Byline: Andani Matumba
Wednesday, 22 March 2023
Govan Mbeki Municipality as part of Youth Capacity Building Workshop held a Youth Policy Review Workshop and Capacity Building in Secunda on 15 March 2023 at Lilian Ngoyi Center.
The Policy will serve as a guide on how to implement youth development and empowerment programmes in the Govan Mbeki Municipality this was after the municipality successfully launched the local SAYC structure last year.
Young people held robust discussions during the workshop around youth matters such as economic empowerment, sport, education, social wellness, as well as various other sectors where the youth need to have a voice.
The workshop forms part of the municipality’s approach to address challenges facing young people in and around the municipality.
Youth of Govan Mbeki was represented by the community forums and other youth community structures.
In driving for change, the main purpose of the event was to educate the youth about business, how to acquire funding from different sectors as well as business sustainability.
The most important factor which stood out during the session was the discussing on how the youth is going to contribute to the growth of the economy of the municipality through new community projects which the SAYC in Govan Mbeki will assist in getting funding in order to grow the local economy, create jobs and make profits from the community projects.
The SAYC has also pledged to start the drive immediately after the implementation of the policy by the council.
Gracious Shabangu urged the youth to come up with new ideas which will drive change withing the region.
The ideas were noted down and the implementation of those identified projects will only start once the policy has been adopted in council which was said to set off by15 April 2023.
Skills development seemed like industry which was lacking at the moment and the youth proposed that an initiative be made to upskill the local youth in skills which are still lacking in the district.
