A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR
THE NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE

A note on terminology
National youth service is a concept which is transformative in nature. It seeks to contribute to the transformation of South African society through reconstruction and development programmes which involve young people in service delivery and learning. Furthermore, it aims to support individual transformation through the growth of civic awareness in the young people involved, through their experience of service and through the development of their skills.

The National Youth Service Agency is a structured entity proposed in this Green Paper. It would be established by government to provide various types of support to a wide diversity of youth service programmes operating within the framework of service, learning and development according to agreed values, principles and criteria, as defined in this Green Paper.

A national youth service programme is one of many programmes operating within the framework established by the National Youth Service. It is distinguished from general youth development programmes by virtue of its focus on service and learning, its location within national development objectives and its alignment with the values, principles and criteria as outlined in this Green Paper.

1 International models of national youth service
National youth service is a phenomenon which is enjoying a resurgence world wide. Government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) throughout the world have initiated youth programmes which are categorised as youth service initiatives. The history and rationale for the programmes differ from country to country and in each case the reasons for initiating the programmes are instrumental in shaping their nature and the purpose. Increasingly, the exchange of views and information between service programmes in different parts of the world is resulting in the cross-fertilisation of ideas and in greater conceptual clarity. Inherent in each conception of national youth service is a definition of what is meant by >service=. Below are four conceptions of national youth service as defined in different parts of the world.

1.1 National youth service: An experiential education programme for young people
An increasing trend is for national youth service programmes to provide a transitional year or phase which gives young people access and exposure to the experience of work, and which assists them in making the transition from study to adult life and to work. In this way the year=s experience develops a maturity and level of self- awareness in participants which may not have been adequately developed during the schooling process.

A key aim of these programmes is to develop participants= work skills. The programmes recognise that many young people exiting from the school environment lack the information and skills to make a smooth transition into further education or employment. The programmes further recognise that in a global context of declining employment opportunities, experience in a service programme can increase participants= eligibility for the jobs which do exist.

1.2 National youth service: A method of fostering national development
In developing countries national youth service has been seen as a development tool which enables countries to meet their social service obligations and achieve their development goals by drawing on the skills, energy and resources of young people. In many cases government departments have used youth service programmes to deliver development programmes in education, health, water and agriculture to communities in far-flung rural areas, which would otherwise have difficulty in accessing mainstream development initiatives.

A further issue that emerges in this understanding of >national development= is nation building. The purpose of many youth service programmes in developing countries is to build a concept of nationhood which overcomes ethnic, geographic or cultural differences.

In general, these programmes focus less on the development of the individuals involved; rather they tend to concentrate on the delivery of development programmes in areas deemed to be a priority by government. In this respect they often provide critical support to the development planning objectives of government. Examples of countries implementing youth service in this way are Nigeria (particularly in relation to nation building) and Botswana.

1.3 National youth service: An alternative to military service
In Europe, the majority of youth service programmes have developed out of an understanding of national youth service as an alternative to conscripted military service. As the programmes develop and respond to changing international and intranational political, economic and social pressures, they are moving further and further away from this narrow definition. Today there is often no relationship between the national youth service programmes and the military.

These programmes tend to link with social service institutions and generally last for a period of at least twelve months. Programmes are seen as enabling young people to do >civic duty= and many focus on >classic= service activities which include working with vulnerable groups in society such as physically or intellectually disabled people, the elderly or children.

1.4 National youth service: Delivery of opportunity to young people
Youth service programmes have also become a means of intervening in situations of growing youth unemployment and dissatisfaction. Quite often they intervene where education systems have failed young people, or are unable to cope with the large numbers of young people who seek access to them. This fourth category of youth service plays a significant role in many of the youth service programmes, regardless of their origins: it seeks to provide young people with learning and experience through service which enables them to access opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to them.

2 National youth service

2.1 Vision
National youth service could provide a long-term and effective means of reconstructing South African society whilst simultaneously developing the abilities of young people through service and learning. Reconstruction includes the physical rehabilitation and renovation of community resources, such as buildings and land, as well as providing the more intangible, but perhaps more critical, service of rebuilding communities. Reconstruction also includes the task of ensuring that young people have a valued and significant role to play within their communities and that they enjoy access to the opportunities they require to make a healthy transition to adulthood.

