29 January 2007
The National Youth Commission (NYC) welcomes the Parliamentary process of
reviewing all chapter nine institutions and similar structures in our country.
In our twelfth year of democracy, we deem it necessary to interrogate these all
important institutions as they are crucial to the sustainability of our
democracy. Furthermore, as the first institution to appear before the relevant
Parliamentary ad-hoc committee on the Review of Chapter 9 and related
institutions, we are pleased at the public interest that this process has
generated.
South African youth, as comprised of the age cohort of between 14 and 35,
makes up close to 40% of our total population. The figure rises to an estimated
60% when the total population of the continent is considered, with some
projections anticipating that this figure will rise to 80% by 2020. With Africa
already having the youngest population, and with this reality set to further
intensify, youth development will continue to grow in prominence in overall
social developmental efforts. Already in South Africa, we have young people
being the most affected by problems of underdevelopment, with youth
constituting an estimated 70% of our unemployed population.
The National Youth Commission therefore derives its existence from these
realities, and is faced with the mammoth responsibility of mainstreaming youth
development in every area of our social endeavour.
Having listened to the diverse opinions expressed about the Commission in
the aftermath of our interaction with the Parliamentary ad-hoc committee on the
Review of Chapter 9 and associated bodies, we have observed with concern the
ongoing misinterpretation of our mandate, and the concomitant expectations that
are not aligned to our powers and responsibilities. It is mainly for this
reason that we undertake to engage our communities and all relevant
stakeholders in the youth development arena in an effort to promote an accurate
understanding of the NYC's mandate and contribution.
Our Mandate
The NYC is not a chapter nine institution and should therefore not be
generalised as a watchdog institution. At the core of our mandate is to develop
and advise on youth development related policies and to monitor and evaluate
the proper implementation of these policies. Unlike chapter nine institutions,
we are not autonomous. We are situated in the Office of the President and we
account directly to the Minister in the Presidency. Flowing from our mandate,
we work with government departments as they are the implementers of the various
policies. The fundamental point of departure is that since youth account for
40% of our total population, youth development should be approached in an
integrated manner. Housing delivery is youth development, access to education
is youth development, and the creation of jobs is youth development - in fact
all of government's work affects young people. For this reason, our strategic
role is not to duplicate an already existing government delivery
infrastructure. Instead, we work very closely with government departments as we
thrive to mainstream youth development.
Programmes of NYC
Whilst the NYC is not an implementing authority, it is within our mandate to
pilot flagship programmes with the view of eventually handing them over to
relevant departments for sustained implementation. Amongst others, we wish to
mention the following:
The National Youth Service Programme (NYSP)
The National youth Service Programme falls within this category and is
currently our most important area of work. This programme seeks to inculcate a
sense of responsibility and patriotism amongst our youth through enlisting them
as volunteers into a diverse range of national service priorities such as the
construction of houses and the provision of home-based care giving. All the
projects are crafted in a manner that ensures that upon completion, the young
volunteers gain certification that is recognised under our National
Qualifications Framework.
In the state of the nation address last year, the President indicated that a
target of 10 000 young people would be pursued by all departments under the
leadership of the NYC. Whilst active recruitment work has been ongoing
throughout last year, our volunteer campaign which was launched in December was
able to surpass this target within a space of only two months; the net effect
being that as we approach this year's state of the nation address, we have
already recruited more than double the target that was set.
As an outcome of our lobbying responsibilities, an inter-ministerial
committee on the National Youth Service Programme which is chaired by the
Deputy President has been set up. This has helped to elevate the status of the
NYSP in all departments and greatly contributed to the success of our
recruitment drive.
Local Government
Local government is at the cutting edge of service delivery and it therefore
follows that youth development should be strengthened in this sphere of
government. The NYC, together with Provincial Youth Commissions, has been
embroiled in efforts to establish youth desks in all local municipalities.
Furthermore, we have an established partnership with the government of Flanders
whose target is to build and support youth development at local government
level focusing on capacity, advocacy and research. Through this initiative, a
vibrant exchange programme has seen officials of various municipalities and
youth in general visiting Flanders to study and observe Local Youth Policy and
its efficacy, and thus a lot of training imparted to South African youth. We
have recently agreed with our partners to extend the focus of our co-operation,
to include this year partnering with four local community centres in the
country. With the Department of Culture and Sport, the focus will be the
development and strengthening of youth and cultural activities, and later bring
in sports into the fold.
Policy Work
The National Youth Development Policy framework, the highest policy
authority on youth development, will reach the exhaustion of its mandate in
March this year. The NYC is therefore responsible for ensuring policy
continuity. As part of this work, a Policy Convention was hosted last year and
several research topics related to the South African evolution of youth
development were commissioned. We have put in place a technical working group
that is made up of experts and activists in the youth development arena to
study all the recommendations from these processes and to provide guidance
around a way forward on this matter.
We are also working towards the adoption of a National Youth Policy as a
replacement to the current Policy framework. It is our anticipation that the
enforceability of a policy will foster greater compliance with youth
development across all spheres of government.
On 1 February 2007, we will be convening a Youth and Health Forum as part of
our stakeholder engagement. The Deputy President, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka will
present the HIV/AIDS Strategy for input by the youth sector into the (South
African National AIDS Council) SANAC processes. This process is a continuation
of the broader Policy Review process that seeks to ensure maximum youth
participation and input into the final product that will be tabled before
Cabinet for adoption.
Conclusion
The above areas of work are not an exhaustive list of the NYC's
involvements. Perhaps of critical importance is to take the criticism of the
ad-hoc committee in relation to our public visibility very seriously. This will
mean, among others, extending our communication tentacles to provinces and
local municipalities. It is therefore our commitment to the youth of our
country.
For further enquiries, please contact:
Monde Mkalipi
Communications Directorate
National Youth Commission
Tel: (012) 309 7800
Fax: (012) 324 4759
Cell: 082 575 3976
E-mail mkalipim@nyc.gov.za
Issued by: National Youth Commission
29 January 2007
