LISTEN | Youth Capital on Al Jazeera The Take
23 Jul 2021Youth Capital Influencer Bonginkosi Mchunu speaks to Al Jazeera about the unrest and youth unemployment.
What can you do for #MandelaDay2021?
17 Jul 2021What can we do to make an impact this #MandelaDay2021? We have 5 activities for you.
Opinion | Why youth participation must be adopted.
30 Jun 2021Being the largest population group in South Africa, young people should be our country’s strength; but this potential remains untapped. Collaborations between the government and youth organisations could help us get there faster, write Kristal Duncan-Williams, Pearl Pillay and Tessa Dooms on News24.
LISTEN | Young Activists are putting young people at the centre.
30 Jun 2021Youth Capital discusses youth unemployment and solutions with Refiloe Mpakanyane and Dr. Athambile Masola on 702.
WATCH | A panel discussion on youth unemployment.
30 Jun 2021To celebrate Youth Day, Youth Capital’s Project Lead joined a panel discussion organised by SABC, on their programme The Full View to discuss youth unemployment.
Youth Voices | What Freedom Day means to us.
24 Jun 2021In honour of Freedom Day, Youth Capital Influencer Lebogang Ditsebe puts forward actionable ideas on how we can shake the status quo, in a South Africa that can work for young people.
LISTEN | Policy implementation falls flat unless young people’s voices are at the centre.
17 Jun 2021To celebrate Youth Day 2021, Youth Capital’s Project Lead Kristal Duncan-Williams spoke to Nickolaus Bauer on 702 about how youth unemployment shapes youth identity.
LISTEN | Why we need an Action Plan to solve youth unemployment.
17 Jun 2021In this interview with Khaya Sithole on Youth Day, Youth Capital’s Project Lead Kristal Duncan-Williams unpacks the need for a shared strategy to tackle youth unemployment.
OPINION | To succeed, learners need help in making the right subject choices.
15 Jun 2021Youth Capital Influencer Bonginkosi Mchunu reflects on the challenges learners face when choosing subjects and what solutions he is implementing with his NGO Ohllofus.
Youth Voices | How young people can move Africa forward.
7 Jun 2021June 16th and the image etched in our minds and hearts of Hector Pieterson truly, never fades. There are the youth waves that make the headlines and then there are stories and struggles which are never really told. Every ounce of activism I believe begins to change the oppressive systems and structures which exist in […]
How to gain work experience with public opportunities.
19 May 2021Youth Capital’s Action Plan recognises that the government has existing programmes that can assist young people with gaining work experience. These programmes include the Expanded Public Works Programme and the Presidential Employment Stimulus Intervention. What is the Expanded Public Works Programme? The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) has been established by the Government and it’s managed by […]
What marks do I need to pass matric?
17 May 2021Young people in matric this year and those rewriting their matric will start their mid-year exams very soon. One of the questions possibly running through their minds is ” what marks do I need to pass matric?”. There are different categories for passing matric, namely Higher Certificate, Diploma and Bachelor. Each category includes grades you need to obtain; it also allows learners […]
Youth Capital and The Daily Vox bring you #BeTheDrivingForce Campaign.
14 May 2021On June 16 2021, Youth Day will be commemorated in South Africa. 45 years ago, black South Africans students were massacred by the police as they fought against Bantu education. This day commemorates and remembers their struggles. In 2021, 45 years from June 17 1976, the truth is that most young people are still struggling against the […]
LISTEN | NIDS CRAM Wave 4 findings confirm the need for an academic catch up plan.
14 May 2021Before the pandemic hit, hundreds of thousands of young South African every year would drop out, repeated grades, pushed grades without a plan to learn the material. Before COVID-19, our system had problems assisting learners to catch up, and now the problem has only been exacerbated. According to the National Income Dynamics Study – Coronavirus Rapid Mobile […]
Our Plan to Take Action.
