2012-05-31: City of Joburg Gears Up for Youth Month
THE City of Johannesburg is gearing up to commemorate Youth month by staging various projects targeted at the youth and aimed at enabling sustainability,
skills transfer and improved health and life expectancy.
This is in line with the City's Joburg 2040 strategy which among others focuses on reducing poverty, promoting economic development & growth and ensuring
sustainability through meaningful mobilization of all who work and live in the City.
The programmes and initiatives will take place over the month of June in various locations in the City. They include the following:
Skills Transfer
Tourism Internship program
The City of Johannesburg in partnership with various accommodations, travel and hospitality establishments and attractions in Johannesburg will announce 220
successful candidates who have been selected for an internship program commencing during the month of June at various tourism centres in Johannesburg. The
young people aged between 18 – 35 years including youth with disabilities had to apply for the opportunities.
Positions available include bookkeeping, chefs, tourism officers and communication officers. Through this programme, the City's focus is on the unemployed
youth with the intension to transfer much needed skills to the youth and thus increasing their chances of employment. It seeks to integrate the poor into
mainstream economy, address poverty and inequality and build a strong administrative capacity to support growth and development.
Bursaries
This is one of many developmental initiatives the City is undertaking for the Youth.
In the past, the City has awarded bursaries to candidates with excellent academic performance to study in various tertiary institutions.
These deserving young people were afforded an opportunity to study in the fields of Electrical Engineering (Heavy or Light), Information
Management/Technology, Auditing, Financial Accounting /Management, Procurement / Purchasing Management, Stores and Distribution Management, and
Environmental Management.
And furthermore, the City through its entity, Johannesburg City Parks established a Training Academy for Environmental Sciences, to empower the youth.
Potential candidates were identified through the City of Johannesburg's ‘Job Pathways/Workforce database for unemployed youth, from which 86 candidates were
selected to take part in a three year learnerships in horticulture
Recognitions
As part of these programmes the City has received numerous awards and recognition. The City received the much coveted National Excellence Award, hosted by
the Agricultural Seta (AgriSETA). The City also won the Green-Collar Training Award at the BHP Billiton Achiever Awards for "setting the standard in skills
development.
Take the Girl Child to Work
The City of Johannesburg will throughout the month of June embark on programmes to encourage its employees to bring their girl children to work in order to
gain exposure to career opportunities which exist in local government.
Self Sustainability
Youth Festival
The City of Johannesburg and its entities will host a four-day Youth Business Festival Expo organised by the Youth Group of Companies. The Expo will take
place from the 04 – 07 June at Maponya Mall, will highlight career and business opportunities available to high school learners, graduates and out of school
youth in Johannesburg. Organisations from various sectors will exhibit and equip expo attendees with essential information. The City's key focus is also to
enable access to development, career and entrepreneurial opportunities to unemployed youth of Johannesburg.
Healthy lifestyles
Improved health and life expectancy
In its quest to encourage health lifestyles among the youth the City of Johannesburg will roll-out sporting programmes to various communities across the
city and host substance abuse awareness campaigns.
Sports
The youth at Leeuwkop Juvenile Prison will experience a bumper of sporting activities to be held at the facility, with a long-term objective to start a
volleyball league at the centre.
Already more than 1 600 people including orphans, vulnerable children, senior citizens and primary school children have thus far benefited from the
programme between February and March alone, with the Mobile Vehicle having travelled to areas such as Diepsloot, Meadowlands, Orange Farm and Rabie Ridge
among others.
Furthermore, the City will be hosting an Open Day and a 7km Fun Walk event on Sunday, 24 June 2012 at Elmond Molele Park, Protea North in Soweto from
07h00-14h00, to promote healthy lifestyle under the theme "Walking for Healthy Living and Lifestyle Change".
Approximately 3 000 people including youth are expected to participate in activities including aerobics, medical screening, fun walk. At the same event, the
City in partnership with different organisations will educate the public on the benefit of living a healthy balanced lifestyle and to reducing the risk of
developing chronic diseases.
All these programmes and initiatives are being undertaken under the theme, "Unlocking Future Potential: Nurturing Young Outstanding Undeterred Thoughtful
Heroes"
The City of Johannesburg will continually assist the poor to build capacity, thereby supporting them in accessing the city and stepping onto the ladder of
prosperity. The aspirations of the poor (especially the youth) may present considerable delivery challenges. Despite this, the City remains committed, as
developmental local government, to working with the most marginalised communities, to promote social, economic and spatial inclusion.
Issued by:
Nthatisi Modingoane
Deputy Director: Communications
CITY OF JOHANNESBURG
Tel: 011 407 7354
Cell: 082 467 9228
Fax: 011 403 3494
