The Importance of Building Foundations for Youths

August 24, 2009 - Leaders around the world have been urged to show interest in youth pressure and ways to reduce corruption among the entire society. The call was made by a non governmental organisation (NGO) African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiative (AFPLI)), which is based in the United States and Nigeria.

Speaking at the recent International Youth Day (IYD) celebration in Lagos, titled 'The role of youth in building a peaceful nation', the President of AFPLI, Dr. Titus Oyeyemi, tasked the leaders on the need to build a solid foundation and erect cornerstones for the emancipation of the youth in the new millennium.

The foundation and cornerstones include qualitative, unhindered, uninterrupted education opportunities, full employment, health care system, social security, political stability, provision and maintenance of good roads system, power supply, and communication.

Read full article HERE.

CIYDA Says: With Zimbabwe going through a serious transition the our aspirations for the prosperous future and the success of Zimbabwean youths, together with that of the rest of Africa are strongly aligned with those of Dr. Titus Oyeyemi. Once we turn that corner as a country there is no looking back that is why CIYDA has taken it upon itself to actively advocate for a greater role and consideration of youths in the development of Zimbabwe. With a strong foundation of close relationships between youths, government and corporate sector free from unhindered, uninterrupted education opportunities, full employment, health care system, social security, political stability the future is undoubtedly bright for the Zimbabwean youths.

We should therefore seek to elicit positives from this situation we face as a country and take it upon ourselves to remedy some of the problems that have seen youths marginalised over time. In echoing Dr. Titus Oyeyemi's words, such endevours can only fail to be achieved when those in authority neglect, deny, refuse or fail to build on these new foundations, while instead pursuing selfish agendas, corrupt ambitions and risking shame and blame at the same time.

In its effort to play its part CIYDA is indefatigably working to see to it that it's information hub will meet the needs of every Zimbabwean youth in all possible areas needy of development such as business development, social and cultural integration, mentorship and volunteering, no matter where they are. CIYDA's information hub seeks to guarantee a constant communication platform between government, private sector and the youths.

Disclamer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, it's Executive Director and the CIYDA Team.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is an non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

South Africa is full of ideological hypocrites

August 14, 2009 - South Africa is full of ideological hypocrites.
The storm surrounding ANC Youth League President Julius Malema's criticism of President Jacob Zuma's appointment of "minorities" to strategic economic positions, personifies this kind of hypocrisy and dishonesty.

Malema commented last week that all the security cluster ministers in President Jacob Zuma's cabinet were black while the economics cluster ministers were appointed from minority groups. And all hell broke loose.

Ministers Nathi Mthethwa, Jeff Radebe and Siyabonga Cwele are in charge of police, justice and state security respectively while Pravin Gordhan, Rob Davies and Ebrahim Patel are the ministers of finance trade and industry and economic development.

Read full text of what Julius Malema’s article HERE.

CIYDA Says: South Africa has long been cited as a ticking time bomb on many issues embedded in one common aspect, that of ‘race’. Post Zimbabwe land redistribution exercise there were stories in various respected media highlighting South Africa’s need for land redistribution as the poor black majority seemed marginalised and not party to the utilisation of the vast natural resources in South Africa. On the issue of land redistribution ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe was quoted in the Daily News as having said, “Equating land redistribution to "food insecurity" amounts to blackmail, and the land question will become a time bomb if not addressed”.

Despite its undoubted peace, tranquillity and economic growth there however remains an issue of the positive role indigenous blacks can play in South African society and its economic development and shaping its overall destiny as argued by Mr Julius Malema.

It is important to note at this stage that Zimbabwe in the past had minorities in what were arguable key ministries at the time as well as today, amongst them Dr Timothy Stamps who was the Minister of Health & Child Welfare from 1986 to 2002, Ms Fay Chung who was the Minister of Education from 1988 to 1993 and David Coltart who today is the Minister of Education in the Unity Government lead by President Robert Mugabe. Although express circumstances leading to the appointment of the above mentioned individuals are not known by CIYDA, we would like to think their credentials and record of delivery in these respective departments spoke for themselves. Furthermore being that Zimbabwe is a multi-race country a representative government was appropriate, something we are inclined to point out to Mr Malema in response to his comments on South Africa.

