Chapter Nine SITUATION ANALYSIS OF THE CAPACITY AVAILABLE TO THE NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE The previous chapters outlined a range of opportunities for the delivery of service by young people through existing programmes being run by government departments and examined the relationship between the National Youth Service and emerging policies for human resources development. The conception of national youth service as outlined in Chapter Two argues strongly for an integral link to be established between service and learning. This section provides a brief assessment of the capacity available to the National Youth Service for the integration of service with learning. It provides an overview of the expertise and capacity which is currently located in non-governmental organisations working within the youth sector, and also examines the situation with regard to providers in the further education and training sector and in the adult basic education and training sector. The analysis shows that in all these sectors, organisations and institutions are situated in a period of change and transformation. While the National Youth Service will have significant opportunities over the next few years to influence the transformation programmes in formal institutions and in building the youth development expertise in civil society more generally, it also needs to be informed about what service learning strategies are likely to be most effective. 1 The non-governmental sector as a strategic resource for youth service In South Africa, currently only the non-governmental sector has experience of delivering youth service programmes. There are a range of non-governmental organisations which have developed programmes that engage young people in service as a method of providing youth development opportunities. However, the experience gained by these organisations has not been tapped in any formal way and this represents a major lost opportunity for efforts being made by government to establish the National Youth Service. 2 Range of services provided by non-governmental organisations in the youth sector 2.1 Sectors of operation Youth organisations operate within a broad range of sectors and undertake a wide range of activities. The table below highlights the sectors within which different types of youth service organisations operate. Sectors encompassing service organisations targeting youth as well as youth service organisations Accommodation Democracy Human rights Research Advice and information Disability Leadership Science and technology AIDS Early childhood development Legal services Shelter Arts and culture Education Media Social awareness Bursaries Entrepreneurship Museums Sport Child abuse Environment Places of safety Students organisations Child Care and protection Environmental education Politics Student support Children=s homes Family services Recreation Training Community development Funding Rehabilitation Voluntarism Crisis counselling Health Religion Youth development and support 2.2 Categorisation according to core business Non-governmental organisations active in working with young people fall into a number of categories, depending on their core business. Some include young people in their activities, although young people may not be their sole or priority target group. Others specifically focus on working with young people. These organisations fall into one or more of the following categories: cultural organisations youth commissions community-based organisations non-governmental organisations youth projects youth forums youth clubs mass-based youth movements/organisations youth associations and coalitions service organisations. Some, but not all, of these organisations fall under the umbrella of the South African Youth Council. They have particular expertise in accessing young South Africans and working with them. They are likely to provide some of the best opportunities through which the National Youth Service could initially recruit young people into its programmes. The organisations perform a range of activities, including the following: Training and facilitation of workshops for youth clubs, individuals within youth organisations and community members; Advocacy and lobbying; Fundraising; Coordination and ensuring interdepartmental approaches to youth well-being; Running youth camps and sports days; AIDS awareness and other health issues; Computer and other vocational skills; Conflict resolution; Changing and supporting marginalised youth through holistic multi-disciplinary service delivery; Community outreach programs, for example, soup kitchens; Environmental awareness programmes; Cultural activities; Conducting youth work schemes; Promotion of development of target groups e.g. young women; Research; Educating and encouraging parents to be involved in their children=s education; Career guidance, after school centres; Promoting an understanding and tolerance of diversities; Organising and facilitating local and international youth exchange and networking programs; Providing technical assistance and support to youth clubs and associations; Disseminating information; and Developing and supporting entrepreneurs through funding for youth. In carrying out these activities, most youth organisations have developed strong links with the communities in which they work as well as extensive networks with each other. For most of the organisations, participation in networks extends well beyond their own communities and sectors. These factors represent important opportunities for the National Youth Service. 3 Capacity and expertise available in non-governmental and community-based organisations 3.1 Curriculum and materials development Youth development organisations have developed a wide range of material in the areas of life skills, leadership training and values education. These materials have been used with large numbers of young people, although they have not necessarily been exposed to rigorous testing. In some cases the materials form part of education and training curricula devised for young people in the different target groups identified as a priority by this Green Paper. They represent a targeted set of resources which could provide models for youth service programmes, could be used in their existing form, or could be adapted to meet some of the learning and development criteria cited for national youth service programme design in this document. 3.2 Programme design Over the years, youth development organisations in South Africa have gained particular skills in developing programmes which are attractive to young people and which achieve a range of development objectives. Many youth organisations also have the skill to develop programmes that meet the integrated needs of young people (their economic, educational and social needs) and reintegrate youth with communities. The organisations therefore have an important role to play in advising on and assisting with the design of integrated and effective programmes that fall under the National Youth Service. 