This week’s #BeTheDrivingForce conversation was the third in our series but the first one during Youth Month. It was only fitting that the conversation centered around the cost of job-seeking for young people.
Just a day before the conversation, Stats SA released its Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the first 3 months of 2021 – this confirmed that unemployment among young people is at its highest and there has been in increase in the number of young people (between the ages of 15-24) who are not in education, employment or training.
It’s clear that it’s now more important than ever for young people to seek employment but as the discussion found, there are just too many barriers for young people to cross before even finding employment.
This week’s discussion was definitely eagerly awaited by many from the Whatsapp group and on social media. Youth Capital influencer Muchelene Peplouw co-hosted the conversation with The Daily Vox’s Ling Shepherd. They spoke to Jaryd Raizon and Min’entle Mthelelo from The Knowledge Trust.
WATCH THE FULL LIVE HERE:
Jaryd is the Founder of Trusted Interns and Country Manager of The Knowledge Trust. His vision is a world where everyone has an equal opportunity to reach their full potential. Through his group of organisations, they are building an eco-system of offerings designed to fight youth unemployment at scale. Currently, over 300,000 South African youth use The Knowledge Trust platform to seek employment, education, mentorship and funding opportunities.
Min’entle is a 24-year-old creative problem solver with an avid interest in solving social inequality problems using Data, Development Economics and Technology-leveraged communities. She is passionate about entrepreneurship & the development of rural economies and is currently a social impact avenger on the super hero team of The Knowledge Trust.
During the live, both Jaryd and Min’entle stressed the importance of collaboration. This was a theme echoed last week during the climate change discussion too. “There is no competition in social impact,” said Jaryd. They acknowledged that the issue of youth unemployment and job-seeking is huge but that organisations working together can help alleviate the issue.
“We need to invest in the youth for the growth of our country,” said Jaryd while Min’entle stressed the importance of young people articulating their long-term goals.
Next week we tackle the issue of policy activism. With the 2021 Local Government Elections just around the corner, how do young people make their voices heard when it comes to the policies governing this country? We discuss this and more next week!
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Make sure to tune into our social media for the speakers announcement!
Also the series includes a WhatsApp group, where young people can pose questions that will be answered in Instagram Lives, every Wednesday from 6 to 7pm for the duration of the series.
Join the Whatsapp group here: #BeTheDrivingForce whatsapp group There will also be a special pop-up newsletter for the duration of the campaign. Sign up for the newsletter here.
