ALL YOUNG pEOpLE ON pATHWAYS TO pRODUCTIVITY

Young people need income to survive and participate in society. If they can’t reach critical pathways, they will remain stuck outside of the mainstream. The term “productivity” should be viewed as economic participation, together with the creativity, social relationships, health, gender identity and other factors that signify well-being. These factors are critical, but can rarely be achieved without sufficient economic participation to break intergenerational cycles of poverty.

Opportunities To Escape The Inequality Trap

Cultivate and connect imaginative leaders.

Passionate, imaginative, critical thinkers are integral to public innovation, particularly when they can connect, collaborate and create effectively. Given their rootedness and their commitment to public innovation, civil society organisations are both the source and pivot for imaginative leadership that can bring about change in South Africa.

Release systemic chokes that trap us in inequality.

Systemic chokes are the failures of policy, whether by design or consequence, that hinder the ability of individuals and communities to access and leverage innovation for human development. These systemic chokes often take the form of social ills, such as binge and heavy drinking and gender-based violence, or of institutional systems that exclude marginalised groups from equitable access to welfare services and mobile data.

Build productive synergies between communities and the environment.

Poor communities are more vulnerable to the impact of climate change than other population groups. The poorest members of our society often live on the most damaged land and in the most polluted neighbourhoods. Many people are without access to clean air, water and services. This is further exacerbated by the impact of climate change on rising food prices, crop failures and water shortages. We must support communities by tackling the systemic failures that make them vulnerable while drawing on traditional and new scientific knowledge to equip them to protect the environment.

Investment in young children may be the single greatest opportunity to escape the inequality trap. The first five years of a child’s life lay the groundwork for their lifelong development – a crucial period where access to early learning, good nutrition, care and safety can set a child on a pathway of compounding positive effects as they enter school and beyond.

Stop nutritional stunting of young children.

The physical height of our children is a leading indicator of the future health of the nation, its social stability and its economic prospects. Yet we are trapped by poor nutrition that damages children before they go to school and impacts them into adulthood.

Investing in reading and numeracy is an opportunity to transform the lives of a generation of children. We know that early learning deficits erode the benefits of formal education, so shifting these trends will require investments in early learning interventions that focus on proficiency in reading, writing and counting.

Build simple, loving connections for

Children thrive in environments where they feel safe, are nurtured, protected and loved, and where their caregivers are supported to play an active role in their lives.

Accelerate learning for learners failed by the system.

Even when young people complete their matric, many of them progress through the schooling system without the basic numeracy and literacy skills that employers and the labour market expect. Therefore, we need to address the dynamics failing our learners.

Create new connections to opportunity for young people.

In South Africa, tapping into social networks is the most common way of accessing work - but most young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) lack the connections to access opportunity. We need to expand and enhance connections to the world of further learning and earning.

Support young people to keep their grip on opportunity.

Less than half our children complete matric and only about one in six school leavers will become a skilled worker. This is why we need youth-centred support that ensures young people are on pathways to productivity and do not become discouraged from leaving school and finding employment.