3.3 Training programme staff to work with youth in service One of the key constraints to implementing a large-scale national youth service will be the limited capacity to provide supervision which is sensitive to and skilled in good youth development practices. In order to facilitate service learning, it will be crucial to train staff supervising young people in effective youth development practice. For example, the national Working For Water programme may involve 3 000 participants in youth service programmes. It is envisaged that the existing supervisory capacity within Working for Water will be allocated to the programmes, but these supervisors do not necessarily have the skills to motivate young people and provide a developmental context for their work. Several youth non-governmental organisations have the capacity to train these supervisors and to give them an orientation that will make their work more effective. A second issue which needs to be noted is that there is virtually no formal training which exists in the area of life skills for young people, particularly those who are out of school. Youth organisations have the capacity to train youth workers who will implement this aspect of the development programme which is one of the criteria for programmes falling under a national youth service. 3.4 Providing access to young people and assisting with recruitment The recruitment of young people into national youth service is a massive challenge, particularly in the unemployed target group. Youth non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations, mass-based organisations and youth clubs can play a very useful role in assisting with the recruitment and screening of potential candidates. 3.5 Programme delivery While non-governmental organisations have not had experience in delivering programmes on a large scale, they have gained extensive experience in delivering youth service programmes for between 50 and 1000 young people. As outlined above, this experience will assist the National Youth Service in developing its own programmes. However non-governmental organisations should also be considered as direct service providers for the National Youth Service. In the same way that it is envisaged that government campaigns such as Working for Water, Community-Based Public Works Programme and the Clean and Green City campaign will deliver programmes in conjunction with the National Youth Service, NGOs should also be used as delivery agents in order to increase the range and reach of programmes offered. 3.6 Widening the diversity of service activities Chapter Two outlines the need for the National Youth Service to encourage and acknowledge all community youth service initiatives, regardless of whether they are eligible for additional support from a national coordinating structure. Many youth organisations already include service in their scope of work. For example many religious youth organisations undertake service as part of their core activities. Engaging these organisations in a process which better equips them to plan and deliver service programmes could be constructive in increasing the reach and diversity of youth service programmes into communities throughout the country. The National Youth Service will engage in a proactive strategy which utilises the expertise of non-governmental and community based organisations in the delivery of youth service programmes. This will entail: Contracting youth organisations with specialised skills to design programmes, prepare materials and train personnel who will be working in national youth service programmes. Contracting non-governmental organisations as agencies to deliver programmes that fall under the National Youth Service. Develop a resourcing strategy that compliments the existing funding relationships of non-governmental organisations. 4 Voluntarism within the youth sector 4.1 Scale of voluntarism in youth work It is important to note that most youth work in South Africa presently takes place on a voluntary basis. This means that activities are organised by voluntary leaders or workers, and that young people participate in them voluntarily. This is important because it indicates that there is already a wide acceptance of a culture of voluntarism and service which exists among young people. Current practice provides immediate access for national youth service, particularly into the target group of unemployed young people who fall outside of most formal institutions in society. Youth service organisations operating on a voluntary basis could thus assist the National Youth Service to increase its outreach by drawing on some of the programmes which are already providing service activities. 4.2 Issues for consideration The prospect of involving voluntary youth organisations in the National Youth Service raises several issues which need to be considered carefully. Voluntary organisations achieve a varying range of standards in their delivery of programmes and/or services. There is therefore critical to look at building the capacity of these organisations to provide the quality of service required by the National Youth Service. There may be a need to provide support to voluntary youth organisations with materials and other resources so that they may supplement national youth service programmes. Chapter Six provides more detail on how programmes may be recognised for particular support by the National Youth Service. Small-scale funding may be required to enable programmes that are primarily voluntary in nature to operate under the umbrella of the National Youth Service. Such funds may be required for discrete and short-term items of expenditure eg. transport costs for participants travelling to communities, or equipment required to deliver the service. It may be possible to raise matching funds from private sector organisations if the National Youth Service were able to find a formula for such short-term grants. One of the key concerns with voluntary work is that it tends to depend on the commitment and energy of a handful of committed leaders. When these individuals move out of the programme, the work may come to an end. A question therefore arises about the incentives that could be offered to such voluntary organisations which would enable them to continue operating in a sustainable manner. Voluntary youth organisations will assist the National Youth Service to access young people, and play a supportive role in the delivery of programmes. In order to achieve this, the following steps will be taken: A capacity building programme for the leaders in voluntary service organisations will be initiated. Materials will be developed which voluntary youth organisations could use in implementing programmes that fall under the National Youth Service. Incentives, such as small scale funding, will be considered to increase the capacity of the voluntary organisations= work. 5 Education and training providers The proposals made in this Green Paper argue strongly for the integration of service and learning in national youth service programmes. The first part of this chapter has examined the capacity which non-governmental organisations are able to provide in a range of sectors and has identified the very important role they could play in designing and delivering national youth service programmes which operate on the basis of service learning. However, a survey of the capacity available to the National Youth Service would be incomplete without some discussion of what public and private providers can offer youth service programmes in relation to education and training. This section focuses on providers in three key sectors: higher education, further education and training and adult basic education and training. 