Prior to South Africa’s lockdown to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, Covid-19, civil society scored a major victory in convincing government to allow more time for comment on the National Youth Policy – South Africa will face serious socioeconomic factors post-lockdown and the youth must be included in the promised economic recovery.

Tebogo Suping, executive director of ACTIVATE! Change Drivers network, has been part of the national youth policy process for five years through Activate, which is the largest youth development nonprofit network in South Africa. The nonprofit has a network of over 4 200 youth from urban to peri-urban and rural areas that it has put through its youth leadership programmes since 2012. As Suping explains, the reason Activate exists is “to instill hope in young people today”.

Along with Youth Lab, Youth Capital, Youth Village and independent influencer Nelisa Nqulana, Activate identified just how invisible the recent process to update the existing National Youth Policy was, with students, young people and civil society organisations which focus on youth development, not having been consulted.

Activate went out at ground level to consult and hold focus group sessions with young people in townships and villages in the rural areas to get their views on the youth policy, which resulted in 340 youth giving input. This was very important, says Suping, as Activate did not want to champion causes that were not representative of all young people. “You just need to meet young people where they are.”

Suping emphasises that it is wrong to imply that the young are not engaged with the issues that South Africa is faced with, particularly those that affect them. “We need to change how young people have to resort to extreme measures to voice their opinion, Therefore we need to give them the platforms to do so, so that they do not resort to violence when they feel they are not heard.”

Suping praised the decision by government to move from a five-year to a ten-year national youth plan given the demographics of the country and the fact that the social problems that need to be resolved are massive. Unfortunately, what has not changed is the content of the National Youth Policy; and this shows that government does not fully understand the current needs of young people out there, she said.

“Young people need to feel like assets and of value to the country. However, we are worryingly losing too many young people over the 12-year period of schooling and that is not acceptable. They are referred to as the ‘missing middle’, the unaccounted for who don’t belong anywhere. We can’t have our young people feeling that they don’t belong anywhere.”

“This is the same disaster that will face South Africa in five years’ time, with millions of young people with idle hands if something is not done. You can develop an economy, but if you don’t develop safe spaces for young people, what is the point?” Suping asks. “What we want with this youth policy is all hands-on deck. Everyone must be involved. Let people know that young people can help. We are championing something that will be a great investment for the country in the long run.”

She reiterates that more needs to be done to link the skills the market requires with tertiary institutions. “We need business to come on board. We can do this. Take this Covid-19 crisis - business is coming on board and saying these are the gaps I can fill; government is doing its part by amending legislation to cater to people’s needs; and civil society is working on the ground. We can do this.

Youth policy must include the following, she lists:

• Education: Addressing recurring themes such as the inadequacy of our education curricula as a matter of urgency. “Are we creating agency or dependency for our young people?” Suping asks.
• Technology: Government is trying to have a 4IR (Fourth Industrial Revolution) discussion with young people who do not have access to this technology. No young person must be left behind.
• Mental health: How do young people access mental health programmes? Needs are shifting, so we must move with the times if we are going to get anything right.
• Small business: There is a call for much more meaningful interventions to support SMMEs. Government must come up with a comprehensive package to enable the small business sector to thrive. There is a disconnect and a shortage in resources to get young people to participate in the local and mainstream economy.
• Accountability: Young people want to be part of what works and there are strategic elements missing in the youth policy. The policy does not contain the specifics on how to make it work and involve the young people it is aimed at.

As Suping concludes: “South Africa is running out of time and sits with an anxious youth, building resentment. We need to speak very loudly so that the voices of young people are heard. Contributing to the National Youth Policy is required by all of us. It is part of the work we need to do that needs to outlive us.”

Written by Tebogo Suping, executive director of ACTIVATE! Change Drivers network