The Speaker of Council in the City of Johannesburg, Councillor Vasco da Gama, addressed a youth empowerment day at Danie Van Zyl recreation Centre in Region B on Wednesday, 17 August 2022. The aim of the event was to showcase opportunities that exist for the youth within the municipality and in the private sector.
Young people at the event engage with the exhibitors and got more information about different career paths.
Youth unemployment in South Africa remains a challenge, with over 60% of youth between the ages of 15 and 25 being unemployed. In the wake of Covid-19 youth unemployment is increasingly becoming a crisis.
Cllr Da Gama said that the City has had its challenges with finding ways to engage with the youth. Records show that the youth don’t attend the City’s public participation processes.
The youth empowerment event was a pilot programme aimed at finding more effective ways to cater to the youth’s needs.
“Young people are a key stakeholder in the City and we must ensure that the youth have access to employment opportunities and programs that will boost economic growth,” said Cllr Da Gama.
Some of the exhibitors that attended the youth empowerment day was the Joburg Metro Police Department who informed attendees about their recruitment process. The Johannesburg Culinary and Pastry School, the City’s central Human Resources Unit that deals with internship opportunities, the National Youth Development Agency and the African Youth Development Fund.
One of the young people from RW Fick Secondary School the event was important because it exposed her to different work opportunities and gave her an idea on which school subjects to focuses on to get into her dream career of being a nurse.
18/08/2022