5.1 Higher education The research study recently completed by the Joint Education Trust (Joint Education Trust, Community Service in Higher Education: Final Report, Johannesburg, September 1998) indicates that higher education institutions see community service (as it is presently called in this sector) as one way of responding to calls by government and the public to become more responsive to the needs of society. However, most institutions do not indicate whether community service is regarded as a separate function from teaching and research or whether it is integral to these activities. While community-based work is a curriculum requirement in some departments, most institutions do not have institution-wide policies on community service. A wide variety of community service programmes operate on South African campuses B some compulsory and curriculum-related, others of a voluntary nature with no relation to the curriculum. While most community service programmes draw on professional skills, fields such as engineering and commerce do not feature prominently in service programmes. The majority of community service programmes based at higher education institutions rely heavily on external funding. Higher education institutions do provide infrastructural and human resources to community service programmes and in many cases the human resources provided are considerable. However, most institutions are not able to cost their contribution to community service programmes which makes it difficult or impossible to determine their level of investment in these programmes. Higher education faculty and managers see potential benefits for students and for their institutions in community service, but also see the lack of human, financial and administrative resources in their institutions as the main constraints to the introduction of community service in higher education. The present financial cutbacks which institutions are facing have resulted in staffing cuts which are likely to inhibit the introduction or extension of community service programmes. This is all the more difficult because of the time-consuming nature of much of what makes up good service work and the fact that, even where programmes do enjoy a close relationship with the curriculum, faculty members do not receive academic recognition for these initiatives. The National Youth Service will engage with the Department of Education on the review of its funding formula for higher education. The research undertaken by the Joint Education Trust recommends that the Department of Education seeks input from higher education institutions on the following issues which may impact on the design of national youth service programmes in this sector: how institutions intend factoring community service into their planning frameworks for transformation; how the goals of academic excellence, service and the promotion of democratic citizenship can be met in different disciplines; how disciplines which do not lend themselves to service view their role in fostering civic values among students and staff; and a framework for costing learning programmes in all disciplines so as to establish their real cost to the institutions, including the costs of the service components (such as those in community service programmes). 5.2 Further education and training 5.2.1 Range of providers Further education and training is provided by the following types of institutions: senior secondary schools from Grades 10 to 12; adult education centres or night schools offering programmes across the spectrum from Grade 1 to 12; youth colleges and finishing schools; state and state-aided technical colleges which offer programmes from N1 to N3; universities and technikons through their outreach and community programmes; government departments which provide training for civil servants; training trusts, regional training centres and private providers which deliver training funded by the Department of Labour; government departments other than Education and Labour which deliver training programmes; enterprises which train their own employees in-house and fund industry training boards; industry training boards; community colleges/centres; private, for-profit colleges; and non-governmental organisations. 5.2.2 Scale of provision There are no readily available figures on the precise number of further education and training providers. The 1997 Report of the National Committee on Further Education estimated that there were in the region of 8 000 further education and training providers, excluding enterprise-based, employer training where no estimate was made. This figure was broken down as follows: Provider Number Senior secondary schools 6 460 Technical colleges 152 Other colleges 160 Community colleges 20 Private education and training providers 400 Training trusts 6 Regional training centres 9 Industry training boards 28 Total 7 235 The capacity of these institutions in 1996 was estimated at some 1.4 million learners in senior secondary schools, about 60 000 in technical colleges, approximately 70 000 in private colleges, and an estimated 5 000 in community colleges, youth colleges and finishing schools. Total expenditure from all sources (government, private sector and NGOs) was estimated at R10 billion. Funding for this sector is drawn from three major sources: government, private/user fees, and business. Government funding (estimated at 69% of total further education and training expenditure) is provided primarily through the Department of Education to the provinces in support of senior secondary schools and technical colleges. It is also provided through the Department of Labour, primarily for the Training of the Unemployed Scheme B which provides about R150 million per year for the training of 40 000 to 50 000 people B and through government employee training. Business funding (estimated at 14% to 20% of total further education and training expenditure) is provided through in-house training, industry training board contributions and corporate social responsibility. User fees are estimated to provide 9.5 to 17% of the total revenue available to further education and training. 