Date: 10/06/2004
Source: Ministry of Social Development
Title: J Benjamin: Launch of social development programme for Youth Month
SPEECH BY THE DEPUTY MINISTER FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, DR JEAN BENJAMIN, ON THE OCCASION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT YOUTH MONTH PROGRAMME LAUNCH, Bokamoso Youth Centre Winterveldt, North West Province, 10 June 2004
Programme Director
MECs
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
We have come here today to launch a social development programme for Youth Month, which is aimed at ensuring that the youth of our country in general and vulnerable youth in particular begins a historic process of engaging in meaningful programmes of integrating the youth in sustainable social development programmes.
This is indeed a historic occasion. It comes at a historic moment in the history of our country and indeed African continent as a whole. This period marks the ten-year celebrations of our freedom and the beginning of the second decade of freedom. Therefore the theme "Youth Seizing the Opportunities of Ten Years of Democracy" could not have come at a better time.
The youth of our country has always been the catalyst of political, social and economic development. For decades they were in the forefront of the struggle for freedom and democracy. Over the last ten years of freedom they have played a sterling role in further strengthening our democracy and expanding the frontiers of freedom. As we have entered the stage of accelerating service delivery, consolidating and deepening our democracy and enhancing economic and social development, it is imperative that as government in general and as the department of social development in particular, we take stock of what has been achieved thus far, what the challenges are that we face and most importantly, what we need to do to make sure that the youth is empowered to play an even more important role in building a better life for all especially the most vulnerable sectors of our society.
For, the youth are the future of our country and now more than ever before, government, business, labour, civil society and indeed society as a whole, should work together to open even more opportunities for the youth to play a meaningful role in the development of our country and the African continent.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the youth of our country is faced with many challenges like poverty, HIV and AIDS, the need for economic empowerment, skills development as well as their meaningful integration into all developmental programmes and last but not least better access to government social services.
This symbolic presence at the Bokamoso Youth Centre, a Centre aimed at enhancing youth development is reflective of our commitment to ensure that we put the issue of youth development as a priority, especially during Youth Month, which also comes when we are celebrating the International Year of the Family and indeed, the 2010 soccer bid coming to our shores.
As we celebrate our decade of democracy, our Department is developing a programme of action to ensure that the opportunities and services rendered, become more easily accessible to the youth especially those who are most vulnerable.
Indeed, significant achievements have been made over the past ten years of democracy. The April 14th free and fair elections have confirmed that our freedom and democracy is indeed alive and growing. The economic growth and stability as well as the delivery of basic social service like access to electricity, water, social grants to millions of people who were previously discriminated and disadvantaged, have indeed opened huge opportunities for us to ensure an accelerated programme of youth development that can enhance social integration, social justice and social cohesion with regard to the youth.
The government has put several programmes in place for youth development as epitomised by the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, Learnerships and skills development, Black Economic Empowerment programmes, National Youth Policy which includes the National Youth Service, Social Welfare Transformation and Social Security Programmes, Poverty Alleviation Programmes, an integrated HIV and AIDS strategy and many others. In essence, the first ten years of freedom have laid a firm foundation for a rapid advance towards an integrated and comprehensive socio-economic development of the youth.
The challenge is how do we take advantage of the achievements made and develop strategies that are going to ensure that indeed the youth seizes the opportunities meaningfully.
The Department of Social Development is aware that despite the significant achievement made over the last ten years of freedom, many young persons are still faced with many challenges that relate to poverty, HIV and AIDS, Drug and Substance Abuse, Women and Children Abuse as well as skills development.
In order to address these critical socio-economic challenges in an integrated and sustainable way, it is imperative that the youth become an integral part of these programmes and ensures that they, indeed, work for the benefit of the youth and the country as a whole.
In this regard the department has established a Youth Directorate, which will work closely with the programmes on Social Security, HIV and AIDS, Welfare Transformation, Children Youth and Families, Food Emergency Scheme Poverty relief to ensure that the youth especially the most vulnerable, have access to these services. These will work in close concert with the clusters of government especially the social cluster that includes the Department of Education, Health, Housing, Home Affairs, and Public Works.
The Programme of action for youth development includes the following key areas of focus:
1. Mobilising the youth especially the most vulnerable, to play a meaningful role in programmes of poverty alleviation as well as the creation of work opportunities. The poverty relief programme is targeting particularly vulnerable youth in rural areas by providing financial support to income generating projects especially in the nodal points identified through the integrated sustainable rural development programme and the urban renewal programme. Out of the R71 million allocated to this programme, R18 million is dedicated to alleviate vulnerable youth from poverty.
2. Enhancing youth access to the food emergency scheme that is targeting the unemployed, households that are faced with serious food insecurity including child headed households and people affected and infected by HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases, the government has allocated a total of R800 million for the next two years (R400 million this year and R400 million for the next financial year)
3. In relation to HIV and AIDS the Department of Social Development has allocated R71 million to further expand home and community based care which is currently assisting 314 centres throughout the country. Youth access in this regard will also be given even more added attention.
