2018 Activator June Newspaper by ACTIVATE! Change Drivers

@Activate_ZA

@ActivateZA

Activate Change Drivers

AN ACTIVATE! change drivers PUBLICATION

What we do EQUIP

CONNECT

INSPIRE

PROVOKE

INFLUNCE

Activators with a toolkit for social change that allows them to enhance their skills set and expand their knowledge-base with the intention of elevating their impact, reach and capacity to drive change.

Activators to each other, to resources and to thought leaders through creating spaces for shared value creation, opportunities for meaningful stakeholder engagement through the different connections we hold within the network.

Activators through stories of impact and initiatives that highlight the new narrative by young diverse leaders within the network and to showcase the work young change drivers are involved in to SA and the world.

Dialogue and action so that we open new channels of thinking, deeply interrogate critical issues and offer different perspectives that challenge conventional methods.

Growing organically the influence needed to drive positive change across government, business and civil society in SA through the active recognition of the value of social capital

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A! INTERCONNECTEDNESS & INCLUSIVITY

A! HEALTH

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A! LITERACY

A! YOUTH ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION

ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP

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People talk every day. We use language and speech as a way to communicate with others. The South African historical record is full of important moments where dialogue was used as a tool to resolve conflict and come up with solutions. Today youth have even more platforms on which to have the often-difficult conversations including the digital space! But how can we have better conversations on the issues affecting us as youth? Through Hackathons!

WHAT IS A HACKATHON? It is an alternative platform for dialogue on specific issues affecting communities. This platform encourage youth to engage upon critical issues in unconventional spaces.

WHERE CAN THEY TAKE PLACE? Anywhere where it is safe to do so! These include among others classroom hackathons, tavern hackathons, train hackathons and even church or mosque hackathons! The digital space and social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Mxit, Twitter and Instagram are all potential spaces for hackathons!

STEP 1 DECIDING TO ENGAGE Before convening a Hackathon, it is important that you: • Familiarise yourself with the issue / topic you would like to discuss. • Be clear about what the hackathon hopes to achieve, as this will influence the process as well as guide you in deciding whom you want participate in the hackathon.

STEP 2 IDENTIFYING THE RIGHT Each Hackathon is unique and is shaped by the people who are part of the conversation and the context in which the conversation takes place. • Invite to the Hackathon all the people in your social network or community affected by the issue / topic you have decided to hack. • If the number is too large, choose representatives or have a series of

STEP 3 ARRANGING LOGISTICS When you take time to think about and prep sily accessible and neutral. Make sure that the venue you use compliments or contributes to the objective and topic of Hackathon. b) If the Hackathon takes place in the digital space, ensure that all those who you want to be part of the conversation have access to the platform. • Date and Time: Agree on a date and time that is most convenient to most of the people you have invited. • Sending out invitations: Inform people of the Hackathon in advance where possible. If you have any useful information regarding the topic / issue share this with the people you have invited. Also, make sure that they are aware of all logistical information like transport, how long the Hackathon will be, etc.

STEP 5 AGREE ON GROUND RULES Group commitments or ground rules must be developed and agreed upon at the start of the Hackathon. This ensures that everyone knows how they are expected to behave towards and engage with each other in the Hackathon space. • More constructive ground rules are “Listen to understand, first” and “Speak the truth without blame or judgment.”

STEP 6 INTRODUCE THE TOPIC AND AGREE ON THE PURPOSE OF THE HACKATHON

Once the hackathon is convened, the group can now:

• Once everyone has agreed on the purpose of the Hackathon they are more likely to remain engaged throughout.

• Keeping in mind the purpose of the Hackathon, identify problems and discuss how the topic / issues affect them and their communities.

• By introducing the topic and clarifying the purpose you ensure that the focus of the conversation is not diverted which in turn increases the likelihood of coming up with solutions.

• It is crucial that everyone gets an equal chance to voice their views and feelings. • Allow a diversity of ideas and thoughts to emerge!

MAPPING AND NAMING ISSUES

STEP 9 If the Hackathon does not produce any concrete outcomes or formal agreements, that is fine! The intention after all is to use space creatively when having critical conversations and to gain a deeper understanding of the topic / issue. • It might be useful to, in conclusion, summarise the main points shared and discussed. • It can be very powerful to do a round of asking the group to each share in a word or sentence how they experienced the hackathon. • Ask the group whether they would like a follow-up conversation and agree on a suitable date and time. • Thank everyone for their participation!

