Youth apathy has become the common, if not the only narrative, that is used to characterize young people in South Africa. Whilst it may hold some merit, it is the distortion of the entire and bigger picture, it is not the entire story. What we know for certain being part of the A! Network, which is a network of more than 3500 young people who connected and capacitated to drive change for the public good, is that there does exist a large populace of young people who are not just willing and able but are taking daily actions in their everyday lives, in spite of the challenges and obstacles they face to ensure that their tomorrow will be better than today. The effort of developing the community manifestos by these passionate young leaders, demonstrates the power of collaboration towards a common goal. More than 25 community engagements were held across South Africa, reaching communities in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Among the engaged individuals were young people who previously had limited or no knowledge surrounding the entire electoral process (not just voting)
The community engagement process outlined the challenges and issues faced by young and old people in the different communities across South Africa. While the issues are common in nature, they are not experienced in the same manner and don’t necessarily require a generic response. These issues include, among others,
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and those who will be voting for the first time in this year’s general elections.
More than 25 community engagements were held across South Africa, reaching communities in urban, periurban and rural areas. What is significant about the community manifesto is that it is not just an elections document, but a community development tool that will guide the collective actions required by both local leaders and the youth build societies that are functional, safe and enable their community members to thrive, particularly the youth. It also serves as a framework that showcases what positive action can happen when unlikely partners come together to empower and capacitate young people through comprehensive civic education toolkit that can enhance efficiency and impact in the spaces of influence that young people occupy at grassroots level.
government corruption, drug and alcohol abuse, poor and sometimes no access to ICT and connectivity, unemployment, crime, gangstarism, a lack of progressive youth centres, nepotism, a shortage of shortage of libraries, inadequate access to medical services, frequent and unattended sewage leaks as well as poorly maintained roads and infrastructure.