TUESDAY, 2 AUGUST 2005

NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY REPORT

• Communication from inception - the Commission is successfully containing the challenge of the misconception created that the NYC would be a panacea to all challenges facing youth post the first democratic election, thus, would implement youth development programmes. Clarity is being created that the NYC is an advisory structure to government and Government Departments are key in the implementation of youth development programmes.
  
• Uniform branding - success has been recorded in this area. Other 3 provincial Youth Commissions have just adhered to the common look and feel of the logo while some have been using it in conjunction with the Provincial Coat of Arms. All provinces where the Commissions exist have adopted the logo that has three youth figures carrying the SA flag. These matters are forming part of the induction of the Western Cape Youth Commission which has just been appointed.
  
• The revamped communication strategy, workshopped with Provincial Youth Commissions does address the above-mentioned concerns Messages for the year 2005 focus on the celebrations of the 50^th anniversary of the Freedom Charter. The Youth Development Month 2005, for example, was able to flag out messages that speak to the present challenge of creating youth employment to fight poverty and these were adopted and distributed to Provincial Youth Commissions and other government communicators.
  
• Building relations with the IEC (democracy education). Relations between the NYC and the IEC continue to be strong. In its recent presentation the IEC made to the NYC, strong signs are that the youth sector is going to be taken very seriously in mobilisation towards the next local government elections. This was evident in the National Preparatory Conference On Local Government Elections held in Sandton recently. The NYC participates in the GCIS convened national communication Task Team on mobilisation for the local government elections.
  
• The NYC continues to lobby for centres of higher learning to be declared voting stations, the department of education to combine voter registration with the matric exams registration and, lastly, for each local municipality to have a youth desk/youth unit to drive youth mobilisation in each of the 284 municipalities.
  
• The NYC has developed a youth mobilisation strategy towards the 2005- 2006 local government elections which will be implemented in partnership with a number of stakeholders including GCIS, Home Affairs, DPLG etc. This would contribute towards increasing the number of young people on the voters' roll and those who vote on the day of the election.
  
• The role the youth development sector played in youth mobilisation prior to the April 14, 2004 National General elections cannot be downplayed. The November 2003 and January 2004 voter registration ensured that 58,5 per cent of the new registrants onto the Voters' Roll were between 18 and 25.
  
• Media - print and electronic (and most importantly local media). Print media continues to respond to youth development, particularly the implementation of the NYS compared to other years. The launch of the NYS, for example, was well covered in newspapers such as the Cape Times, Beeld, the Sowetan, Citizen. This was also acknowledged by a numbers of newspapers in the annual reports cards of Ministers.
  
• Radio remains very supportive of youth development, especially SABC Education and community radio stations. The launch was spoken about at length in a number of regional radio stations such as Thobela-fm, Umhlobo Wenene-fm, Ukhozi-fm, lkwekewezi-fm etc. The NYC has been able to build and maintain strong relations with SABC News and Education to ensure ongoing positive coverage of youth development issues. The NYC always participates in SABC Education on radio stations such as lkwekwezi fm, Thobela fm, Umhlobo Wenene fm etc.
  
• The NYS launch was also covered live in 39 community radio stations throughout the country. A follow-up interview was also made with the GCIS studio with the same 39 community radio stations. Currently the NYC is negotiating with the GCIS for a more structured approach to community radio stations through their inhouse studio that is linked to 39 community radio stations throughout the country .The launch was covered in all TV news bulletins on the day of the launch including a recording by SABC education which was later broadcast on Take 5.
  
• A number of radio stations continue to take advantage of their proximity to the NYC by continually running stories on youth development. Such radio stations Include Khaya fm, Y-fm, Highveld stereo, Jacaranda etc. There are, however, also very strong links with a number of other regional radio stations which include East Coast Radio, KFM, p4 Cape Town, CKIfm etc.
  
• Youth Information Service (add SMS). The NYC has expanded this project to include the SMS service, it was successfully launched on 19 December 2004. Its launch was covered in the Sowetan, Daily Dispatch, Daily Sun, The Citizen, and a number of radio stations and community media. The NYC SMS project managed to capture 20 000 young cell-phone users (12098 directly linked to exam queries 7034 incorrect registration numbers and 849 captured through the Youthline). The 20 000 figure will be combined with the 18 000 cellphone users who wrote matric in 2003. The service has going to be broadened to encourage youth to register for receiving information from government on youth development opportunities. Information on health, education, economic participation and other key Government events such as the State of the Nation Address are communicated through this service. A message reminding youth on our SMS database was sent out on Wednesday, 09 February 2005, to inform them of the delivery of the State of the Nation Address by President Mbeki on 11 February 2005. During the Youth Development Month 2005 alone, the Youthline registered 4656 answered calls with only three counsellors in place.
  
• Youth Information Guide: The NYC, through the support of USAID managed to print 229 000 hard and 10 000 Braille copies of the Youth Information Guide. These copies have been successfully distributed to all nine provinces with great success and there is a still a great demand for them from young people. The matter was tabled at both the Chairpersons' and CEOs' fora. It has been agreed that provinces will contribute both in terms of content and printing. A mandate has been given to the Communicators' Forum to develop a process towards for making sure that all provinces contribute content and financially for another re-run printing of the Guide. Currently the NYC has commenced with the process of updating the Guide.
  
• The NYC website. The NYC has successfully overhauled its website (nyc.gov.za) and linked it to the Youth Information Website (yis.co.za). This site has also been linked to the overall revamped government Gateway portal which is designed to expose services rendered by government to the South African citizenry. The usage of the government website is strongly encouraged in centres such as the MPCCs. The realignment process of the Commission requires that a single National Youth Commission website be developed with inputs from across the country.
  
