Hats off to youth driving change agenda
KUDOS to the youth who are drivers of change in their communities.
As we commemorate Youth Month, we should not only highlight the tragic loss of young lives, during the June 16 Soweto uprising in 1976, but also recognise the achievements and strides made by today’s generation of young people. The sacrifices made by the youth of 1976 towards the freedom of our nation 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 in the democratic government of today to be drivers of change, development and progress.
This year’s theme has been officially declared as “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 rural areas, from being job seekers to being job creators in their own right.
Since its inception in 2010, the Narysec programme has developed into an intervention programme – taking unskilled and unemployed young people in the rural areas, and giving them a second opportunity to be able to get the necessary skills to either seek employment or start their own entrepreneurial opportunities.
This, it does by training the youth through further education and training programmes linked to identified developmental community projects in rural areas and also by equipping the youth with multi-disciplinary skills through civic education. By enhancing these young people’s skills, the department has already improved the economic conditions of some of the Narysec programme participants and that of their rural communities.
The 24-month training and skills development programme not only seeks to equip unemployed youth with skills for them 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 in them.
These are some of the most fundamental lessons for today’s youth, a crucial segment of the nation’s development. Therefore, their contribution towards the economy and its development is highly needed.