In 2009 Cabinet approved and adopted the National Youth Policy (2009 to 2014) as a national policy framework for youth development in South Africa. The National Youth Policy was a culmination of an extensive and comprehensive consultation process by relevant youth institutions towards ensuring an integrated and sustainable youth development in the country.
However three years since its adoption, youth development continues to be implemented in an uncoordinated manner that cannot be monitored or measured, impacting negatively on youth development progress.
Often the blame for lack or limited development of young people has been levelled at the door of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). We have understood this to be as a result of the broadness of our mandate and in-line with that mandate we have continued to make inroads including interacting with organs of state, the private sector and civil society. While not to our full satisfaction, in most instances we have been able to make progress, particularly in various organs of state.
However, at times it appears that where there is progress, such progress is slow; a situation we cannot accept in South Africa particularly in light of the current unemployment situation of young people.
Even at the level of the private sector, while there may be initiatives, there has not been an effective tool of measuring these efforts. We have also realised that, while some sectors may be aware of the National Youth Policy (2009 to 2014), there may be challenges in terms of understanding its importance and how it must be implemented.
The NYDA Act 54 of 2008 empowers the NYDA to facilitate a process towards ensuring that youth development is mainstreamed and integrated in a uniform manner by all sectors of society. With about half (42% in 2011) of the country’s population comprised of people belonging to the age group of 14 to 35 years, it has become urgent that a coordinated and integrated approach by all sectors of society is adopted in the country.
It is for this reason that we have developed the National Youth Policy implementation guidelines aimed at simplifying the implementation of the policy.
The implementation guidelines will direct how sectors of society including organs of state, private and non-governmental organisation must implement programmes aimed at the development of young people including measures to ensure compliance with sectors that are moving slow on youth development.
It is often argued that South Africa has got some of the best policies but lacks implementation. While not always necessary it becomes important that where there is slow movement, guidelines are developed to help fast track processes.
The objectives of the NYP 2009 to 2014 Implementation Guidelines include the following:
- promotion of a uniform approach by all organs of state, private sector and non-governmental organisations to matters relating to young people as defined in the National Youth Policy 2009 to 2014
- provision of a guide on how interventions and programmes as defined in the NYP 2009 to 2014 must be planned for, implemented, monitored and evaluated
- provision of standard youth development indicators to be used to report against the country’s performance on the prescribed NYP 2009 to 2014 imperative and programmes
In this case, mainstreaming effectively means that every organisation, public, private and civil society consciously puts youth development at the centre of the planning and implementation of activities that form their business continuously.
Ministers and Heads of Departments at national level (Director-General’s), Premiers and MEC’s at provincial level, Mayors and Municipal Managers at local government level must play their part by ensuring that youth development is mainstreamed. Irrespective of business, public institutions need to develop specific youth development strategies and plans and allocate resources for impactful interventions that are in line with their respective mandate.
Progress on implementation should be monitored and reported through quarterly reports which will be tabled in the Interdepartmental Committee on Youth Affairs and made available to the NYDA. The NYDA will in turn consolidate these and compile a report for the President which will form part of the agencies annual reporting process to the President.
The Interdepartmental Committee on Youth Affairs (IDC) is a structure that is convened and coordinated by the National Youth Development Agency and shall be comprised of representatives delegated by Heads of departments at national level (DG’s), MEC’s at provincial level and Municipal Managers at local government level.
Its main purpose is to assist in planning and monitor progress made by stakeholders in implementing the NYP 2009 to 2014. The IDC shall meet quarterly and the NYDA shall include a summary of minutes of the IDC in its quarterly reports to the Presidency.
The private sector, just like the public sector needs to plan and implement NYP 2009 to 2014 imperatives. The resources which are allocated through social corporate investment budgets need to be channeled and coordinated to achieve the goals of NYP 2009 to 2014. The NYDA through the office of the Presidency have proposed a structure similar to the IDC in order to assist the private sector to plan and allocate resources to the imperative areas of the National Youth Policy 2009 to 2014.
The structure will be coordinated by the NYDA. It will meet twice annually, a quarter before the start of the financial years of most private sector institutions to assist them with planning and also in the end of the financial year to evaluate progress with implementation of their interventions.
These are some of the guidelines contained in the National Youth Policy (2009 to 2014). Section 6 and 7 of the NYDA Act gives the agency powers to coordinate and ensure that organs of state take into consideration the national youth development priorities in planning activities of their business and submit in the prescribed manner, annual reports to the Agency regarding their implementation of youth development priorities.
The NYDA is confident that only through systematically coordinated efforts towards a common goal by all organs of state, private and non-governmental organisation will we be able to make a significant difference as a country.