• Izimbizo (Presidential, Imbizo Focus Weeks and other). After successful youth izimbizo in all nine provinces prior to the Third National Genera Elections the NYC continues to work with the national Task Team or Izimbizo. The NYC participated in the last Presidential izimbizo held in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape and significant number of material was distributed to youth during that campaign. The NYC has also made a request to PYCs to also identify these opportunities for publicity and participate where possible. Our participation should go beyond distribution of material at these events, but strong lobbying for our principals to be part of the programme needs to be undertaken.
  
• The Chairpersons' and CEOs' fora have undertaken that a national izimbizo programme be developed by the NYC Communicators' Forum. Such a programme would speak to young people in all areas where they are found. Be they unemployed youth, youth in higher education, further education and training, youth in conflict with the law etc. Our social partners would also be invited to speak for themselves on the opportunities they have created for youth.
  
• Building relations with GCIS and other lead I government departments (eg 16 Days of Activism Against Child and Woman Abuse). The NYC continues to strengthen ties with critical lead government departments and ministries of specific government campaigns. These include the recent 11 Days of Activism Against violence on Women and Children, Heritage Month, women’s Month etc.
  
• Consolidating relations with Research Units in the Presidency and Premiers. The NYC feeds information to the Research Unit in the Presidency where points are forwarded far consideration into the speech of the President. This makes it possible for these issues to be considered in key Presidential Addresses such as the State of the Nation, Human Rights Day address, Women's Day, Heritage Day (it was at the Women's Day Address where the President first pronounced on the scheduled 'launch of the NYS.
  
• The Parliamentary office -the NYC Communications Directorate works very closely with the Parliamentary Office to ensure that the MPs are informed of the work the NYC does on an ongoing basis. During the Youth Development Month, a successful exhibition was displayed in the Old Assembly Wing and other information pieces distributed to MPs and young people who attended the sitting of 14 June 2005. Of critical importance between the NYC and its Parliamentary work is the synergy that is growing in terms of key messages on youth development that both MPs and the South African citizenry should be aware of. During the Youth ' Development Month 2005 a common theme was adopted and debated by Parliament. Other platforms are how the NVC can work with Parliament to convey motions on matters of youth development. Other key activities in the programme of Parliament include the Opening of Parliament, Budget Speech, the Budget Vote of the Presidency etc. The NYC is a regular participant in the Parliament's outreach programme, "Taking Parliament to the People".
  
  

NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE PROGRAME
Background

In 2002 the democratic Government adopted the revised version of the youth policy for the country, National Youth Development Policy Framework 2002-2007. The policy outlines areas of intervention for the effective youth development among which are Social Wellbeing, Education and Training, economic participation and empowerment etc. The National Youth Service (NYS)is situated under social mobilization, capacity building and advocacy.

In March 2003, Cabinet adopted the broad architecture on NYS and later that same year, in October adopted the Implementation Plan on this programme.

In August 2004, the NYS was launched in Cape Town by the Honourable Minister in the Presidency Dr Essop Pahad. It is at that occasion that the NYS registration was formally announced by government.

Implementing and Scaling up of NYS

The roles and responsibilities of different agencies in the management, financing and sustaining of an effective NYS are as follows:

• National Youth Commission
• State Institutions
• Sector Education and Training Authorities
• Umsobomvu Youth fund
• The South African Youth Council
• Provincial Youth Commissions and Local Youth Desks

The current structure of the NYS

The National Youth Service Policy Framework stipulates that the NYS should have a Unit located in the Policy and Coordination and Advisory Services Unit in the Presidency. Currently, the National Youth Commission has established the NYS office, with the NYS Manager heading the Programme.

The Umsobomvu Youth Fund (UYF) has also seconded staff to assist in the operations of the NYS. The issue to speed up the process of establishing the NYS unit is in discussion with the Minister in the Presidency.

Objectives of the NYS Programme

• To improve youth employability through opportunities for work experience, skills development and support to gain access to economic and further learning.
• To inculcate in young people an understanding of their role in the promotion of civic awareness and national reconstruction
• To inculcate a culture of service by supporting youth to participate constructively
• To harness the nation's untapped human resources and to provide a vehicle for enhancing the deliver of the country's development objectives, especially to disadvantage and underserved communities
• To develop the skills, knowledge and abilities of young people to enable them to make the transition to adulthood

Major Achievements to date

• To date we have reached 11000 youth spread across all the nine provinces
• The initial projects vary from those that impart soft skills to those that provide hard skills.
• Success in building partnerships with departments - the Moses Kotane Housing Project and the housing project With the Department of Housing.
• The demonstration projects with the Department of Public Works, Labour, Water Affairs and Forestry.

Engagement with Provinces

• The NYS largely work through provincial Commissions in provinces
• We have also formed partnerships with the local government on a number of projects.
• We have embarked on a process of scaling up the NYS with the Premiers
• Capacitating of personnel in provincial government departments
• Training of NYS champions

• NYS does not have a dedicated budget
• Location of the unit
• Convene regular PPT meetings
• Establish the provincial PPT structure
• Integration of NYS programme into line function departments
• Majority of registered projects are state departments
• More programme formulation capacity is required
• Most projects equate registration to funding
  

• JMC assist in lobbying government departments to commit towards NYS programmes
• Integration of NYS into provincial Growth and Development Plans
• Integration of NYS into the Integrated Development Plans