A comprehensive approach to youth service is required to ensure that the special needs of young people are not marginalised in South Africa=s national development effort. Such an approach would include the following components:

• responding with urgency and determination to the issues faced by young people who are out of school and unemployed, youth at risk and youth in the schooling and higher education system;
• enhancing and developing the skills, standards and behaviour of those individuals and organisations who design, implement, manage and monitor youth development programmes and who work directly with young people in the provision of service;
• fostering a spirit of national unity among young people in South Africa;
• building a culture of service and voluntarism between young people and the communities in which they live;
• ensuring that the practical, social and environmental needs of young people in education and training are addressed so that they are able to make full use of the policy reforms being introduced;
• addressing the imbalances and barriers of the past in an equitable manner so as to enable young people to access emerging opportunities, and to protect and respect their rights; and
• creating an enabling legislative framework which ensures that there is cooperation between civil society and government to meet the needs of young people.

3 Purpose of national youth service in SA
Four purposes may be identified for national youth service:

• To enable young people to develop the skills, knowledge and ability necessary for them to make the transition to healthy independent adulthood.
• To give young people a way out of long-term unemployment by providing them with tangible opportunities which increase their likelihood of accessing the economy.
• To inculcate in young people an understanding of their important role in South Africa=s development, to assist them to participate constructively in community reintegration and nation building and to develop pro-social behaviour.
• To provide a vehicle through which South Africa can deliver its development objectives, through the deployment of young people.

4 Values of national youth service
It is recommended that the National Youth Service should be based on the following set of values.

4.1 The promotion of a common sense of nationhood
As articulated in Youth Policy 2000, one of the key objectives of national youth service is the development of a sense of nationhood. This means that young people should have a sense of being an intrinsic and valuable part of South Africa, and have a commitment towards the social and economic development of the country. Since the advent of democracy, many young people have struggled to develop an identity that is >South African= rather than geographic, political, ethnic or racial. National youth service should therefore seek to promote values of democratic citizenship that assist young people to develop a positive identity for themselves as South Africans.

4.2 National youth service should be accessible to all young people regardless of race, gender, religion or geographic location
While the National Youth Service will focus on providing service to the most disadvantaged communities within South Africa, it should offer opportunities for all young people. While some target groups will be specifically recruited into programmes that fall under the National Youth Service, the National Youth Service should encourage an environment which supports all service activities undertaken by youth.

4.3 National youth service should promote positive and integrated methods of youth development
In South Africa there is an increasing element of negativity developing towards young people. The National Youth Service should actively promote positive images of young people. Furthermore, it should promote an integrated approach to youth development B one which acknowledges and respects the fact that young people experience a range of social, educational, economic and psychological needs, and which seeks to respond to these in a holistic manner.

5 Defining national youth service

5.1 What is service?
Service is an activity which is undertaken for reasons other than financial reparation and which contributes to the overall well being of a community. There are different ways in which service can underpin youth programmes and each country establishing a youth service programme interprets or defines the service component as best suits its needs. What is important is that a common definition is established and used as a reference point for all programmes which seek to become part of overall national youth service delivery. This is an essential prerequisite for establishing a framework for national youth service.

In South Africa, the notion of youth service will be defined broadly as the involvement of young people in activities which provide a service which benefits the community.

5.2 Service in relation to community development
The notion of service as something which benefits a community is critical. Communities must be actively engaged in the process of identifying their development needs and in devising the ways in which a youth service programme could assist in addressing such needs. Youth development and youth service should not be seen outside the context of community development. In South Africa a key objective of national youth service is to reintegrate young people into their communities. It is thus vital to ensure that youth service programmes have the approval and support of the communities in which they are functioning.

5.3 National youth service in the context of national development objectives
Through the Reconstruction and Development Programme and in consultation with communities across the country, the South African government has identified key development priorities for the country. These priorities provide the framework in which national youth service should operate. National youth service should therefore be able to demonstrate, through the programmes it supports, a tangible commitment to assisting South Africa to meet its national development objectives. One of the criteria for programmes that receive specific support from the National Youth Service will therefore be a demonstration of how they contribute towards meeting national development objectives.

The priority areas for national youth service will be determined in relation to the development priorities identified by government. These must be matched with the opportunities such priorities offer for effective youth service. An initial assessment of areas where there is convergence between development priorities identifies by government and opportunities for youth service are in the following sectors:

• Public Works
• Education
• Water Affairs
• Environment and Tourism
• Welfare
• Health.

Within each sector a the specific service opportunities in which young people can participate will be identified. The relevant departments will identify the priority areas for service. For example, if there are service opportunities in the education sector, school readiness may be identified as the priority area for a youth service project.

The National Youth Service will locate its programmes within the national development objectives already articulated by Government.

