Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Parliament launches Youth Month

Athenkosi Mvane
04 June 2013

Today, in Parliament, Youth Month was launched.

Youth Parliament is a programme which is intended to ensure that young people are empowered to take charge in having their voices heard.

The programme for this year’s celebrations, is taking Youth Parliament to the people.

This year’s theme is Youth at the centre of economic opportunities. Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform Gugile Nkwinti said the “Big  5” issues they wish to focus on are economic participation, skills development and education, professionalisation of youth work, the spirit of volunteerism and fighting drugs and substance abuse.

As part of the educating and skills development, there is also a programme Second Chance.

This programme is meant to help students who had dropped out from school to be skilled so they develop experience to be prepared for the working environment.

Government plans to get 20 000 such youth trained before the end of the final year.

Government is working together with the Department of Higher Education and Training, Department of Defence and Military where the youth spend 4 months in training.

“We have just graduated a group last week; two more groups are going in of which one will be in July to be graduating in November.

“Another group going in in August, so it is a rolling programme; we have 12 831 youngsters in the programme right now from all the provinces. The majority of them are women” Nkwinti added

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