service
29 May 2007
On the occasion of the commemoration of the 31st anniversary of the Soweto
and related uprisings, the National Youth Commission (NYC) takes stock on the
strides made to advance the cause the youth of 1976 fought and died for.
a) Great ground covered, but much still lies ahead
Over the years, the NYC has condensed youth challenges into lack of
employment, limited access to education and exposure to unhealthy environment
due to poverty. The NYC acknowledges the fact that the democratic government
has put in place a number of interventions to address these challenges. These
include the rollout of learnerships, additional funding towards the National
Students Finance Aid Scheme, recruitment of unemployed youth into the Expanded
Public Works Programme and other opportunities arising out of the build-up
towards 2010 Soccer World Cup.
b) Youth Development Month Theme
All activities will be conducted under the theme "Deepening youth
participation in development through service". The theme also serves as a
national call to all our youth to act in concert with all South Africans as we
renew our pledge in the national quest to build a better life for all.
Week 1 (1 to 3 June for Youth Service and Children)
The programme will commence with various activities conducted by Provincial
Youth Commissions in all nine provinces. The NYC will participate in event to
commemorate the International Children's Day in Thabazimbi. All activities will
ensure that youth formations continue to play a key role in mobilising our
youth to participate in community development towards the alleviation and total
eradication of poverty.
Week 2 (Youth Service and Economic Participation)
c) Ministerial Youth Imbizo
The Minister in the Presidency, Dr Essop Pahad, will officially launch the
government Youth Development Month programme at a Ministerial Imbizo to be held
in Lejweleputswa District Municipality (Hertzogville) in the Free State on
Sunday, 3 June 2007. Expected to attend are young people from various
sub-sectors including youth with disability, young women and other youth from
minority groupings.
d) Presidential Youth Working Group (PYWG)
President Thabo Mbeki will convene a PYWG where government will interact
with youth leadership on matters of national importance including the rollout
of the National Youth Service (NYS) Programme. It is still the firm belief of
the NYC that the NYS will go a long way in addressing the myriad of challenges
confronting our youth. The sitting of the PYWG will take place in Tuinhuys,
Cape Town on 5 June 2007.
Week 3: Youth Service and Social Cohesion
e) Youth Festival (Day 1)
A Youth Festival will take place in Mdantsane's Sisa Dukashe stadium,
Eastern Cape, on 14 to 15 June 2007 where a Youth Volunteer Mobilisation
Programme towards 2010 will be unveiled with the Department of Sport and
Recreation and the 2010 Local Organising Committee. Working with local youth
structures, young people from the ranks of the unemployed and schools, will be
encouraged to avail themselves to do volunteer work in activities that lead up
to the 2010 Soccer World Cup. Such involvement will ensure that youth
participate in community development and also benefit from the economic
spin-offs the tournament will deliver to our country and the continent.
Youth Festival (Day 2): Mdantsane Indoor Sports precinct
Partnership has also been struck with the Presidential National Commission
on Information Society and Development (PNC on ISAD) to expose youth to
information and communications technologies (ICT) opportunities. A Youth Hub on
ICT will be set up at the Mdantsane Indoor Sports centre where officials from
the PNC on ISAD will share information with youth on various careers the
information age provides through the ICT industry. Our youth need such skills
in order to meaningfully participate in national development. The Department of
Trade and Industry has also committed to set up an Economic Participation Hub
to inform youth on the opportunities this government department provides
through their agencies. The intention is to empower youth so that they can
meaningfully participate in the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME)
sector and other opportunities presented by national interventions such as the
Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA).
National Youth Service Information Hub
As part of creating awareness and upscaling the National Youth Service
Programme, NYS Hub will be set up with Umsobomvu Youth Fund and the National
Youth Service Unit in the Sports Centre.
f) Steve Biko Memorial Lecture
A memorial lecture will be held on the eve of Youth Day to commemorate the
30th Anniversary of the death of a youth activist, Stephen Bantu Biko, in the
hands of the apartheid security police in1977. The event will take place at the
University of Fort Hare, East London Campus. The day's programme will also be
marked by a visit by the Biko family and young people to the grave of the late
Steve Biko.
g) President Thabo Mbeki speaks on Youth Day
On 16 June, Youth Day, President Thabo Mbeki will address a rally at the
Absa Stadium in the Buffalo City District Municipality (East London). In terms
of the mobilisation plans more than 20 000 young people are expected to attend
the rally.
h) Bringing the private sector into youth development: 18 June 2007
The Youth Development Month is expected to be concluded with the inaugural
sitting and the launch of the Youth Development Forum to be chaired by Deputy
President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and the NYC Chairperson, Nomi Nkondlo. The aim
of the forum is to accelerate the involvement of the private sector companies
in youth development. Key to such participation is to ensure that youth occupy
their meaningful role in the development and growth of our economy.
Week 4: Youth Service and Social Cohesion
i) Promoting social cohesion
The programme will continue after 16 June (19 to 23 June 2007) with the
Youth Social Dialogue programme where youth will debate strategies to promote
social cohesion in our communities. The outcomes of these discussions will feed
into our evolving youth development agenda to ensure that our youth become
agents of change and builders of the RDP of the soul.
j) Youth must lead moral regeneration
Working with youth organisations, particularly religious formations, a
series of activities will be undertaken on 20 to 21 July 2007. The intended
outcome of the programme is to ensure that viable strategies are put in place
to promote the moral regeneration programme of our country.
k) Youth development is everybody's business
The NYC also calls upon all other partners to embark in similar youth
development activities in order to make a significant contribution in advancing
the intentions of the reconstruction and development.
For enquiries, contact:
Monde Mkalipi
National Youth Commission
Tel: 012 3097800
Fax: 012 3244759
Cell: 082-5753976
Issued by: National Youth Commission
30 May 2007
Source: National Youth Commission (http://www.nyc.gov.za)
