Combating youth unemployment

Y Care International is supporting the KwaZulu-Natal Regional YMCA, along with five local YMCA branches to provide disadvantaged young people in deprived communities with the skills and knowledge to be able to advocate for their social and economic rights and participate in local decision-making on issues that affect them.

Despite experiencing a relatively high economic growth rate compared to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 34% of the population in South Africa lives on less than $2 per day. This three year project, which started in April 2009, was developed to respond to high levels of youth unemployment and social and economic exclusion among young people in KwaZulu-Natal.

How we are helping
In the communities where the project will take place, unemployment is estimated at 55%. Through this project, 3,000 disadvantaged young people will be trained in advocacy and lobbying, civic participation and understanding economic justice. Once trained, young people will be selected to join one of five youth advocacy groups and will be responsible for designing and coordinating local and regional advocacy activities.

Activities will include organising an annual forum focusing on issues related to youth employment and access to vocational training and social security; running youth camps to provide training to other young people on their social and economic rights; running community rallies on youth employment, and establishing a database of at least 20,000 names of unemployed young people in the Kwa-Zulu Natal region to use as a lobbying tool.

In addition, a Regional Youth Employment Network will be established made up of representatives of civil society organisations who will be given technical training so that they are able to respond to the needs of young people more effectively.

What we hope to achieve 
• A 50% increase in youth participation in local and regional decision-making structures
• Five youth-led community advocacy and lobbying groups established and engaged in local decision-making and community budget monitoring, to increase the allocation of government resources towards youth employment and training
• A youth-led regional advocacy and lobbying group established to implement a regional advocacy strategy with government, vocational training providers, and the business sector, on youth employment and access to social security
• An estimated 18,000 community members demonstrating an increased awareness of issues relating to youth employment, social and economic rights, municipal budgeting and civic participation.