of small and medium business are removed and that legislatives and other measures designed for the development of these enterprises are effectively utilised,” he said.
Mazizi said the department is working with the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), the Department of Trade and Industry and young consultants in the province who have volunteered their services to draft a strategy that seeks to economically develop the youth.
He also shed light on a pilot programme that is aimed at encouraging young people to live a healthy lifestyle. “We have agreed with the NYDA to enter into a partnership that will pilot a programme that promotes a healthy lifestyle amongst young people in all districts including the metros. It is aimed at introducing an alternative healthy lifestyle through sport and recreation activities to fill a void that would otherwise be filled by drugs and alcohol abuse, and an amount of R4 billion has been set aside for this pilot programme,” he added.
Mazizi said that the NYDA, national departments, National African Federated Chamber of Commerce (NAFCOC) Youth, Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), Banks, Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders especially its youth as well as Microsoft South Africa are some of the key players that the department must engage in order to put more emphasis on socio-economic transformation.
“I wish to take this opportunity and share with you what the department has started with some of the above mentioned key stakeholders. The department has already forged links with NAFCOC Eastern Cape to assist in mentoring funded entrepreneurship development initiatives and also link these with funded projects with the established businesses to strengthen their marketing capacity and lead them to operate in line with acceptable business principles and practices towards sustainability,” he concluded.
