YOUTH DAY, HOW CAN WE INVEST IN THEM?

According to Statistics South Africa, currently, unemployment graduate figures in the same age group is at 31% compared to the same period in 2018.

• (59%) of South Africans are under the age of 30
• (36%) of our population are made up of youth (15- to 34-year-olds)
• (59%) of youth are living in poverty
• (50%) of youth are neither employed nor receiving education or training by the time they are 25 years old

Can we overcome this by simply investing in our Youth?
In order to become successful, you must have a vision. And having a vision is the first step of investing in the future of our youth. Education is not something that you get at school only; you also learn through your mistakes, and you also learn through other people.
Supportive relationships are critical for adolescent development, but humans are a social species and relationships matter throughout life. For youth, these include relationships with parents, of course, but also with teachers, coaches, mentors, peers, and staff in after-school programs. Mentoring is often recommended for adolescents as a way to provide a positive relationship with a caring adult. An apprenticeship, with supportive supervisors and colleagues, might provide an analogous relationship for an emerging adult.
Opportunities to belong and support for efficacy and mattering also answer the basic human needs to affiliate and to be respected and have a sense of personal worth.
Put simply, we cannot and should not write off a generation of young people. We have the power to support and connect with them, to grow their prospects, to ensure they can access real precedent setting opportunities, and ultimately change the trajectory of the whole country.

Invest today! Invest in our youth!
So that young people can develop to their full potential and be the adults and leaders of tomorrow!