CREATING BRAVE SPACES Talking critically about tough issues is never easy. It takes a lot of courage to say what might be hard for others to listen to things that contradict our opinions! But we also need to be brave, to stay present and engaged despite fear and unease. The only way this is possible to create a safe enough space for people to be brave. • Be mindful of intentionally creating a warm, friendly and welcoming space, acknowledging and affirming everyone. • Ensure that everyone taking part in the Hackathon is aware of the objectives and agree that the principles of respect and agreeing-to-disagree. When we are brave enough to stay, not get overwhelmed by fear or anger, we could learn something new and better understand others’ experiences on the topic / issue being discussed.

STEP 7

When you introduce the topic at the start of the hackathon and agree on the purpose, you will be better able to able to manage peoples’ expectations.

CONCLUDING THE HACKATHON

STEP 4

STEP 10

STEP 8 CRAFTING POSSIBILITIES FOR THE FUTURE

After the group has shared their thoughts and views on the topic / issue, and having listened to the perspectives and experiences of others, the Hackathon space can lead to a collective appreciation of the diverse perspectives. • If the Hackathon generates conversations on solutions, it is best to determine whether conditions in the community are ready for the implementation of possible solutions. • Determine whether there is capacity to implement the solutions the group has generated

FOLLOW-UP

This is an important step as it is a way of staying in touch with the group and ensuring that the momentum built is not lost. It is also a good way of determining whether the group found the hackathon useful and it allows you to assess whether there are new topics / issues to discuss. Follow-up activities can be in the form of: • Informal meetings / conversations with those who were part of the Hackathon via phone calls, sms or whatsapp. • Staying informed of the topic / issue

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Reagan Manuel

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“The National Youth Service, also known as NYS, aims to provide long-term and effective ways of reconstructing South African society by developing the abilities of young people through service and learning” With the increasing youth unemployment rate, government in partnership with the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) are looking for alternative and innovative methods that can assist young people in becoming more employable and also solve some of the social issues faced by our communities.

The 2003 implementation plan spells out the objectives of the NYS as follows:

- Inculcate a culture of service by supporting youth to participate constructively in nation-building - Promote social cohesion - Create understanding in young people of their role in promotion of civic awareness, patriotism and national reconstruction - Develop skills, knowledge and ability of young people to enable them to make the transition to adulthood - Improve youth employability through opportunities for work experience, skills development and support to gain access to economic and further learning opportunities - Harness the nation’s untapped human resources and provide a vehicle for enhancing the delivery of the country’s development and objectives especially to disadvantaged and underserved communities.

The NYS seeks to teach young people that their communities belong to all of us and therefore we need to take care of them. This program seeks to spark the sense of ownership, pride and responsibility for one’s community and in doing so, that can also spread into the increased involvement of young people in local governance structures. Our communities belong to us and it is time for our generation to use our problems to create innovative solutions that will bring about the change we want to see. As part of Youth Making Local government work, we want to be at the forefront of this initiative as it assists in changing the narrative of youth as statistics to youth as the builders of our country.

How will the NYS program work?

The NYS model has 3 elements: service, learning and individual development and exit opportunities. Each of these elements need to be seen as part of an integrated whole - each element builds onto and feeds into the other. The model is based on the idea that young people require interventions that address the personal, social and economic aspects of their lives in a holistic manner. Youth development cannot be separated from community development. In doing so, the program seeks to empower youth to be the custodians of their communities while also providing the necessary skills needed to enter the job market, while providing exit employment opportunities.

What are employment and exist opportunities? One of the central elements of a youth service programme is that it must include the identification of real and meaningful employment or exit opportunities for young people at the point of completion. This will ensure that youth see this as a stepping stone to bettering their lives and not as a full-time job. In ensuring this, we are making sure that as many young people can go through the program, and that the poverty cycle is broken as they enter into better paying jobs, due to their increased experience. Young people should be aware of the employment, further learning and entrepreneurial opportunities they could realistically access at the end of participating in a youth service program. At the end of the program they should have accumulated sufficient experience and competence to be able to access these. This experience and competence must be developed through: (i) An appropriate service component, and (ii) A relevant learning component, both of which must be linked to the identified employment or exit opportunities.

What does “Service element” mean?