4. Strengthening partnerships with various youth formations like Umsobomvu, the National Youth Commission, South African Youth Council and other sectors like the business fraternity with a view to enhancing the youth capacity to access these opportunities.
5. Mobilising the youth to play a central role in the Expanded Public Works Programme focusing on early childhood development and community and home based care, this programme is aimed at ensuring youth have access to work opportunities and acquire skills.
6. Enhancing youth access to social security as a critical programme to alleviate poverty including the registration of children under 11 years this year and 14 years next year.
7. Mobilising the youth in playing a meaningful role in strengthening families and moral regeneration with a view to strengthen social justice, social cohesion and social integration. Some of the critical focus areas in this regard are the fight against Drug and Substance Abuse, fight against Women and Child Abuse and enhancing the provision of developmental social welfare services, this is even more important given the fact that this year we commemorate the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family.
Ladies and Gentlemen, as we speak the department is working in close concert with the National Youth Commission in the youth month programmes including:
* Youth Trains which are involving youth volunteers in the provision of government services to all South Africans targeting the poorest of the poor in KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo
* Furthermore on 15 June we will host a roundtable discussion with the youth sector on issues of youth and social security
* On the 18th of June the department will host in Limpopo a Family Preservation Campaign aimed at involving families to respond to the challenges facing vulnerable youth, i.e. Youth in conflict with the Law and those that Abuse Drugs and Substances
On 26 June we will commemorate the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which will be held in Kimberly Northern Cape where we will be highlighting the problems of Drug and Substance Abuse facing young people, and also mobilise the youth against the scourge.
Last but not least, we will be embarking on a comprehensive programme in August until the end of the year 2004 in all the provinces, where we will engage the youth in the development of a comprehensive youth development strategy for the social development sector.
In conclusion we therefore call on all the youth of our country especially the most vulnerable to join hands together with us and all the sectors of society in Building a People's Contract to Build Families and Communities for a Better Life for all especially the Youth and Children.
Thank you.
For more information contact: Mbulelo Musi
Tel: (012) 312 7654
Cell: 082 904 3395
FAX: (012) 312 7943
E-mail: Mbulelo.Musi@socdev.gov.za
Issued by: Ministry of Social Development
10 June 2004
Source: Ministry of Social Development
Title: J Benjamin: Launch of social development programme for Youth Month
SPEECH BY THE DEPUTY MINISTER FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, DR JEAN BENJAMIN, ON THE OCCASION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT YOUTH MONTH PROGRAMME LAUNCH, Bokamoso Youth Centre Winterveldt, North West Province, 10 June 2004
Programme Director
MECs
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
We have come here today to launch a social development programme for Youth Month, which is aimed at ensuring that the youth of our country in general and vulnerable youth in particular begins a historic process of engaging in meaningful programmes of integrating the youth in sustainable social development programmes.
This is indeed a historic occasion. It comes at a historic moment in the history of our country and indeed African continent as a whole. This period marks the ten-year celebrations of our freedom and the beginning of the second decade of freedom. Therefore the theme "Youth Seizing the Opportunities of Ten Years of Democracy" could not have come at a better time.
The youth of our country has always been the catalyst of political, social and economic development. For decades they were in the forefront of the struggle for freedom and democracy. Over the last ten years of freedom they have played a sterling role in further strengthening our democracy and expanding the frontiers of freedom. As we have entered the stage of accelerating service delivery, consolidating and deepening our democracy and enhancing economic and social development, it is imperative that as government in general and as the department of social development in particular, we take stock of what has been achieved thus far, what the challenges are that we face and most importantly, what we need to do to make sure that the youth is empowered to play an even more important role in building a better life for all especially the most vulnerable sectors of our society.
For, the youth are the future of our country and now more than ever before, government, business, labour, civil society and indeed society as a whole, should work together to open even more opportunities for the youth to play a meaningful role in the development of our country and the African continent.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the youth of our country is faced with many challenges like poverty, HIV and AIDS, the need for economic empowerment, skills development as well as their meaningful integration into all developmental programmes and last but not least better access to government social services.
This symbolic presence at the Bokamoso Youth Centre, a Centre aimed at enhancing youth development is reflective of our commitment to ensure that we put the issue of youth development as a priority, especially during Youth Month, which also comes when we are celebrating the International Year of the Family and indeed, the 2010 soccer bid coming to our shores.
As we celebrate our decade of democracy, our Department is developing a programme of action to ensure that the opportunities and services rendered, become more easily accessible to the youth especially those who are most vulnerable.
