The future of our youth must be a 365-day-a-year concern and not just a June event

June 16 is the day that commemorates the heroics of the 1976 generation of learners who were brave enough to confront the oppressive apartheid regime. It is a day on which we as a country should ordinarily take stock of how far we have come in integrating young people into the mainstream economic and social aspects of the country. 

In the early periods of our democracy, young people would flock to stadiums to listen to what the democratically elected government was doing to create a conducive environment for young people to learn, work and contribute positively to the future of the country. Twenty-eight years into democracy, many young people I have interacted with have lost all hope that this government has a plan or the political will to address many issues young people face in South Africa, hence very few will attend any of the government events on the day. 

The dreams of our young people have been stolen by government leaders, many of whom should be on pensions. To be young in Gauteng and South Africa in 2022 is to be unemployed. The unemployment rate among young people is hovering around 70%. This means that for every 10 young people you meet seven will be unemployed and not at an education or training institution.

Youth development has been reduced to public relations stunts by politicians and as a result, we are living with the highest unemployment rate in the history of democratic South Africa. 

To be young is to face a higher probability of being a victim of violent crime, being a drug addict or resorting to a life of criminality. The rising cost of living affects unemployed young people the most as the cost of looking for a job has equally increased whilst the prospect of finding a job has decreased. 

To top it all off, to be young is to be viewed with suspicion that you can lead, the perception that you are too young to be trusted with the responsibility of leading the recovery of the country and the province.

For the past 28 years, young people have been treated as passive recipients of government-provided services or assistance rather than partners in reshaping the country and province. 

It is not enough to lament the problems that young people face or how we got here. The analysis is only useful as it tells us what mistakes we should not repeat; on its own, the analysis is not the solution. Now that we are here, what’s to be done? 

The starting point is to recognise that young people are integral to the development of South Africa. The youth must be accepted as equal partners in crafting the solutions to the challenges they face as a generation but equally so to the challenges of society. 

One of the biggest challenges society faces is crime and criminality, how we all live in fear, violence against women, and the stripping of public infrastructure. Young people in communities could be organised and integrated to fight this scourge of criminality. Young people can be part of the solution and propose innovative solutions to create safer communities. This will have the benefit of young people gaining skills and also working to make communities safer. 

The world is going digital, and artificial intelligence and robotics are the order of our immediate future. This creates a unique opportunity for South Africa and particularly Gauteng to invest in young people in this important field. To do this requires a change of mindset and political will from the government and the business sector. 

Young people should not be viewed with suspicion but need to be trusted with the responsibility of coming up with solutions and leading the rebuilding of the country and province. It is therefore important that we not only remember the role of young people during June, but for 365 days a year.

The challenges young people face require daily attention if we are to halve the problems and get young people to work and contributing to the rebuilding of the country and Gauteng. DM