Minister Fritz launches Youth Café in George | Western Cape Government

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Minister Fritz launches Youth Café in George

21 April 2015

The Western Cape Minister of Social Development, Albert Fritz, launched the provinces third Youth Café in George today (16 April 2015) . Minister Fritz was joined by Western Cape Minister of Finance, Dr. Ivan Meyer, and the Executive Mayor of George, Charles Stander.

The George Youth Café is an initiative borne out of the provincial Youth Development Strategy, and the Western Cape Governments new Provincial Strategic Goals, specifically Strategic Goal 2- which calls for improving education outcomes and opportunities for youth development.

The George Youth Café is a partnership of the Department of Social Development (DSD), our NGO partner the Southern Youth Film Festival (SUFF) Academy, and the George Municipality, and are a space which puts youth on a path to be pioneers in creating opportunities not only for themselves, but for others too.

The George Youth Café will offer entrepreneurial, leadership and other skills training courses. High-speed internet access is available for job seekers or entrepreneurs to use in search for further opportunities. This space will play the pivotal role of providing a socially inclusive and enabling environment for youth in George and the region at large.

Like the Youth Cafés in Mitchells Plain and Athlone, in order to gain access to this facility and services within this space, youth must firstly register and in addition have to earn credits or “Zlato”, which is the Youth Café official currency. By actively participating in the various activities, youth will earn and accumulate Zlato, and this will be used to access things like the internet, the coffee station, training courses, seminars, etc.

This Café will allow young people in George and the region access to a developmental space that is limited only by their creativity. In this financial year, our Department has invested heavily in our initiatives for youth to the value of just over R12.2-million. This will see us roll out another three Youth Cafés in Oudeshoorn, Groot Brak Rivier and Nyanga Junction. Areas which have historically seen young people underserviced.

Our programmes as DSD are in addition to our other youth empowerment initiatives as government, such as the EPWP Programme, the Premiers PAY Project, Chrysalis Youth Academy, our internship programmes and bursaries.

We will continue expanding opportunity for young people, by building partnerships with NGOs and the private sector. The empowerment of youth can best be achieved, ‘Better Together’.

Media Enquiries: 

Sihle Ngobese

Spokesperson for Albert Fritz, Minister of Social Development

Western Cape Government

7th floor, 14 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town, 8000

Tel : (021) 483 9217

Cell :  083 280 9199

Email : Sihle.Ngobese@westerncape.gov.za