Learners pictured at the SADC FutureLife-Now! Programme and the Ubuntu Youth Leaders Movement launch

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) in South Africa, in partnership with MIET AFRICA, UNICEF South Africa and the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), recently launched two youth empowerment initiatives in Pretoria, South Africa – the SADC FutureLife-Now! Programme and the Ubuntu Youth Leaders Movement. The two programmes contribute to the DBE’s Care and Support for Teaching and Learning (CSTL) Framework and the SADC Child and Youth Agency Framework.

For South Africa, FutureLife-Now! contributes to building the human capital of the country’s approximately 22 million young people by empowering them to be responsible, actively engaged citizens leading responses to 21st century development challenges, specifically those related to health, gender inequality, climate change and unemployment. Following a successful first phase (2019 – 2023) implemented in Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, South Africa is joining the programme‘s second phase (2023-2026) which sees a scale up of FutureLife-Now! to additional Member States in the region.

A learner presented ‘voices of the youth’ at the launch held in Pretoria, South Africa

A contextualised FutureLife-Now! package of support will initially be piloted in 10 secondary schools, commencing June 2023. Following the pilot, the tested package will be rolled out across the country.

Contributing to the goal of FutureLife-Now!, the Ubuntu Youth Leaders Programme aims to create a movement of one million Ubuntu youth leaders across the country who are able to serve as change agents and role models, contributing to a culture of care, respect and peace in their schools and communities. With the adoption of the SADC Child and Youth Agency Framework (CYAF) as an addendum to the CSTL Policy Framework by the region’s education ministers in June 2022, youth agency and leadership are important cross-cutting issues for the success of FutureLife-Now!.  The Ubuntu Youth Leaders’ Programme will strengthen the FutureLife-Now! Phase 2 efforts to address health, gender and climate change challenges amongst the youth in the SADC Region.

Department of Basic Education, South Africa Deputy Director-General, Dr Granville Whittle

For more information about the FutureLife-Now! Programme and the Ubuntu Youth Leaders Movement, contact ntokozo@miet.co.za or visit https://mietafrica.org/projects-programmes/youth-development/futurelife-now-programme/

Youth Empowerment Initiatives Launched in South Africa
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