5.4 Service as a method of development
Another aspect of service is the value which it adds to people=s lives. A service programme which provides care to the elderly, for example, adds significant social value to the lives of the people for whom the young people are caring. This may be in the form of providing company, counselling, physical assistance, etc. While it may be possible to determine or quantify this contribution financially, the contribution has significantly more than monetary value. It is thus important to understand and articulate the value which the service adds to the lives of recipients.

In addition, national youth service should add value to the lives of the participants. This Green Paper proposes national youth service as a way of delivering an integrated development programme to young South Africans.

5.4 Difference between youth service, special employment programmes and learnerships
There is often confusion about why there is a need for youth service when special employment programmes and learnerships have been established. It is important to note that national youth service does not compete with, but rather complements these two strategies.

• The primary objective of special employment programmes is poverty alleviation and the meeting of reconstruction and development needs. While some human resource development may take place, this differs across the programmes.
• The learnership strategy is one primarily designed to develop human resources through the provision of education and training together with opportunities for gaining experience in the workplace. It is unlikely that learnerships will be able to mobilise large numbers of young people, given the limited number of placement opportunities in the formal sector of the economy.

The objectives of the National Youth Service are to enable young people to develop a service culture and to contribute to the reconstruction and development of South Africa, while gaining learning and work experience. The National Youth Service thus responds to the specific needs of young people and has the potential of mobilising and engaging considerably larger numbers of young people than the other two types of programmes.

5.6 Service does not replace jobs
A fundamental prerequisite for many national service programmes, such as those in Germany, Israel and the USA, is that service programmes should not in any way work in competition with labour.

People who are employed will not be displaced by youth in service programmes. Where contracts are going out for tender, a youth service programme should not bid for these contracts on the basis that the participants do not earn salaries. There should be adequate consultation with communities to ensure that they understand the purpose of youth service and do not see it as a strategy which competes with older community members seeking employment.

5.7 Service does not involve financial reparation
As mentioned earlier, youth service is an activity for which there is no financial reparation. Therefore, while working in the public sector may involve an individual rendering a service to the community, this does not constitute service in the sense that the term is used in this Green Paper. In public sector employment, service is required in terms of the contract of employment.

Furthermore, youth service cannot be undertaken in a >for profit= environment: for example, volunteering to work for a company which generates profit does not constitute youth service. Here the primary purpose is job training or placement which is designed to serve corporate needs and interests, or those of individuals, rather than the needs of the broader community.

6 Who participates in national youth service?
National youth service is a concept which provides scope for overwhelming involvement by young people in South Africa. No young person in South Africa should be excluded from having the opportunity to be involved in a service programme. The broad definition of service above provides the opportunity for all young people across the country to participate in a range of activities which benefit communities and contribute towards national development objectives. The role of the National Youth Service is to create an enabling environment which ensures that such involvement is recognised, acknowledged and encouraged within all structures of society.

International experience shows that models exist both for voluntary and for compulsory youth service programmes. South African experience to date supports the recommendations of Youth Policy 2000 (Office of the Deputy President (1997), Youth Policy 2000, Pretoria, p32) which suggest that a mix of voluntary and compulsory elements may be required in the design of national youth service programmes. Some of the issues that need to be considered in the South African context are the following:

• Which model, voluntary or compulsory, would best meet the needs of the target group?
• Which model, voluntary or compulsory, would best meet the needs of the communities in which service is to be rendered?
• Is the chosen model likely to succeed in its objectives?
• Is there the capacity and the will to implement the chosen model?

Some examples of compulsory and voluntary programmes presently in operation include the following:

• Junior doctors are presently required to do compulsory community service as a condition of attaining their professional registration in South Africa. A similar scheme may soon be introduced for law graduates.
• Service programmes that form an integral part of a curriculum or a field of study are also compulsory in nature. This is likely to increase as institutions in higher education and further education and training seek to become more responsive to community need.
• Youth who are in conflict with the law may have to undertake compulsory service as an alternative to serving time in a correctional institution, but this is a decision of the judicial system and is taken on the basis of individual cases.
• At present many service programmes are undertaken within communities on a voluntary basis: for example, sports coaching, clean-up campaigns, renovating a community centre or clearing alien vegetation.
• Other voluntary service programmes at higher education level include students involved in the provision of health services (eg. on the Phelophepha Train), tutoring primary school youth, or providing peer counselling in HIV/AIDS.

The issue of whether participation is voluntary or compulsory will thus in part be determined by the criteria developed for participation in the service programmes, and on the needs and condition of the target groups in question.

In order to ensure that programmes yield benefit to participants and to the recipients of service, a mixed approach will be adopted initially towards participation in the National Youth Service. This means that it may be compulsory for some target groups to participate (eg. as part of their study requirement), while in the case of other target groups, voluntary participation may be most effective.

