It is not news that the youth of South Africa are facing many and complex challenges. Like most young people around the world, they are forced to think about their future on a warming planet that is increasingly prone to climate disasters, while navigating global geopolitical uncertainty.
But they also face other challenges. Higher education, for example, is out of reach for many, and youth unemployment remains very high, at around 64%.
Over the years, there have been several attempts – ranging from handouts to very public initiatives that promise much but achieve little – to address the problem.
While the intentions behind these initiatives are usually noble, they consistently fail to give young South Africans what they need most: a platform to share their voices and the will to act on their aspirations.
Young people have agency and they have something to say. Only by making sure we are heard, perhaps more importantly, heard, can we begin to overcome the challenges we face every day.
The importance of being heard
Throughout history, we have seen how young people make themselves heard can change society, country, and even the world. In recent years, it is only necessary to see how the work of Greta Thunberg (still only 19 years old) has increased the passion and enthusiasm for the climate change movement.
Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan (now 25), has been an advocate for human rights, especially for the education of women and children, since she was 11 years old. 14. After recovering from the attack, he took up global activism, winning the Nobel peace prize at the age of just 17.
Closer to home, university protests have helped push for the decolonization of tertiary curricula, brought economic relief to struggling students, and shed light on the prevalence of gender-based violence on campuses across the country.
In retrospect, the 1976 Soweto uprising – led by black youths frustrated by having to study in Afrikaans and the oppressive Bantu education system – proved to be a pivotal moment in the fight against apartheid.
The unfortunate common thread that connects most of these examples is that the young people involved need to force their voices onto local and global platforms. They knock on the proverbial door until the public has no choice but to listen.
In many cases, young people are still knocking on those doors, hoping that those with the power to effect change will listen to their intelligent and thoughtful criticisms and contributions to our collective struggle for a better life.
It shouldn’t be like that. We need to listen to young people as a matter of course. Their concerns, fears, and hopes are valid, and only by listening to them can they create a world that works for them.
Provide the right platform
So, the onus is on all sectors of society, from business to government and civil society, to provide a platform for these voices.
It’s a responsibility we know very well at FunDza and it’s one of the reasons we focus so much on youth and young adult literacy. You cannot expect young people to be happy to share their views and opinions if they are not equipped with the necessary tools to express their voices.
But we also know that literacy is only the beginning. Young people also need to feel confident to express their frustrations, hopes and ambitions, no matter who. That’s why this year we started a campaign for Mr. President.
The campaign invites young people between the ages of 13 and 25 to write essays addressed to President Cyril Ramaphosa. In these essays, young writers are asked to describe what they love about South Africa, the challenges their communities face, what they can’t do and what solutions they propose to these challenges.
Our hope is that the campaign will help give young people the confidence they need to express themselves, even in the face of powerful people.
Of course, more needs to be done when it comes to providing safe spaces for South Africans to share their voices. We hope that others, across the spectrum of society, will join us in trying to support and amplify the voices of young South Africans.
Like it or not, change is coming
As resistant to change as many parents are, it will come one way or another. By listening to what young people have to say, we can all ensure that change is productive and comes at the right time, rather than the result of frustration that is ignored.
That’s what you should expect and achieve as soon as possible.