The service element of a youth service programme has three essential functions: 1. Provides a service that benefits people other than the youth participants (e.g. the community) 2. Promotes the development of a positive profile of youth within the community benefiting from the service; and 3. Provides the young participants with an opportunity for experiential learning or on-the- job experience linked to the structured learning and individual development element. In a nutshell we have two issues: 1. Growing number of unemployed and unemployable young people who have not had the chance to develop a sense of community or patriotism unlike the generation that was raised during the 1994 era. 2. Our communities are deteriorating at a rapid phase and all citizens are waiting on government to solve those problems, to which government does not have the capacity The NYS seeks to bridge that gap, as it sees the number of youth that are idling in corners as the ones that should be at the forefront of community development. Currently our communities are in need or plumbers, builders and many other skills so that they can run efficiently. And we hope that youth will embrace this opportunity as they will receive the much needed experience to break them into the job market. Service activities must support a national or local development objective, as defined by national government, and must be completed in accordance with high standards, so that young people are viewed as a positive force and resource in that community.

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What will I learn and how will this program develop me as a young person?

There are three related trainings regarding career development and exit opportunities as follows:

The third element of youth service program requires that young people engage in a learning programme that enables them to develop their own skills, knowledge and competence and that promotes individual development. This component must also enable young men and women to obtain credits registered on the National Qualifications Framework where possible. As such, this requires that education and training providers delivering the structured learning element need to be accredited with the appropriate quality assurance body and for the appropriate unit standards. A holistic approach to learning interventions for young people is advocated. This approach insists on an integration of: i). Technical skills ii) Life skills, and iii) Experience to achieve quality of life for the young person within his/her social and economic environment Since the NYS is a holistic Youth Development program, it has incorporated all the relevant and necessary skills needed for the success of the participants. The program hopes that by providing those skills, youth will become more employable and coupled with the strong sense of patriotism and responsibility, there will be a number of community leaders and contributors in the country’s economy.

Career guidance The decision on a career path is one of the most important decisions that people make in life. It is a decision that needs to be taken at an early stage in life, but it has a long lasting influence on one’s life, one’s future work and one’s self-esteem. The career guidance service is intended to assist young people make informed important choices regarding their future careers. Job preparedness This training is intended to upskill young people with the knowledge and skills required to prepare them for the world of work. It enables young people to develop positive attitudes in life and be willing to try new ideas, maintain high standards and pay attention to detail when preparing CVs, interviews and their image as progress in career and life depends largely on how these personal qualities were developed. Entrepreneurship development program The entrepreneurship development programme (EDP) training is intended to create awareness of entrepreneurship as a possible career path, and to introduce it as an option to be considered as a means of earning a living. EDP Areas of focus are as follows: • The Pre-Start Up – these are the young people who may or may not have gone through a formal entrepreneurship awareness programme, but who have business ideas and require assistance and support to develop these ideas into a start-up business. • The Start-Up – is a business / enterprise that has just started and require support to grow. • The Advanced Businesses / enterprises – these are well-established and operational businesses that require support to improve their businesses and identify opportunities for investment to maximize their profits.

The NYS model will look at youth aged 18 to 35 years of age. It will also target specific categories of young people. These categories were developed as youth in South Africa are not a homogenous group and by treating them as youth a bulk group, we will see many young people not being able to access the program. The NYS model applies to three categories of implementing service program. These categories are: i) Category 1: Unemployed young people aged between 18 to 35 years. ii) Category II: Young people in FET and Higher Education Institutions iii) Category III: Pure voluntarism Each Category emphasizes different elements of the model, e.g. Category II emphasizes service while Category 1 emphasizes structured learning.

There are two ways in which the NYS provide its youth development training to government program and the EPWP. First, the NYS offers a three day training. The idea is also to train the master trainers on the Basic Youth Development Training Programme so that they can in turn train the facilitators on youth development and instill the principles and approaches to youth development in the project. Second, the NYDA internal facilitators can directly run workshops on any of these offerings.

What programs are non-technical program? The NYS has programs that are non-technical training interventions available for government youth development program are as follows: Life skills training. These accredited life skills, which consists of twenty four modules, help young people to become responsible and productive individuals, citizens, employees or employers. They include a variety of aspects such as development of confidence, time management, interpersonal skills, and problem solving skills, decision making skills, working effectively in a team, labor market preparedness and work ethics. They relate to factors that are key to successful employment. Nation-building and NYS orientation training This training, which can take up to 10 days depending on the nature of the project, provides an overview, history of and rationale for NYS in the country. It also provides an opportunity for the participants to understand the nature of the project that they would be participating in, and to commit for long term involvement. It also provides information about what it means to be an active citizen ranging from voting to the Bill of Rights. This training is intended to promote patriotism and social cohesion

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