Integrated Youth Development Strategy (IYDS) solution to youth unemployment in South Africa
The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa established the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) through NYDA Act 54 of 2008, mandating the agency to mainstream youth development across all sectors of society. Key amongst objects of the agency is to develop an Integrated Youth Development Plan and Strategy for South Africa, henceforth known as the Integrated Youth Development Strategy (IYDS).
Executive Chairperson of the NYDA, Mr Sifiso Mtsweni alongside Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mr Waseem Carrim will tomorrow, 31 October 2018 present the IYDS for the first time in Parliament during the Portfolio Committee for Public Service and Administration; and Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation.
This comes after Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) published the Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the third quarter showing a rise in the unemployment rate to 27.5% with youth unemployment at just over 50%.
According to Executive Chairperson, “The Integrated Youth Development Strategy (IYDS) document will enhance youth development work and foster a uniform approach as youth affairs have always been attended to in a sporadic fashion. Growing unemployment, especially amongst youth, suggest a gap and challenge in youth policy implementation”.
The Integrated Youth Development Strategy (IYDS) will serve as a guide to implementation of the National Youth Policy (2020) through identifying roles of all stakeholders, providing a strategy for engagement, enabling cooperation in a complementary and supportive manner. This guiding document will allow for coordination of efforts through specifying the expected interventions by the private sector, public sector and civil society, which should aim to:
- Enable effectiveness and efficiencies through existing programmes.
- Optimise integration and maximise the impact of youth development programmes.
- Innovate and create ground-breaking interventions.
- Sustain youth development interventions and programmes.
“The IYDS offers a long-term perspective. It defines the desired destination and identifies the role different sectors especially government and the private sector need to play in reaching that goal,” said Mtsweni.
Media enquiries:
Lerato Gambu
Cell: 064 860 0716
Tel: 011 651 7000
E-mail: Lerato.Gambu@nyda.gov.za