7 Beneficiaries of service

7.1 Primary and secondary beneficiaries
The primary beneficiaries of programmes which fall under the National Youth Service fall into two categories.

(a) Communities, and in particular, disadvantaged communities.

(b) Young people participating in the service programme.

A secondary beneficiary, but one which is equally important, is the labour market and the broad economy which will benefit from the skills, responsibility and civic values developed in the course of well-structured national youth service programmes.

Youth service is therefore a method of providing youth development as well as contributing to national development. Furthermore, it must be noted that participants will not benefit from youth service unless careful attention is given to the design and implementation of the service programmes.

8 Operating principles of the National Youth Service
It is proposed that the following principles should inform initiatives which are supported by the National Youth Service.

8.1 Service learning
The philosophy of service learning will underpin any programme falling under the National Youth Service and that programmes will be designed and resourced with a view to achieving the service learning objectives as formulated in this Green Paper.

Service learning refers to the learning that takes place through service programmes, particularly to the learning undertaken by participants engaged in service activity. For example, a young person engaged in a service activity, whether that be tutoring primary school youth, renovating a community centre, clearing alien vegetation or providing peer counselling in HIV/AIDS, can learn the skills of problem solving, planning, critical thinking, communication, team work, assertiveness and self confidence. The practical activity in which they are involved provides an ideal vehicle for learning such skills.

Service learning is a conscious and deliberate process. While some learning happens automatically in any service programme, much more than this is required. Clear learning objectives should be articulated for service participants, the programme design must ensure that these objectives are catered for, and monitoring should form an integral part of the programme to ascertain whether the learning objectives have been achieved or if not, why not.

Service learning encourages the ability of participants to think, analyse, reflect and grow as part of their service experience. Much of the learning may take place in informal learning environments, for example while travelling to the work site or during a lunch break. There is therefore a need to make sure that this learning is conscious and open for interrogation by all participants in the service programme.

In South Africa, particularly for the unemployed target group, the education component of programmes which fall under the National Youth Service (see Chapter Six) will have the specific task of redressing previous education deficiencies. Clear parameters will be set for what can realistically be undertaken within the context of service learning.

8.2 Sustainable development
Sustainable development refers to the extent to which an initiative is sustainable within and by the community in which it is located. Sustainable development becomes a critical factor in assessing whether a project should fall under the National Youth Service. For example, should a programme rely on the constant involvement of participants? What involvement should a community have in the instigation, management, monitoring and assessment of a service programme? How will the programme be sustained by community members in the long term?

Sustainability should be understood as delivering ongoing, long-term benefit for the community and the participants beyond the duration of the programme. The following criteria will be used to assess whether a programme is likely to be sustainable and whether it should be adopted as part of the National Youth Service:

• Community representation in managing and/or monitoring the provision of the service to the community.
• Identification of the need at a national and a community level.
• Mechanisms to assess whether the community is benefiting from the service.
• The involvement of community members in formulating strategies for sustaining the achievements of the service. For example, if a clean up campaign has been provided as a service activity, the community needs to ensure that the environment will be kept clean through agreements made with local authorities on waste collection, or other means.

8.3 Incentives to overcome financial hardship
A principle of youth service should be that participants and the families of participants do not experience financial hardship because of the young person=s involvement in the service programme. The incentives in national youth service programmes need to take account of this. It is important that young people are assisted to participate in youth service.

A range of incentives for the participants in youth service will be considered, such as discounted transport, food subsidies and allowances or stipends which make it possible for young people to be engaged in service.

8.4 Accredited learning
In the long term, youth service programmes should be accredited within the National Qualifications Framework. In the interim, programmes seeking to fall under the National Youth Service should be able to demonstrate the means by which learning will be accredited.

8.5 Selection of community sites for service
Communities which are the recipients of service programmes should be the most disadvantaged communities in the country. They should be unable to meet the need being addressed by the service programme through any other means. A range of processes for assessing community need have already been developed by different local, provincial and national government departments - for example for the Working for Water Programme. These processes should be used to determine the selection of sites for national youth service programmes.

8.6 Developing a culture of self-reliance
Many development programmes, particularly those involving young people, unwittingly establish a culture of dependency. This is particularly prevalent when the development programme provides the only structure of support accessible to young people. For example, young people involved in a service programme may experience a range of health problems, financial problems and problems in the home. The expectation may then develop among some participants that the service programme will provide a way of solving these difficulties. This often means that participants are reluctant to leave programmes at the conclusion of their service. One example of this problem comes from the SANDF Service Corps, where participants remained in the programme for up to twelve months longer than initially planned because they expected the programme to meet all their needs.