6 May 2021If we are serious about tackling youth unemployment, we need a shared strategy. The Action Plan helps us with that.
Listen | Latest research shows the gender gap in employment.
28 Apr 2021What happens when young people don’t pass matric? In 2016 the Department of Basic Education launched the Second Chance Matric Programme, designed to give young people a second chance at obtaining their matric qualification. However, many young people are unaware of this opportunity. There is little information in the public domain as the Department doesn’t report […]
Listen | Internships, Learnerships and the World of Work.
23 Apr 2021In this radio interview with Clement Manyathela on 702, Youth Capital discusses internships.
Siyavula & Foonda Mate: free resources to prep for the matric re-write.
22 Apr 2021Matrics ‘on the fringe’ is Youth Capital’s research brief that reviewed the Second Chance Matric Programme. This is a programme by the Department of Basic Education that enables young people to re-write their matric exam or upgrade a subject. The brief takes into consideration the experiences of second-chancers, and quantifies that, at any given year, […]
Duzi-Umngeni Conservation Trust | How Public Works Impact Communities.
21 Apr 2021The Duzi-Umngeni Conversation Trust (DUCT) is an organisation in Pietermaritzburg, Kwazulu Natal. Its focus is to champion the environmental health of the uMngeni and uMsunduzi Rivers through its projects. Some of the projects are implemented as part of the Expanded Public Work Programme (EPWP), run by the Department of Public Works. The overall purpose of EPWP is […]
School Assistants, School Management and the Basic Education Employment Intervention.
31 Mar 2021Who are school assistants? Towards the end of 2020, the Department of Basic Education recruited over 300 000 Education Assistants and General Assistants for the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI). This initiative is part of the Presidential Employment Stimulus Plan, designed to confront the economic impact of the pandemic by creating new opportunities for growth and […]
How do I apply for the NYDA board?
29 Mar 2021The National Youth Development Agency represents the interests of young South Africans – applications for its board are now open. If you’re thinking about applying, we tell you how in this post.
The NYDA Board We Want.
24 Mar 2021The National Youth Development Agency’s (NYDA) board is essential in ensuring that the organisation fulfils its mandate to serve young people in South Africa. We break down its role and why young people should stay engaged in the appointment process.
Second Chance Matric Programme: National Senior Certificate or Senior Certificate?
18 Mar 2021The Second Chance Matric Programme by the Department of Basic Education is for young people who want to obtain or improve their matric qualification. Read this post to find out whether you qualify to apply for the National Senior Certificate (NSC) or the Senior Certificate (SC).
Research | Matrics ‘on the Fringe’: a Review of the Second Chance Programme.
10 Mar 2021Latest research by Youth Capital and Stellenbosch University’s Research on Social and Economic Policy (ReSEP) for the first time provides evidence that at any time, 250 000 young people are working towards a matric certificate outside of the full-time schooling system; but these young people are not reported by the Department of Basic Education.
Budget Speech 2021 Deconstructed.
3 Mar 2021Busi Sibeko, a Researcher and an Economist from the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) and Kristal Duncan-William (Youth Capital Project Lead) had a discussion to deconstruct the South African National Budget Speech 2021 delivered on 24 February, so that young people could understand its impact.
Why the 2021 Budget Speech Matters to Us
24 Feb 2021Sandile Mlangeni is a young man from a township in Ekurhuleni (Gauteng). He is passionate about advocating for township economic development. He is also part of Youth Capital’s youth constituency as a Youth Capital Influencer. We asked him why young people should tune in for the upcoming 2021 Budget Speech.
Opinion | Dear Minister Mboweni, help young people shift gears for our country’s recovery.
24 Feb 2021For real economic recovery, we need to change the trajectory of how young people find and keep work. How can the Budget Speech address this? Write Kristal Duncan-Williams and Clotilde Angelucci.
An Open Letter | Dear Matric 2020
22 Feb 2021In this open letter to the 2020 matric learners, author Matome Motloutsi inspires young people to show up, do the work and sometimes take the chance to try again. “Failures don’t define us, they simply refine us”. Best of luck!
Matric 2020 | How to cope with anxiety and how to rewrite.
19 Feb 2021Are you nervous about waiting for your matric results? We have some tips on how to cope with stress and making a plan to re-write.
OPINION | 2020 matrics are already anxious, registering for the rewrite shouldn’t add to that.
16 Feb 2021Registering for the Second Chance Matric Programme (matric rewrite) should be easy; at the moment, information about it is conflicting and confusing and young people are being given the rounaround. This Opinion piece originally appeared on News24.
6 ways we can contribute to our Democracy.
9 Feb 2021Policy Analyst Tessa Dooms chats to Youth Capital explored democracy to promote engagement besides voting.
The National Youth Development Agency Amendment Bill: proposed key amendments.
5 Feb 2021If you are wondering what does the National Youth Development Agency represent and why was it established, this post is for you? We also include the key proposed amendments from the Amendment Bill. You can give feedback until the 15 February 2021.
Media Statement: Our #ShiftTheDate petition and the search for clarity regarding matric 2020 re-write exams.
3 Feb 2021Youth Capital released a petition on Friday 29 January 2021 to call on the DBE to #ShiftTheDate for the 2020 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Matric candidates to register to re-write their final exams. We have now taken down the petition and have clarified the process of registration with an official at the Department of Basic Education. We sincerely apologise if our petition created any more confusion – our intention was to raise what we believed to be an urgent issue for young South Africans.
Why we’re asking to #ShiftTheDate of the matric rewrite registration.
30 Jan 2021This post was originally created to address the deadline to register for a National Senior Certificate matric re-write, which the Youth Capital team had understood to be on 28 February 2021. After calls and emails to the Department of Basic Education, we clarified that the cutoff date for the NSC is 12 March via manual registrations; the deadline for the Senior Certificate is 28 February for online registrations and 12 March for manual registrations at a distric office.
2020 Youth Capital Influencer Yearbook
4 Dec 2020The Youth Capital Influencer Programme is one of the ways that we are mobilising a youth-led network to shift gears on youth unemployment.
Unlocking youth power through mentoring | Sandrine and SAYes.
20 Aug 2020Sandrine shares her story on how SAYes mentors gave her the support and strength to navigate school and make decisions for her future career.
Word of Mouth | Assisting Female Entrepreneurs in the Informal Economy.
10 Aug 2020Before the Coronavirus lockdown, looking for a job was a difficult undertake for the average young South African. With high barriers into the formal economy, jobs in the informal could open up opportunities for young people. Word of Mouth is amplifying the power in the sector.
Opinion | Before, during and after Covid-19: An academic catch up plan for South African learners.
6 Aug 2020COVID-19 has turned the spotlight on the challenges learners face in schools. The ongoing lockdown means that different learners have access to different resources. We need a catch up plan to support all learners to learn equally.
Bridge the Info Gap | Finding Your Calling on a Rocky Road
3 Aug 2020When leaving school Ferronique struggled to find a job. With the help of Umuzi. she found her calling to becoming a coder at BBD while on a rocky road.
Make Public Employment Work | Unlock the power of the social economy.
30 Jul 2020How the Community Works Programme provided Grachin with skills that helped her get a job in a school library, and work as a facilitator for a reading programme.
A Second Chance at the Matric Exam: Ukhanyo Foundation.
9 Jul 2020Philippi based Ukhanyo Foundation was started in January 2019 of its founder’s commitment to support young people to reach their dreams, starting with completing their matric exam through the Second Chance Programme.
Best Practices When Looking for a Job.
22 Jun 2020Do you struggle with making your work experience count when responding to job vacancies? How can you start growing your social network as a student?Job Advice SA founder Tim Barry and Career Coach Ennie Chipembere answer some of our questions on challenges we face when looking for a job.
Listen | Why we need an academic catch-up plan now.
4 Jun 2020With the Department of Basic Education’s plan to reopen school with a phased-in approach, in an interview on 702, Youth Capital stresses the importance of an academic catch-up plan to ensure that no learners are left behind.
Listen | No learner should be left behind.
28 May 2020How can we ensure that the back to school plan of the Department of Basic Education ensures that all learners can learn equally? Kristal Duncan-Williams speaks to Lester Kiewit and a Grade 12 students on Cape Talk about the need for an academic catch-up plan that responds to the real needs of our learners.
How to set up a remote academic support group for high school students.
14 May 2020Only 37% of Grade 1 students complete Grade 12 in minimum time. What happens to the remaining 63%? Their challenges go unseen. This is why setting academic support groups can make a big difference in a student’s life. In this post, some Youth Capital Influencers will tell you what to consider when setting yours up.
WhatsApp Chat | The importance of a routine and setting boundaries during the pandemic.
8 May 2020In our latest Mental Health Webinar with Clinical Pshycologist and Mental Health Consultant Alexa Scher, we discussed the importance of setting a routine and managing healthy relationships during lockdown.
Repetition, Progression and the Need for a Catch-up Plan.
6 May 2020South Africa’s education policy has repetition constraints and progression criteria. Find out why having a catch-up strategy for progressed students is critical in supporting them for a successful education journey.
#TheNewNormal of lockdown in South Africa
24 Apr 2020In our latest WhatsApp Webinar on Public Health, Dr Kerrin Begg shines some light on the latest development of Level 4 of South Africa’s risk-adjusted strategy. If you’re wondering about masks and the Coronavirus vaccine, this is for you!
#DataPrices: Understanding the Data Commission.
20 Apr 2020To understand the current conversation on data prices and the Competition Commission, Jan Vermeulen, Editor of MyBroadband, helps us understand South Africa’s situation on data prices set by different operators, zero-rating, and the proposed life-line bundles.
Opinion | South Africa’s digital divide detrimental to the youth.
20 Apr 2020Without the means and data to leverage lockdown as a time to grow, COVID-19 reinforces how SA’s data-divide remains a barrier to young people’s progress and potential to learn, writes Kristal Duncan-Williams on the Mail & Guardian.
Opinion | South Africa’s digital divide detrimental to the youth.
20 Apr 2020Without the means and data to leverage lockdown as a time to grow, COVID-19 reinforces how SA’s data-divide remains a barrier to young people’s progress and potential to learn.
The National Youth Policy draft 2030 needs you(th) to be a success.
15 Apr 2020The National Youth Policy 2030 is open for comments. In this post we breakdown the components of the NYP2030 to make sure that we all understand its objective, key focus areas and time frame and the role we play as young people in giving direction and input on how to make the policy happen.
#ItsOkayNotToBeOkay: Understanding Mental Health during COVID-19.
9 Apr 2020The Pandemic and consequent lockdown has put a heavy spin on our lives and a burden on our mental health. Alexa Scher, a Clinical Psychologist, joined us for our weekly Public Health webinar to understand what mental health is and what we can do to support ourselves and the people we love through these difficult and uncertain times.
#21LockdownSA: Ask us!
27 Mar 2020Youth Capital’s Network Mobiliser Lethiwe Nkosi and Dr Hapiloe Maranyane hosted a WhatsApp Webinar with 250 young South Africans. During the webinar, Lethiwe explained the rules of the 21 days of Lockdown while Hapiloe Maranyane answered some questions about the medical aspects of the virus. If you’ve been wondering why the next 21 days are critical for our country, this post is for you!
Listen | Why data prices matter to young job-seekers.
20 Mar 2020Stephen Grootes hosted a mediated conversation on the fall of data prices following Vodacom’s agreement with the Competition Commission on his breakfast show, SAfm Sunrise.
He was joined by Youth Capital’s Project Lead Kristal Duncan-Williams, Jan Vermeulen (Editor of MyBroadBand), Dr. Keabetswe Modimoeng (Acting Chair of The Council of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) and Koketso Moeti (Founder of Amandla Mobi).
How to Flatten the Curve: Q & A on the Corona Virus in South Africa
19 Mar 2020This post is based on a WhatsApp Webinar hosted by Youth Capital’s Project Lead and Public Health Researcher Kristal Duncan-Williams with 250 young South Africans. During the webinar, Kristal explained the facts about the virus, safety measures to adopt and busted the myths around that. If you’ve been wondering on whether ‘to mask or not to mask’, this post is for you!
Listen | How lower data prices could make job seeking affordable.
13 Mar 2020Youth Capital Project Lead Kristal Duncan-Williams chats to Ray White on the Azania Mosaka Show about what else is needed to ensure that lower data prices and zero-rated websites are effective in making job-seeking affordable.
Listen | How young people can shift gears on youth unemployment.
6 Mar 2020Youth Capital’s Project Lead Kristal Duncan-Williams engaged in a very interesting conversation with Songezo Macebe on The View Point, the evening show on SAFm.
Opinion | Young People Must Help Design a Youth Employment Plan.
2 Mar 2020To reduce youth unemployment, young South Africans need to be involved in the design and implementation of the President’s recently announced Presidential Youth Employment Plan.
Listen | What does youth unemployment look like post SONA 2020?
27 Feb 2020Youth Capital’s Project Lead Kristal Duncan-Williams discusses youth unemployment in the context of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) and the Budget Speech 2020.
Opinion | It’s time to stop paying lip service to young people.
19 Feb 2020This is an Opinion Piece written by Youth Capital that originally appeared on City Press. To shift gears on youth unemployment, the voices, views and ideas of young people need to be amplifies and reflected in plans moving forward.
FinSavvy Graduate Safety Net- An initiative to support young job seekers.
17 Feb 2020The cost of finding a job is cited as one of the challenges young people experience when trying to navigate their way out of being unemployed.
The Influencer Network Programme: Shifting Gears on Youth Unemployment.
23 Jan 2020Everybody agrees: youth unemployment rates in South Africa have stayed high for way too long. The issue is deeply rooted in the history and development of our country and we understand that it won’t be a quick one to solve.
Youth Voices: An Untold Story of Success.
13 Nov 2019When considering vocational trades in South Africa, there is a danger of a single story.
Young South Africans’ experience of the TVET system.
11 Oct 2019For one million young South Africans like Lotsolatile, vocational and skills training offers young South Africans an opportunity to upgrade skills and pursue new career pathways every year.
Opinion| Let’s get behind the General Education Certificate – and make it work!
3 Oct 2019In this analysis for the Daily Maverick, DGMT Deputy CEO Janet Jobson and Youth Capital Project Lead Kristal Duncal-Williams look at what formalising the end of compulsory schooling in Grade 9 could unlock for young people and the whole education system.
Transitions: The Long Hustle to a Job.
16 Sep 2019The transition between leaving school and finding a job, is often a longer and more difficult “in-between” period for many young South Africans than many of us realize.
Hustling Harder: Young Women Making it Work
28 Aug 2019With August being Women’s Month, it’s the perfect time to think about how we as a society can do more to support young women.
Immie stays in the game
6 Aug 2019It is difficult for young people across South Africa to find a job, especially when the youth unemployment rate has increased to 40%.
What do young people want in order to be empowered?
28 Jun 2019The appointment of young ministers into South Africa’s 6th democratic administration may be a sign that the government values the views of young people.
On Business Live | Unemployed youth are stuck between a rock and a hopeless case.
19 Jun 2019Between the cost of actually finding a job, from transport to the essential mobile data, it’s no wonder the unemployed have all but given up, writes Youth Capital Project lead Kristal Duncan-Williams on Business Live.