However in support of Mr Malema’s words on the need to build confidence in the markets that Africans are also capable of handling strategic positions in the economic sector [to banish the idea amongst] black youths not believing that one day they could work in the strategic economic positions. CIYDA says yes we need to encourage an environment that gives young indigenous African youths both black and white a platform that gives them positive aspirations to work towards the development of their countries. However we also need to educate the young people from an early age that being African is not synonymous with being black only, there is more to being African. It’s only through misinformation that young people can only be swayed by Mr Malema’s comments and actually believe that to be African you have to be black and to be seen to be an effective member of society you have to be white.

Black or white young Africans we can play a positive role in the development of our respective countries and Africa as a whole given a positive environment conducive to that agenda.

Disclamer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, it's Executive Director and the CIYDA Team.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is an non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

How a rise in the share of youth in poorer countries could lead to unrest

August 13, 2009 - Is there foreseeable global instability from the rising youth (18 to 24 years old)figures in less developed countries?

Sandra Chin relays some recently published figures stating that:

Nearly 90 percent of today's 1.2 billion youth live in developing countries, says Carl Haub, senior demographer at the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and co-author of the 2009 World Population Data Sheet, which was released on Aug. 12.

In contrast, back in 1950, 70 percent of youth, or 323 million, lived in developing countries.

In some poorer countries, the youth population may more than double between now and 2050.

A relatively large youth population can be a good thing when it swells the working population. With the right investments, health, education, agricultural development, and training, a youth "bulge" can offer a country a chance to develop and drive its economic growth engine, according to a recently released Population Bulletin from the Population Reference Bureau.

Yet certain conditions could lay the groundwork for greater security challenges, whether within countries or globally. The lack of jobs or development within a country can lead to problems down the line, says Haub. "It all depends on whether the expectations of youth are met," he says.

When a large number of young working-age people can't find work, trouble often lurks on the horizon. Young people with few job prospects may resort to fomenting unrest or joining armed conflicts. Recent turmoil in Greece, Iran, France, and China has been linked to a lack of opportunities for young people to advance.

Some countries try to rein in population growth to promote stability...

Read full article HERE.

CIYDA Says: I acknowledge that it is a challenge in itself trying to meet the needs and expectations of the youths but one that we can't stop looking for a sustainable solution to. The article highlights the rural to urban migration as compounding to the challenge by swelling the numbers of those seeking opportunities. That shouldn't be the case if governments and the private sector realised the potential in the rural areas and invested adequate resources in areas such as education, skills training, business start-up etc. Not only does this in itself create jobs and aspirations for the young people in that particular area but serves to stem the influx of youths into urban areas where they are faced with a lack of prospects.

With organisations like CIYDA looking to move within the rural areas of Zimbabwe and establish working centres there, working alongside young people and offering advice in various aspects of business start-up, volunteering, mentorship e.t.c. I am confident such a proactive step will play a crucial part in attempting to meet the basic developmental needs of the Zimbabwean youths in the rural areas. Undoubtedly with such a sustainable initiative that will see a stream of empowered youth emerging, it wouldn't be surprising to see a shift in the trend when urban youths start looking to the rural areas for aspirations.

Disclamer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, it's Executive Director and the CIYDA Team.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is an non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

Youth Empowerment: A Sustainable Life-Long Security

August 10, 2009 - "Youth participation and empowerment are a sustainable life-long security for any nation including The Gambia," the Gambian vice president said. According to her, the youths are the building blocks for The Gambia's development process.

This comes hardly as a surprise as most countries across the world move to position their youths for future success by equipping them with the relevant tools for development. The vice president further reiterated that the sky is the limit for any young person who is willing to embrace positive attitudinal change to become a productive asset of his or her own country.

Undoubtedly the sky is the limit for an young person wishing to pursue their dreams and become a positive asset for the nation. Unfortunately for years that phrase has been churned out to youths in educational institutions as well as in the community. But the phrase can only mean so much when embraced but with little support from government and private sector working together to put in place structures that allows one to aspire to reach for the stars.

