SA youth take charge of the You Only Live Once campaign by the Department of Social Development
Young people from across the country will, on Saturday 9 February, be hanging out, engaging and sharing ideas on how to make the You Only Live Once (YOLO) Programme impactful.
The programme’s tagline: “It’s your choice, it’s your life… Behave responsibly,” serves as a reminder to the youth to own their choices and to make insightful decisions - including their right to say “No!” to any involvement in social ills including substance abuse, crime and underage sexual interaction.
Developed through a systematic application of theory-based, interactive and research-driven communication processes, the YOLO programme aims to build resilience among young people by improving their self-esteem and sense of independence.
YOLO was established as part of the Department’s Comprehensive Strategy on HIV and Aids.
According to a 2018 HIV Prevalence Report by Statistics South Africa, HIV prevalence among the youth aged 15 – 24 has declined over time from 6.7% in 2002 to 5.5% in 2018. Despite this decline, HIV infections amongst the youth remain relatively high. This is attributed to the behavioural, social and structural drivers of HIV, which contribute to youth being vulnerable to HIV and AIDS.
The key objectives of YOLO campaign are to:
- Build a sense of ownership among the youth for the YOLO programme;
- Develop age-appropriate messaging and suggest relevant mediums to reach the target audience;
- Develop an action plan for youth participation in the YOLO programme; and
- Identify innovative approaches which can be used to communicate the YOLO messages and promote the programme objectives.
Staying true to ensuring that the messages are expressed in an environment that the youth understand and feel free in, the Department of Social Development will be hosting a YOLO Jam Session during which 50 youth between the ages of 15 and 24 from all nine provinces will engage with programme implementers.
The aim of the YOLO Jam Session is to encourage the youth to influence the message, shape and design of the YOLO Programme for 2019.
The Deputy Minister of the Department of Social Development, Mrs Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, invites members of the media to attend and cover the YOLO Jam Session arranged as follows:
Date: Saturday, 09 February 2019
Time: 09h00
Venue: Kievits Kroon Country Estate in Pretoria – Gauteng Province
Media can RSVP:
Nomfundo Xulu-Lentsoane
Cell: 066 480 6845
E-mail NomfundoLe@dsd.gov.za
Jaconia Kobue
Cell: 063 249 5120
E-mail JaconiaK@dsd.gov.za
Media enquiries:
Lumka Oliphant
Cell: 083 484 8067
E-mail: LumkaO@dsd.gov.za
