Introduction

The Soweto Uprising was a demonstration of the lengths to which the youth were prepared to go to fight oppression and highlighted the importance of youth activism. The uprising came at a time when the youth was being influenced by a wave of political consciousness triggered by the growing Black Consciousness Movement and the formation of the South African Students Organisation, which sought to mobilise young people to fight against the apartheid regime.  It was also a response to the decision by the apartheid regime to introduce Afrikaans as the ‘medium of instruction’ in schools, and to Bantu education, which was designed to ensure that black communities would continue to provide the country with a ‘stable and plentiful source of cheap labour’. This stemmed from the philosophy that black people had no place in the European community beyond the labour that they had to provide.

With reference to education for blacks, Hendrik Verwoerd, a former Prime Minister of South Africa, stated that ‘it is of no avail for him to receive a training which has as its aim absorption in the European community while he cannot and will not be absorbed there. Up till now he has been subjected to a school system which drew him away from his own community and practically misled him by showing him the green pastures of the European, but still did not allow him to graze there’. The apartheid regime therefore deemed it fit to provide blacks with a poor quality of education to suppress their minds and ensure that they were prepared for a life of labour.

The youth objected to this and in a letter written to a newspaper a student wrote: ‘Our parents are prepared to suffer under the white man’s rule. They have been living for years under these laws and they have become immune to them. But we strongly refuse to swallow an education that is designed to make us slaves in the country of our birth.’ In response to this, youth leaders mobilised thousands of students to march peacefully against the apartheid regime.

Although the participants in the march were met with brutality, the movement they created to address their issues must remind the youth of today that they can and should join forces to address current issues that affect them and threaten society at large. This year’s theme for Youth Month is ‘Promoting sustainable livelihoods and resilience of young people for a better tomorrow’, which begs the question: How can the youth be prepared for a better tomorrow?

Preparing the youth for a better tomorrow and the challenges ahead

As things stand, the task facing the youth is not easy. The country is plagued by high levels of corruption, high youth employment and the threat of an intergenerational transmission of poverty. These are but some of the issues that the youth must be prepared to resolve when they inherit this country. Franklin D Roosevelt once said: ‘We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.’

Such sentiments are important and can help to ensure that young people are properly prepared to address the many challenges they face. Perhaps one should even look beyond the existing challenges and focus on what the youth can do to introduce new systems and ideas that will change the world.

The task of shaping the youth to become innovative and resolve pressing issues is intergenerational. The generation that comes before should make a conscious and determined effort to prioritise youth development. This should be accompanied by ‘smart, effective and rapid social and policy change that supports the multiple potential positive effects that a young population creates’. As things currently stand, the youth lacks support from those who are at the helm, and this needs to be remedied.

The Youth Capital Campaign suggests that by mentoring young people they can be given the soft skills required to access opportunities. It is crucial that the youth be advised and guided to access the means needed to develop themselves, their skills and their ability to access opportunities. However, it is also important for young people to understand the value of learning from the older generation. Apart from the fact that the older generation can provide guidance with regard to accessing opportunities, it is necessary for them to actively invest in youth development. Employers should prioritise the hiring of young people and should also give them managerial positions.

According to Joseph Folkman, appointing young people in managerial positions can benefit companies in the following ways: First, the fact that young people adapt more easily to change could drive innovation in South Africa’s key sectors, and second, young people continuously improve themselves in their careers. He further states that ‘every organization will need younger managers to fill in the vacancies left by their long-term predecessors. Understanding and leveraging the many strengths of this younger group creates a big opportunity for higher performance and productivity’. This also applies to society at large. The reality is that more chances will need to be taken on young people in order to prepare them to lead and change the society that they will inherit. This will not only allow for continuity, but also for the prolonged existence of existing institutions and organisations.

The idea of empowering the youth should be applied in respect of all economic activities. Apart from being employed, they should be taught how to run businesses and should be aided in their entrepreneurial activities by the older generation. This will provide two solutions: Young people will learn the skills that are required to earn a living should the youth unemployment crisis drag on, and they will be given the means to sustain their businesses should they choose to become self-employed. Another important thing to consider is that young people need to be encouraged to innovate existing business models as the world ushers in the digital age in which young people will thrive. It is possible that the digital age will also introduce new industries, products and services that are in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, as well as much-needed jobs for which younger people are better equipped.

Conclusion

Preparing the youth for a ‘better tomorrow’ requires effort from all sides and policymakers, employers, government and community members should all make a concerted effort to achieve this goal. This is also an intergenerational task which will require the older generation to intentionally prepare young people to address societal issues and bring about change. The youth can only be prepared for a better tomorrow if the older generation is prepared to take more chances on young people.