The Gauteng Department of Social Development will continue to tackle issues affecting youth negatively. Young people in the country face several challenges. This includes unemployment, poverty and substance abuse as well as youth criminality.
Tabling the department's vote on Tuesday at the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, the Gauteng Social Development MEC, Morakane Mosupyoe said the department will multiply youth skills training in the province.
"Recently, as part of our programmes to commemorate the 1976 generation the Department of Social Development we held a youth engagement webinar and our theme was, "The Year of Charlotte Maxeke: Implementing sustainable youth development programmes for the South Africa we want". The purpose of this webinar was to give twenty-five (25) youth who participated in the Departments funded youth development programmes an opportunity to engage with the MEC on the impact of Covid-19 while participating in these development programmes notwithstanding implementing their income generating ventures", said Mosupyoe.
"The department and Non-Profit Organisations who are our implementing partners will improve access to youth development programmes and the creation of sustainable youth development programmes. The youth that formed part of our webinar had participated successfully or are still participating in the Departmental youth development programmes.
The selected youth were from our various programmes in the department as well as the regions. The department was privileged to have had an opportunity to be part of their story and we hope that like Charlotte Maxeke they will be agents of change", MEC added.
The Department renders various youth programmes such as skills development, entrepreneurship and other relevant interventions. The department is also funding skills development centres, NPOs and Cooperatives to train and employ young people across the province.