PARTNERSHIPS THAT WORK FOR BUILDING YOUTH CAPACITY

Mr Ephraim Mmekoa, Director Cadet and Youth Development, National School of Government

The last few months have been the most hectic but equally exciting for the National School of Government (NSG), Cadet and Foundation Management team, that saw fruitful partnerships in delivering training to young people from across various parts of the country.

The inception of the partnerships was with delivery of the Personal Mastery Course to 300 young people participating in The Young Patriots Programme (TYPP). This was a programme of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC) which is implemented through the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). The young people participating in the programme were deployed to work with local authorities and schools to, among others, promote social cohesion, teach other young people about national symbols, and facilitate community development. Some of participants also harboured ambitions to explore entrepreneurship to create jobs for themselves. Therefore, the Personal Mastery Course was the appropriate intervention to offer this group in particular.

TYPP has since been replaced with a new programme called the Young

Creatives, which was introduced by the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Mr Zizi Kodwa, and launched on 6 July 2023 with an intake of 270 young people from across all 9 provinces.

Young people participating in the programme are expected to give back at Community Art Centres where they are placed by the Department of Sports, Arts and culture. This has initiated talks between the NSG and NYDA to further enrol participants in the Art of Facilitating for Participatory Community Engagement for Community Workers, offered by the NSG. Engagements are ongoing to make this possible.

Post the delivery of TYPP, the NSG went on to deliver the Citizen-Centred Service Delivery (CCSD) course to 226 learners at Chrysalis Academy, Western Cape. At the Academy young people from disadvantaged communities from across the province underwent rigorous training to instil discipline and build character. The participants are then placed in various service delivery sites such as clinics, hospitals, police stations etc. to assist in facilitating services delivery whilst also acquiring practical work experience. >

The CCSD was therefore the most appropriate intervention to help young people understand what it means to serve.

In March 2023, the NSG trained a group of 226 female participants, then during the month of July further trained 226 male participants. The cohort is scheduled to complete their training on 29 July and then head to their placement sites.

Between May and Youth Month in June, the NSG team spent a total of 3 weeks at different intervals delivering three courses to 700 young people taking part in the National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC) Youth Leadership Development Programme (YLDP).

NARYSEC is a programme of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DLARD) which is implemented in partnership with the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and the Department of Defence (DoD). The YLDP comprised training interventions offered by different stakeholders as follows:

• Department of Defence – hosted the 700 learners at Dunnottar Miliary Base and trained them military-style on issues of discipline, patriotism, and civic responsibilities.

• The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) – brought in to assist those who needed driving experience to obtain driving licences.

• National Youth Development Agency – trained youth on business management and entrepreneurship

• The National School of Government – offered three courses to the youth which are: Personal Mastery; Constitution and Administration of the Public Sector; and Leadership Workshop for Future Leaders.

The cohort that commenced in May at Dunnottar Military Base, ended their YLDP in high spirits in the Pass Out Parade that was officiated by President Cyril Ramaphosa on the 12 July 2023. The President appreciated the work that the partners (including the NSG) did in training the young people. The President expresses his desire to have the programme massified to reach young people in their thousands across the country.

The President also issued awards to participant who had been selected as best performers in various aspects.

As stated by President Ramaphosa at the pass-out parade: “We can only overcome the challenge of youth unemployment if we work together. Let us build better, stronger, safer rural communities. Let us leave noone behind.”

The NSG has heeded the call. 