Date: 14/02/05
Source: National Youth Commission
Title: Mbalula: Meeting of NYC Provincial Chairpersons, Commissioners and CEOs
Speech of the Chairperson of the National Youth Commission, Jabu Mbalula on the occasion of the meeting of the National Youth Commission, Provincial Chairpersons, Commissioners and CEOs, Leriba Lodge, Centurion
14 February 2005
Chairpersons and Commissioners
CEOs and Staff
Greetings and welcome to this important meeting of the finest of the leadership of the youth of the country.
This meeting is the second most important in the structures of the youth Commission upon whose shoulders rest a huge responsibility, the responsibility to direct and lead the cause of youth development in the country.
In our last meetings in 2002 and 2003 we summoned the spirit of one of the finest sons ever produced by the revolution, Ernesto Che Guevara to draw inspiration and remind ourselves of the tasks of young people in a struggle for change.
Today we convene under the auspices of a youth Commission which is itself, a product of selfless and gallant contribution of the youth of our country in the centuries of struggle for democratic change in our land.
We owe it to generations of youth before us to ensure that this body becomes a true tribune for the youth of country and their cause for youth development.
During his address on the occasion of the inauguration of the Commission in 1996, President Mbeki made the point that the youth Commission is poised to make an important contribution in the development and advancement of our youth because itself represented a decisive break with the past and as such poised to be an important actor in the reconstruction and development of our country. He further made a point that the extent to which the youth Commission is going to succeed in the execution of its mandate will depend largely on how serious it perceived by government departments.
This matter must receive the utmost critical examination of this forum.
During our last encounter we examined the state of youth development in the country, and that discussion afforded us an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the challenges of youth today. These we summarised as follows:
* That youth in our country and other parts of the world today have an opportunity to advance their education levels than ever before.
* That young people must also deal with increasing insecurity in the labour market: they now comprise 41 percent of the world's unemployed.
* That some 238 million youth live on less than 1 dollar per day.
* Girls and young women continue to face violence and many parts of the lack access to reproductive health services.
* Young people are also involved in armed conflict, with estimates indicating a total of more than 300 000 child soldiers around the world.
We concluded on these challenges that a possibility exists for our youth to advance themselves through their own structures and in their own lifestyle to achieve their own development and empowerment.
Accordingly, during the past year we made a clarion call to the youth of the country to rally behind the battle cry "seizing the opportunities of democracy".
Many generations before us had their own challenges and had defined their vision and mission differently. Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, OR Tambo and others of their generation coined the slogan "Freedom in Our lifetime"
The defeat of the apartheid system in 1994 meant the fulfilment of this mission, creating the conditions for the new generations of the youth to break with the mission and tasks of the preceding generations of the youth and to commit themselves to a new mission.
The question therefore becomes, what is the mission of our generation?
We have responded and articulated that the mission of this generation of youth cannot be found outside the perspectives and policy positions contained in the Reconstruction and Development Programme. Our youth policy document outlines the agenda and defines the tasks we must carry out to achieve the empowerment and development of our youth within the context of the RDP.
In the current programmes of government such as the learnerships, Expanded Public Works programme, community development workers etc, youth development should be unambiguously articulated and mapped out.
In May 2004 FIFA gave our country and continent the honour to host one of the world's prestigious spectacles of our time, the 2010 Soccer World Cup. This historic event took place within the context of the ten years celebrations of democracy and the ushering in of the second decade of freedom. We must elaborate clear action steps that we need to take to fight for the space of youth participation in this process. The event will bring economic spin-off from which our youth should benefit, not only as players, but as young entrepreneurs. The contest must leave a legacy of empowered youth who will continue to live sustainable livelihoods and make a meaningful contribution in the economic development of our country.
During these discussions this collective of Youth Commissioners should also pay attention to some of the following areas:
* On the 11 February 2005 President Thabo Mbeki outlined the programme of action for the country during his State of the Nation Address. One admission of the address is the fact that as a people we have achieved a lot in moving our country from its divided past. Youth have been at the cutting edge of this progression and more is expected of them during the Second Decade of Freedom.
* Racism in schools, the need to address some of the persistent tendencies of racism that manifest themselves under the pretext of grouping learners along the lines of language preference. Our youth and the country need to deal with these tendencies decisively to ensure that our education contributes towards reconciliation and nation-building.
* National Youth Service - the implementation has commenced and there is a need for Provincial Youth Commissions to play a central role in the recruitment and the rollout of the NYS. The role of these structures is to ensure that the set target of 5000 is met within the allocated timeframe.
* Sector Education and Training Authorities - how far are they in the implementation of these programmes. Challenges that face these implementing agencies need to be brought to the fore to jointly develop measures of intervention.
* Local government elections; we need to craft a mass mobilisation strategy to ensure maximum participation of young people in the forthcoming local government elections. One of the intervention measures the NYC has spoken about is the declaration of the centres of higher learning as the voter registration points.