All programmes which are supported by the National Youth Service should demonstrate how they will actively encourage a culture of self-reliance among participants through their objectives, design and education and training components.

9 Establishment of the National Youth Service
The National Youth Service Agency, an entity established by Government, will be created to provide an enabling environment in which youth service programmes can be pursued. The role of the National Youth Service Agency is to ensure that all community youth service initiatives are broadly encouraged and supported. The National Youth Service Agency will have the responsibility of providing financial, capacity building, administrative and coordinative support for specific initiatives which meet the criteria described in this Green Paper.

10 Assumptions
If national youth service is to have wide ranging impact on reconstruction and development throughout South Africa and on the development of large numbers of young people, a number of assumptions must be made about the environment in which national youth service programmes are seeking to operate.

10.1 There is a national commitment to the development of young people in South Africa
A critical factor in the success of national youth service is the commitment of all sectors of society to implementing the National Youth Policy as adopted by Cabinet. In government it will be the task of the National Youth Commission and the Office of the Deputy President to ensure that the Youth Policy 2000 is incorporated into programme implementation strategies of line ministries so as to make available the incentives and resources required to deliver successfully the programmes of the National Youth Service.

10.2 Service opportunities for young people are accessible
While there is likely to be a broad range of service opportunities available for young people, an assumption made in this Green Paper is that there is the administrative and bureaucratic capacity, and willingness, to access such opportunities.

For national youth service to achieve its aims and objectives, a significant level of support, cooperation and mutual understanding is required from existing agencies to support the philosophy of youth development. For example, the Working for Water programme already has a commitment to clearing catchment areas. However, for the National Youth Service to cooperate effectively with this initiative, the Department of Water Affairs will have to commit to understanding that the need to develop the young participants in the programme is equal in importance to the task of clearing the catchment area.

10.3 Standards and accreditation mechanisms identified under the National Qualifications Framework are functional in the education and training areas offered within national youth service programmes
All education and training offered by national youth service programmes must be accredited under the National Qualifications Framework. A major constraint in the short term is that many of the mechanisms for providing this accreditation are not yet in place. Interim accreditation arrangements will be required for national youth service programmes in the short term, and these should assist in laying the foundation for the longer-term accreditation system.

10.4 Resources and funds are available for the National Youth Service
This assumption relates specifically to the issues raised above. All sectors of society will have to make a commitment to making available the financial, human and physical resources required to support the programmes of the National Youth Service.

10.5 Youth service opportunities are developed in relation to prospects for increasing employment opportunities over the next five to ten years.
The National Youth Service has as its aim that participants move from involvement in a youth service programme into one of the following activities:

• employment in the formal sector;
• taking up study opportunities in further education and training or higher education;
• initiating sustainable income-generating activities; and
• participation in local economic development strategies.

The success of the National Youth Service will thus be closely linked to the extent to which employment opportunities increase in the country as a whole. While the National Youth Service can ensure that participants are in the best position possible to pursue one of these directions, it is not possible for the Youth Service to ensure that these opportunities exist.

11 Summary

11.1 Vision:
National youth service will provide a long-term and effective means of reconstructing South African society whilst simultaneously developing the abilities of young people through service and learning.

11.2 Purpose:

• To enable young people to make the transition to healthy independent adulthood;
• To give young people a way out of long-term unemployment;
• To inculcate in young people an understanding of their role and to assist them to participate in community reintegration and nation building;
• To deploy young people to meet South Africa=s development objectives.

11.3 Values:

• The promotion of a common sense of nationhood
• Accessibility to all young people
• Promotion of positive and integrated methods of youth development

11.4 Definition of service:
The involvement of young people in activities which provide a service which provide a service which benefits the community. The service should meet a community need, fit within national development objectives, and add value to the beneficiaries and participants.

The national youth service is not a special employment programme or learnership; should not replace labour; and does not involve financial reparation.

11.5 Participation:
A mixed approach will be adopted initially towards participation in the National Youth Service. This means that it may be compulsory for some target groups to participate, and voluntary for other target groups.

11.6 Beneficiaries:
The primary beneficiaries are disadvantaged communities and young people participaintg. Secondary beneficiaries are the labour market and the board economy.

11.7 Operating principles:

• Service learning
• Sustainable development
• Incentives to overcome financial hardship
• Accredited learning
• Selection of the most disadvantaged communities through existing government processes
• Active encouragement of a culture of self-reliance

11.8 Establishment of the National Youth Service
A National Youth Service Agency will be established to create an enabling environment for youth service and to provide support for specific initiatives.

11.9 Assumptions: