Youth unemployment is one of the biggest crises South Africa is facing, rooted in systemic challenges. The numbers paint a painful reality. There are 9 in 10 young people in South Africa, who are not in any form of employment, education or training; nearly 8 in 10 unemployed people have been out of work for longer than a year and we know that the longer people are unemployed, the more unemployable they become. As a young person, you might be wondering how you can start making a difference and tackle youth unemployment? This may sound like an overwhelming challenge, but we got you! As a campaign advocating for solutions to youth unemployment that are centred around young people’s lived experiences and evidence, Youth Capital knows that solving unemployment starts with knowledge: this is why we have designed a short and quick guide to help you get started on your journey of making a difference in your community by learning the ins and outs of the Action Plan.
First off, what is the Action Plan?
Youth Capital travelled around the country to understand the challenges young South Africans face on their journey to making an income – from this, we’ve outlined the main stumbling blocks that need to be prioritised to address the youth unemployment crisis. The Action Plan is a set of 10 actions that tackle the challenges that young people experience on their journey to accessing earning and learning opportunities as well as the solutions needed to bring down these challenges. The knowledge of the Action Plan creates a guide that can empower you to take action and campaign to remove those obstacles for young people in your community.
Empower U: How to be a campaigner
The guide includes three sections: Setting the Scene; Education/Transitions and Jobs/Intro to Policy Making.
Let’s discover what each section includes:
- Setting the Scene: You will learn about the causes of youth unemployment – the fact that it is not simply about the lack of jobs, but there are also systematic challenges that lead to young people not being able to access opportunities.
- Education & Transitions: In this chapter you will learn about the various challenges young people experience during the learning phase of their lives; whether it’s school or place of learning, and when they move from learning to opportunities to earn money. For example, you will learn about how school drop affects young people’s ability to access different earning opportunities. You will also learn about challenges like the high cost of looking for work, and how these difficulties act as barriers for young people.
- Jobs & intro to Policy Making: This chapter looks at how different opportunities like volunteering can act as stepping stones for young people so that they find long-term earning opportunities. It also zooms in on the role young people play in shaping policies linked to their development with a specific focus on the National Youth Policy 2020-2030.
Why should you take on this guide?
There are so many reasons why you should take on this guide! You might feel upset about the poor service delivery in your area and unsure about your role in addressing it; you might be passionate about seeing change in your community, or you are part of a youth formation and wondering how you can respond to the growing youth unemployment crisis. EmpowerU will not only provide you with the necessary knowledge about the youth unemployment crisis, but also needed solutions but also inspire you to campaign for change.
The guide is certified and you will receive a certificate of completion.
We can’t wait for you to get started!