Enquiries: Pa
Source: National Youth Commission
Title: Mbalula: Meeting of NYC Provincial Chairpersons, Commissioners and CEOs
Speech of the Chairperson of the National Youth Commission, Jabu Mbalula on the occasion of the meeting of the National Youth Commission, Provincial Chairpersons, Commissioners and CEOs, Leriba Lodge, Centurion
14 February 2005
Chairpersons and Commissioners
CEOs and Staff
Greetings and welcome to this important meeting of the finest of the leadership of the youth of the country.
This meeting is the second most important in the structures of the youth Commission upon whose shoulders rest a huge responsibility, the responsibility to direct and lead the cause of youth development in the country.
In our last meetings in 2002 and 2003 we summoned the spirit of one of the finest sons ever produced by the revolution, Ernesto Che Guevara to draw inspiration and remind ourselves of the tasks of young people in a struggle for change.
Today we convene under the auspices of a youth Commission which is itself, a product of selfless and gallant contribution of the youth of our country in the centuries of struggle for democratic change in our land.
We owe it to generations of youth before us to ensure that this body becomes a true tribune for the youth of country and their cause for youth development.
During his address on the occasion of the inauguration of the Commission in 1996, President Mbeki made the point that the youth Commission is poised to make an important contribution in the development and advancement of our youth because itself represented a decisive break with the past and as such poised to be an important actor in the reconstruction and development of our country. He further made a point that the extent to which the youth Commission is going to succeed in the execution of its mandate will depend largely on how serious it perceived by government departments.
This matter must receive the utmost critical examination of this forum.
During our last encounter we examined the state of youth development in the country, and that discussion afforded us an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the challenges of youth today. These we summarised as follows:
* That youth in our country and other parts of the world today have an opportunity to advance their education levels than ever before.
* That young people must also deal with increasing insecurity in the labour market: they now comprise 41 percent of the world's unemployed.
* That some 238 million youth live on less than 1 dollar per day.
* Girls and young women continue to face violence and many parts of the lack access to reproductive health services.
* Young people are also involved in armed conflict, with estimates indicating a total of more than 300 000 child soldiers around the world.
We concluded on these challenges that a possibility exists for our youth to advance themselves through their own structures and in their own lifestyle to achieve their own development and empowerment.
Accordingly, during the past year we made a clarion call to the youth of the country to rally behind the battle cry "seizing the opportunities of democracy".
Many generations before us had their own challenges and had defined their vision and mission differently. Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, OR Tambo and others of their generation coined the slogan "Freedom in Our lifetime"
The defeat of the apartheid system in 1994 meant the fulfilment of this mission, creating the conditions for the new generations of the youth to break with the mission and tasks of the preceding generations of the youth and to commit themselves to a new mission.
The question therefore becomes, what is the mission of our generation?
We have responded and articulated that the mission of this generation of youth cannot be found outside the perspectives and policy positions contained in the Reconstruction and Development Programme. Our youth policy document outlines the agenda and defines the tasks we must carry out to achieve the empowerment and development of our youth within the context of the RDP.
In the current programmes of government such as the learnerships, Expanded Public Works programme, community development workers etc, youth development should be unambiguously articulated and mapped out.
In May 2004 FIFA gave our country and continent the honour to host one of the world's prestigious spectacles of our time, the 2010 Soccer World Cup. This historic event took place within the context of the ten years celebrations of democracy and the ushering in of the second decade of freedom. We must elaborate clear action steps that we need to take to fight for the space of youth participation in this process. The event will bring economic spin-off from which our youth should benefit, not only as players, but as young entrepreneurs. The contest must leave a legacy of empowered youth who will continue to live sustainable livelihoods and make a meaningful contribution in the economic development of our country.
During these discussions this collective of Youth Commissioners should also pay attention to some of the following areas:
* On the 11 February 2005 President Thabo Mbeki outlined the programme of action for the country during his State of the Nation Address. One admission of the address is the fact that as a people we have achieved a lot in moving our country from its divided past. Youth have been at the cutting edge of this progression and more is expected of them during the Second Decade of Freedom.
* Racism in schools, the need to address some of the persistent tendencies of racism that manifest themselves under the pretext of grouping learners along the lines of language preference. Our youth and the country need to deal with these tendencies decisively to ensure that our education contributes towards reconciliation and nation-building.
* National Youth Service - the implementation has commenced and there is a need for Provincial Youth Commissions to play a central role in the recruitment and the rollout of the NYS. The role of these structures is to ensure that the set target of 5000 is met within the allocated timeframe.
* Sector Education and Training Authorities - how far are they in the implementation of these programmes. Challenges that face these implementing agencies need to be brought to the fore to jointly develop measures of intervention.
* Local government elections; we need to craft a mass mobilisation strategy to ensure maximum participation of young people in the forthcoming local government elections. One of the intervention measures the NYC has spoken about is the declaration of the centres of higher learning as the voter registration points.
Enquiries: Pa
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