NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION Presentation for oral hearings on

NATIONAL YOUTH COMMISSION Presentation for oral hearings on review of Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act No. 136, 2000

NYC ACT and MANDATE • NYC formulated through NYC ACT No 633 of 1996 • Develop an Integrated Youth Policy and implementation strategy for departments • Advocate and lobby government departments and monitor implementation of Policy • NYC currently using National Youth Development Policy Framework as guiding document for gov departments, business and other sectors of SA society

Youth Defined • Youth Defined as persons between 14 and 35 years • Not homogenous groupings, have differing needs varying according to age and backgrounds • No uniformity approach in defining youth in various departments • 37. 3% of SA Population comprised of youth (2001 Census)

Challenges facing youth • • Education Unemployment and poverty Health Youth in conflict with the law

Education • Youth found in higher echelons of education system. Higher primary, high school, FET colleges and tertiary institutions • Problem in education system is two fold • Inability of young people to pay high cost of FET colleges and higher education institutions and gain access to funding for those unable to afford fees • Insufficient link in output of FET and tertiary institutions to needs of labour market……. . thus high unemployment rates

Youth Poverty and Unemployment • 40% of SA population unemployed with 70% of those being young people • Acknowledgement of several barriers or impediments to youth unemployment • Level of youth participation in country’s economy can be gauged from three areas: – Youth Level of Skill – Opportunities available to create youth unemployment – Opportunities available to fund youth driven ventures

Unemployment continued…… Barriers to youth employment: • Lack of adequate and required skill (higher institutions of learning not adequately preparing young people for the demands of the labour market) • Insufficient economic growth to absorb the labour market • Lack of access to funding to start youth owned businesses • Inability of young people to create sustainable businesses

Unemployment continued……. • Government Interventions: – Funding agencies such as UYF, Ntsika – Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA’s) – Do. L Labour strategy which specifically targets and has quotas for black people, women and people with disabilities – ASGISA and JIPSA

Unemployment continued………. • Challenges: – Youth benefit as sub-group in these programmes with exception of UYF, SETAs and more recently the JIPSA programme whom have their own set of challenges – All business and government strategies approach youth as sub-group meant to benefit from employment programmes but this is not translating in decline in number of youths who are unemployed or run successful businesses i. e. Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act No. 5 of 2000

YOUTH AND HEALTH • Alcohol and Abuse of recreational drug • HIV/AIDS infection and increased mortality rate amongst the youth • Lack of education on reproductive health

YOUTH IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW • 69% of individuals arrested btw the ages of 18 and 35 (2003 Status of Youth Report) • June 2002; 36% in prison are persons under the age of 26 with 53% of those awaiting trial are under 26 • Department of Correctional Services has 13 youth detention centers of 237 correctional centers they manage Challenges: • Ensure rehabilitation of young people and re-integration into society • Difficulty of individuals with criminal records to attain employment or gain funding

IMPACT ON EQUALITY ACT • Strengthening of the Act to include the youth • Youth is a specialized group in need of special attention • This could lead to prioritization of departmental budgets for youth development projects