Indeed, significant achievements have been made over the past ten years of democracy. The April 14th free and fair elections have confirmed that our freedom and democracy is indeed alive and growing. The economic growth and stability as well as the delivery of basic social service like access to electricity, water, social grants to millions of people who were previously discriminated and disadvantaged, have indeed opened huge opportunities for us to ensure an accelerated programme of youth development that can enhance social integration, social justice and social cohesion with regard to the youth.
The government has put several programmes in place for youth development as epitomised by the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, Learnerships and skills development, Black Economic Empowerment programmes, National Youth Policy which includes the National Youth Service, Social Welfare Transformation and Social Security Programmes, Poverty Alleviation Programmes, an integrated HIV and AIDS strategy and many others. In essence, the first ten years of freedom have laid a firm foundation for a rapid advance towards an integrated and comprehensive socio-economic development of the youth.
The challenge is how do we take advantage of the achievements made and develop strategies that are going to ensure that indeed the youth seizes the opportunities meaningfully.
The Department of Social Development is aware that despite the significant achievement made over the last ten years of freedom, many young persons are still faced with many challenges that relate to poverty, HIV and AIDS, Drug and Substance Abuse, Women and Children Abuse as well as skills development.
In order to address these critical socio-economic challenges in an integrated and sustainable way, it is imperative that the youth become an integral part of these programmes and ensures that they, indeed, work for the benefit of the youth and the country as a whole.
In this regard the department has established a Youth Directorate, which will work closely with the programmes on Social Security, HIV and AIDS, Welfare Transformation, Children Youth and Families, Food Emergency Scheme Poverty relief to ensure that the youth especially the most vulnerable, have access to these services. These will work in close concert with the clusters of government especially the social cluster that includes the Department of Education, Health, Housing, Home Affairs, and Public Works.
The Programme of action for youth development includes the following key areas of focus:
1. Mobilising the youth especially the most vulnerable, to play a meaningful role in programmes of poverty alleviation as well as the creation of work opportunities. The poverty relief programme is targeting particularly vulnerable youth in rural areas by providing financial support to income generating projects especially in the nodal points identified through the integrated sustainable rural development programme and the urban renewal programme. Out of the R71 million allocated to this programme, R18 million is dedicated to alleviate vulnerable youth from poverty.
2. Enhancing youth access to the food emergency scheme that is targeting the unemployed, households that are faced with serious food insecurity including child headed households and people affected and infected by HIV/AIDS and other chronic diseases, the government has allocated a total of R800 million for the next two years (R400 million this year and R400 million for the next financial year)
3. In relation to HIV and AIDS the Department of Social Development has allocated R71 million to further expand home and community based care which is currently assisting 314 centres throughout the country. Youth access in this regard will also be given even more added attention.
4. Strengthening partnerships with various youth formations like Umsobomvu, the National Youth Commission, South African Youth Council and other sectors like the business fraternity with a view to enhancing the youth capacity to access these opportunities.
5. Mobilising the youth to play a central role in the Expanded Public Works Programme focusing on early childhood development and community and home based care, this programme is aimed at ensuring youth have access to work opportunities and acquire skills.
6. Enhancing youth access to social security as a critical programme to alleviate poverty including the registration of children under 11 years this year and 14 years next year.
7. Mobilising the youth in playing a meaningful role in strengthening families and moral regeneration with a view to strengthen social justice, social cohesion and social integration. Some of the critical focus areas in this regard are the fight against Drug and Substance Abuse, fight against Women and Child Abuse and enhancing the provision of developmental social welfare services, this is even more important given the fact that this year we commemorate the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family.
Ladies and Gentlemen, as we speak the department is working in close concert with the National Youth Commission in the youth month programmes including:
* Youth Trains which are involving youth volunteers in the provision of government services to all South Africans targeting the poorest of the poor in KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Limpopo
* Furthermore on 15 June we will host a roundtable discussion with the youth sector on issues of youth and social security
* On the 18th of June the department will host in Limpopo a Family Preservation Campaign aimed at involving families to respond to the challenges facing vulnerable youth, i.e. Youth in conflict with the Law and those that Abuse Drugs and Substances
On 26 June we will commemorate the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which will be held in Kimberly Northern Cape where we will be highlighting the problems of Drug and Substance Abuse facing young people, and also mobilise the youth against the scourge.
Last but not least, we will be embarking on a comprehensive programme in August until the end of the year 2004 in all the provinces, where we will engage the youth in the development of a comprehensive youth development strategy for the social development sector.
In conclusion we therefore call on all the youth of our country especially the most vulnerable to join hands together with us and all the sectors of society in Building a People's Contract to Build Families and Communities for a Better Life for all especially the Youth and Children.
Thank you.
For more information contact: Mbulelo Musi
Tel: (012) 312 7654
Cell: 082 904 3395
FAX: (012) 312 7943
E-mail: Mbulelo.Musi@socdev.gov.za
Issued by: Ministry of Social Development
10 June 2004
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