Today’s youth have made huge strides

AS WE commemorate Youth Month, we should not only highlight the tragic loss of young lives during the June 16, 1976, Soweto youth uprising, but also recognise the achievements and strides made by today’s generation of young people.

The sacrifices made by the youth of 1976 towards freedom paved the way for the youth of today.

Their spirit and courage to stand up against unjust laws continue to inspire a lot of young people to be drivers of change, development and progress. This year’s theme is “The Year of OR Tambo: Advancing Youth Economic Participation”.

The National Youth Service Corps (Narysec) skills development programme, established by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform complements this year’s theme, as it continues to transform young people, especially in the rural areas, from job seekers to job creators.

Since its inception in 2010, the Narysec programme has developed into an intervention programme – taking young people, who are unskilled and unemployed in the rural areas and giving them an opportunity to gain necessary skills to either seek employment or start their own entrepreneurial ventures. This, it does by training the youth through further education linked to identified developmental community projects in rural areas and by equip- ping the youth with multi-disciplinary skills through civic education.

By enhancing these young people’ skills, the Rural Development and Land Reform Department has improved the economic conditions of some of the Narysec programme participants and their rural communities.

The 24-month training and skills development programme not only seeks to equip unemployed rural youth with skills to become agents of change within their communities, but also inculcates a culture of responsible conduct, self-discipline, high moral values, personal confidence and national pride.

These are some of the most fundamental lessons for today’s youth, as they are a crucial segment of development. Therefore, their contribution to the economy is highly needed. HAZEL SALAZE Pretoria