Youth Month 2015

This year we celebrate our youth under the theme: Youth action for economic freedom in our lifetime.
 

It’s been 39 years since the Soweto Uprising on 16 June 1976, when 15 000 students gathered outside the Orlando West Secondary School, to participate in a peaceful march against the use of Afrikaans in their classrooms.

Police responded violently to the march, which led to the brutal death of Hector Petersen, a 12-year old pupil and 175 others. This violent attack caught the attention of international communities, who placed sanctions on the apartheid government to end racial oppression.

Their struggle reminds us that our youth play an important role in shaping  our country’s development.

Let us help you shape your future

While the youth of 1976 fought against the system of the apartheid government, our youth of today face new challenges.

High levels of unemployment and poverty are serious challenges, but a better future is possible if we take small steps together.

The Western Cape Government’s Youth Development Strategy (YDS) takes on a whole-of-society approach and guides the programmes aimed at young people in our province. Our goal is to equip youth with the skills and tools needed to lead a life of value, and is based on five pillars.

These include:

• strengthening families,
• improving education and training,
• increasing access to economic opportunities,
• giving  youth a positive sense of belonging, and
• providing effective services and support to reconnect to society.

The YDS has brought about projects like our Youth Cafés which offer skills development programmes. Other programmes aimed at youth skills development in the province include:

Year Beyond

Apply for this programme if you’d like to tutor primary and high school learners. Year Beyond is an educational outreach programme that aims to assist underperforming schools, while giving you the opportunity to gain new skills.

Premier’s Advancement of Youth (PAY) project

Started by Premier Helen Zille, this project aims to provide young people with the opportunity to gain workplace experience in the Western Cape Government. Applications for 2016 open early next year.

Bursaries and learnerships

From engineering to accounting, use this page to find a bursary and kick start your future.

MOD Programme

The Mass participation; Opportunity and access; Development and growth (MOD) Programme aims to create a socially inclusive, creative and active Western Cape.

These centres provide recreational and sport activities across the province, including employment and skills development programmes.

How you can get involved this Youth Month

We have several exciting events planned for this month. Here’s what you can look out for:

• Minister of Community Safety, Dan Plato will host an outreach programme from 9:00am – 14:00pm on youth day at the Paarl East Thusong Service Centre. This event will be especially helpful if you want to further your studies. Exhibitions by Northlink College, Chrysalis Academy and information sessions are on offer.
• Join in on recreational activities including touch rugby and indigenous games at MOD Centres, offered by our Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports on Youth Day.
• The provincial Department of Social Development will have career exhibitions and launch youth hubs in Athlone, Gugulethu and Mitchells Plain. On Youth Day, get information on projects and access to educational opportunities at the Worcester Town Hall which starts at 8:30am.
• On Youth Day, Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais, will launch the Dreamfields initiative, which is a regional soccer tournament that will end in December. In addition, the department will host social dialogue sessions with the learners. The event starts at 10:00am and will take place at the De La Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester.
• On 26 and 27 June, the MOD programme will have a production at the Artscape called “Earth Moves”. This is in the format of an “America’s got talent” kind of competition. The semi-final was held in April and this will be the grand final event.
• On 25 June, Alan Winde, Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, will open a career awareness intitiative at Boschendal. Around 800 learners will attend.
• Minister Winde will address young entrepreneurs at the Young Business Leaders Forum. 

The National Youth Development Agency plays a key role in young people’s development in our country. Get involved in their Youth Month activities, or apply for micro-finance grants for young entrepreneurs.