Youths provided with meaningful work experience an increase in confidence, competencies, civic commitment and personal and professional development
As part of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, the National Youth Development Agency’s revitalised National Youth Services Programme (NYSP) has provided 67 895 community service opportunities to the youth over the last three years.
The primary goal of the NYSP is to mobilise young people to become active and empowered citizens in our nation’s democracy, while providing them with a source of income and enhancing their employability. The community service activities of the NYSP aim to bolster service delivery efforts and improve the quality of life of marginalised communities.
The programme strives to bridge the gap between the availability of opportunities and young people finding themselves in the category of not being employed, in education or in training, commonly known as the NEET bracket. The gap found between the two exists because of two fundamental factors; these are the circumstances the youth find themselves in, and their ability to find, access and hold onto opportunities.
By providing mentorship, work experience, generic skills and competencies, as well as the right mindset to leverage opportunities, psycho-social support, and helping the youth navigate transitions, the NYSP aims to address youth unemployment. It also helps to build general competencies, offer holistic support, cultivate vision and a sense of purpose, and encourage service and volunteering among the youth.
The general theory of change for all NYS projects posits that if a young person is provided with meaningful work experience, they will experience an increase in confidence, job-specific skills/competencies, civic commitment, personal and professional development, training and mentorship, and pathway support. If these components are combined, more young people will successfully progress into work and/or studies. There will also be an increase in community involvement among young people, and fewer of them will be challenged to find employment, education and training opportunities.
The NYS has provided 67 895 community service opportunities to the youth over the last three years. The total number of the applications received on the SAYouth.mobi network is sitting at 723 984, of which 4 125 are young people living with disabilities. The NYS programme has 10 various projects, which are contracted through various partners under the NYS. Through the NYSP, the agency has seen 47 967 young women lift their hands and devote their service to their country. Young women play a vital role in their families and communities within the care economy, and such a positive uptake in the programme is a direct response to the triple challenges of the country in an attempt to alleviate socioeconomic barriers.
Of the 67 895 young people who secured earning opportunities,15 696 have transitioned into other opportunities. The NYS is deliberately designed as a part-time programme, to enable income generation during the service period and support young people to identify opportunities that unlock sustainable earning pathways afterwards.
NYS participants recently worked with Imbasa Primary School in the Western Cape. Eight participants have become school administrators, and the deputy principal of the school has commended their valuable contributions, particularly in administrative tasks and in supporting the feeding scheme. One of the young women participants has discovered a passion for teaching, and has utilised her stipend to enrol in a distance learning course with UNISA. Her ultimate goal is to become a qualified teacher.
The National Youth Service collaborated with the ForAfrika and the Kwetso Foundation to launch a borehole project in Hammanskraal, as a direct response to the cholera outbreak in the previous year, with support from FNB and the IDC. The project aims to rehabilitate dilapidated boreholes and provide drinkable water to the community, and 50 NYS participants are receiving training in maintaining and securing boreholes.
To highlight the importance of developing women in various sporting codes that were previously dominated by men, such as football, the NYS has partnered with the Dlala Ntombazana development project. This is a community-based sports education initiative that uses soccer to address socioeconomic issues, and has already provided coaching, refereeing and coordination support to 224 participants.
In the spirit of the African maxim which states that “it takes a village to raise a child”, we hope that through the NYSP we will continue to witness the development of young people, and young girls in particular.
To find out more about the National Youth Service, visit these NYDA addresses:
Website – www.nyda.gov.za
Toll-Free Line – 0800 58 58 58
X – @nydarsa
Facebook – National Youth Development Agency
Instagram – @nyda_insta
WhatsApp – 0647585058
TikTok – @nydarsa