5.2.3 Implications for national youth service A situational analysis of the 33 technical colleges in Gauteng in 1998 indicated that the infrastructure of these colleges was under utilised and there was scope for offering more evening, weekend, and holiday programmes. These facilities could be accessed for participants in national youth service programmes who are not located in formal institutions, possibly on a block release system. While little information is available on the qualifications, experience and methodology of staff in further education and training institutions, what is known is that training is often outdated, and that staff in technical colleges often lack the skills necessary for working with young people who have not been in a formal learning environment for many years. If providers are to support the learning objectives of national youth service programmes, skills training programmes will need to be designed to incorporate the personal development objectives which are set for all programmatic components. Staff will require orientation and training in working with the target groups for national youth service so as to meet the education and training objectives of the programmes. The Further Education and Training Bill lays the basis for the transformation of the sector in terms of changing governance, programmes, teaching approaches, and funding. As is outlined in Chapter Four, transformed technical colleges will form the nucleus of this new further education and training sector and some institutions may develop a broad and comprehensive menu of programmes to meet the needs of a diverse clientele of young people, adult workers and the unemployed. This approach will be encouraged through the move towards programme-based funding B a funding arrangement which includes formula funding, earmarked funding and student aid. The opportunity thus exists in the policy environment and in the timing of the launch of the National Youth Service to influence the transformation of the further education and training sector in directions which will ensure that in the long term, further education and training institutions are in a position to support youth service programmes through the provision of education and training to the groups targeted for national youth service. A strategy will be devised to influence the transformation of further education and training provision towards meeting the service learning needs of the target groups identified for the National Youth Service programme, not only those young people currently located in such institutions, but also those in the categories of unemployed youth and youth in conflict with the law. The strategic plan will be developed with the participation of the departments of Education and Labour, the departments which are launching the lead projects identified by the Jobs Summit (Water Affairs, Public Works and Environmental Affairs and Tourism), as well as representatives of public, private, NGO and CBO education and training providers. 5.3 Adult basic education and training 5.3.1 Scale of provision Adult Basic Education and Training is provided by the following types of institutions (These figures are drawn from A survey of adult basic education in South Africa in the 90s, 1996): adult education centres or night schools, of which there were 1 440 throughout the country in 1994, reaching close to 100 000 learners (While these centres are large-scale in numbers and widely spread, the 1996 study found that most are not sufficiently flexible in terms of their hours of operation to meet the needs of adult learners, the cirriculum has not been adjusted for adult learners, and teaching tends to be of poor quality); prisons; municipalities; some public libraries; some universities B in a number of areas university involvement in the field varies from direct provision of adult basic education classes, to adult basic education materials development, to offering advice and support to others in the field, as well as research and teacher training; major parastatals; companies B with increasing involvement to a level of about 140 000 learners in 1995; commercial training organisations; Non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations and Section 21 companies B with numbers steadily increasing; and religious organisations. The breakdown of the different types of institutions in the survey was as follows: Provider Number Night schools 1 343 Companies 60 NGOs 70 Parastatals 14 Commercial training organisations 13 Religious organisations 13 TOTAL 1 513 An update on the survey, which is due to be published in November 1998, indicates that the situation remains much the same, with the provision of adult basic education and training by the Department of Education and companies up slightly, and the provision by NGOs down. An estimated 400 000 learners are currently in class. Only a small proportion are youth, attributed to the fact that most youth have received a basic education. For all types of institutions, the provision of teaching in classes is the major activity, as is the assessment of learners. Training of educators is an important activity for non-governmental organisations, parastatals, some including universities, commercial training organisations and religious organisations. Few providers include a skills training component in their programmes. 5.3.2 Implications for national youth service The National Youth Service will engage in a planning process with the Department of Education in order to establish how the multi-year implementation plan for adult basic education and training could assist national youth service programmes in realising their service learning objectives. Non-governmental organisations active in adult basic education and training have experienced severe funding setbacks in recent years, which has led to a sharp reduction of capacity. However, the launch of the National Youth Service provides an opportunity for the development of new, coordinated, strategies B both of funding, capacity-building and provision B so as to direct adult basic education and training resources towards youth service programmes, especially those targeting young people who are not presently in institutions of learning. 6 Summary of recommendations The National Youth Service will engage in a proactive strategy which utilises the expertise of non-governmental and community-based organisations in the delivery of youth service programmes. Voluntary youth organisations will assist the National Youth Service to access young people, and play a supportive role in the delivery of programmes. The National Youth Service will engage with the Department of Education on the review of its funding formula for higher education. A strategy will be devised to influence the transformation of further education and training provision towards meeting the service learning needs of the target groups identified for the National Youth Service programme, not only those young people currently located in such institutions, but also those in the categories of unemployed youth and youth in conflict with the law. The National Youth Service will engage in a planning process with the Department of Education in order to establish how the multi-year implementation plan for adult basic education and training could assist national youth service programmes in realising their service learning objectives.

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