Let’s Go Beyond the Norm in Youth Month
“To solve this crisis, we need a fresh and radical approach to go beyond the norm.”
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Let’s Go Beyond the Norm in Youth Month
Youth unemployment is more than a government, or an education issue, it’s a personal problem. It affects each and every one of us – if not today, certainly tomorrow, yet few people realise that they have the power to change it.
Changing the eight million officially unemployed statistic in South Africa requires the creation of three new businesses the size of Vodacom, or 2000 new SMEs with ten staff every day for a year. Doing what we have been doing just isn’t enough.
This crisis needs a fresh and radical approach. It’s one that requires us to go beyond the norm:
As a corporate: go beyond “I don’t have budget” to provide internet access for learning, to rethink non-core, labour-saving devices such as leaf-blowers that replace entry-level work and to find ways to offer finance for innovative, youth start-ups.
As a small business owner: go beyond “the mismatch of youth skills” and speak to schools about entrepreneurship, provide a hot desk for a start-up and mentor a young entrepreneur.
As a citizen: go beyond “It’s not my problem” to supporting a youth organisation, and speak to school-goers about life choices, subject choices and the working world, mentor a young person who is struggling.
The one thing we can ALL do is think before we shop. Go beyond convenience and habit. Buy from your local butchery and eat at the local pub. Go beyond Proudly South Africa and support local. Shop at your neighbourhood market, or start one?
So, this week is all about thinking differently. It’s all about going beyond our comfort zone so that everyone’s tomorrow is better than today. I invite you to join our youth ecosystem and collaborate to solve this problem.