It's well and true to say the sky is the limit, but honestly, the lack of adequate support and investment towards youth development is the real challenge and limit.

At CIYDA we seek to eliminate that challenge or invisible barrier for one to aspire to reach for the sky by trying to flatten the playing field, bring young people in, harnessing developmental resources as well as working hand in hand with governmental agencies and the private sector.

Youth participation and empowerment are a sustainable life-long security that Zimbabwe along with any other African country shouldn't take for granted.

Disclamer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, it's Executive Director and the CIYDA Team.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is an non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.

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Idle minds, social time bomb

August 4, 2009 - In her m&g.com article on idle youths in South Africa Primarashni Gower pointed out nearly three million of the 6,7-million young South Africans in the 18-to-24-year age group were unemployed or not receiving education and training in 2007 -- and they pose a threat of “serious social disruption”.

The research funded by the Ford Foundation and undertaken by the Cape-based Centre for Higher Education Transformation and the University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Further Education and Training Institute found that the Reasons for young people not being in education or jobs include:

1.Lack of a diverse post-school public or private college sector;

2.Reduction in educational opportunities because of institutional mergers;

3.Failure of the sector education and training authorities to provide ?adequate learnerships;

4.Less labour market absorption because the government is not meeting the Asgisa target of 6% annual economic growth; and

5.The uncontrolled introduction of more than two million relatively well-educated foreign workers into the labour market.

Read full article HERE.

CIYDA Says: Being that South Africans are our neighbours it's easy to see how this problem would easily mirror what is happening or has been happening in Zimbabwe for a long time. In 2002 unemployment in Zimbabwe amongst those 18-24 year old stood at 25%. From the 5 reasons cited above, two are of great significant to the situation in Zimbabwe, these are number 3 and 5.

With regards to point number 3 the same is true for Zimbabwe. Internship and apprenticeship opportunities have not been forthcoming for young people of lately. Without these most have seen themselves being swallowed into informal trade that gives them no adequate key skills for future employment prospects or any form of reference point in their young lives. Yes it's true most companies have not been willing to take on interns or apprentices due to the harsh economic situation but that is an invalid excuse. Internships and apprenticeships don't have to be costly for companies as most of these young people will work just for expenses as long as they attain the key skills and experience. This is where the government can come in and work with these companies and give them tax breaks or subsidise the cost of hiring an intern or apprentice. This staves the youth idleness and guarantees a ready and fully equipped populace of youths to place into work when the opportunities arise.

It is fair to say point number five has become a problem to South Africans thanks mainly to the educated and hard working Zimbabwean youths crossing into South Africa to obtain employment. There is however both sides to this coin, on the one hand as the government has avoided social time bomb of the same magnitude as that predicted here through this outlet valve of youths puring into South Africa it's nothing to be proud of. We have a serious problem on our hands as this massive brain drain will be difficult to stem in the near future unless something drastic is done. Again by creating beneficial apprenticeships and internships this could be the first step in trying to plug this leak. However more can be done in trying to nature our own entrepreneurs through business start-up support thereby creating not only a source of income for both the individuals and the country but creating jobs. If investing in one youth's project will mean indirectly stopping 5 youths from leaving to seek opportunities in South Africa then that's a positive start. This can only become a reality if the government takes it's role in youth development beyond it's current state and seek to work with the private sector and other visionary organisations like CIYDA.

Disclamer: - Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied herein from other websites, CIYDA cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Unless otherwise indicated, opinions transferred from other websites and expressed herein are those of the author of the ORIGINAL article and do not necessarily represent the views of CIYDA, it's Executive Director and the CIYDA Team.

What is CIYDA
Contemporary Indigenous Youth Development Africa (CIYDA) is an non-profit organisation founded in 2008 and is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. CIYDA is working to develop and empower the youths of Zimbabwe for the benefits of the nation and Africa as a continent through the use of new media, information technology and networking amongst other things. Through these drivers, CIYDA aims to facilitate an information hub and service provision in the areas of Business Start-up, Social & Cultural Integration, Socio-economic Mentoring and Volunteering. CIYDA currently has a network connection of over 500 Zimbabwean youths in many countries amongst them, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, United Kingdom, United States of America, Australia and Canada.