Achievements and Challenges Obviously our overriding task this year has been to initiate and manage the national process of consultation amongst youth and youth organisations in support of the youth policy. Due to the hard work of Commissioners and staff, we were thankfully able to deliver South Africa's first National Youth Policy proposal well within our self-imposed deadline of January 1997. The Policy will form the basis for a National Youth Action Plan which will capture the essence of its practical mandates to government and form the basis for the NYC's work challenges in 1998 / 99. 1997 achievements The NYC's report to President Mandela highlights the achievement of a number of work targets arising from these mandates. Most prominent among these include: organising the National Youth Summit - independently hailed as a historic event, bringing together as it did over 200 delegates from every significant national-level youth and youth-interest organisations to chart the road towards South Africa's first national youth policy; planning and implementing a comprehensive national youth consultation process in support of the national youth policy, incorporating 9 provincial summits and 42 youth hearings within a space of five months; developing and presenting the National Youth Policy based on this public process within the stipulated deadlines establishing for the first-time in government, the Interdepartmental Committee on Youth Affairs, which will not only serve as the springboard for the implementation of the final youth policy, but serves to promote uniformity of approach with regard to government youth strategies with a specific view to avoid duplication through a cost-sharing rationalisation of these programmes; initiating a series of issues-based specialist "sectoral" summits (in the areas of economic-participation; health; social conflict; juvenile justice; education; communication & technology; environment & tourism) in support of the youth policy; conceptually developing (in partnership with Telkom, the CSIR and others) the high-tech Youth-Line Information Services Project, preliminarily set for launch in June 1998; initiating and developing the concept of a national youth-service programme for possible implementation before the turn of the century; conducting high-level international liaison and research to ensure South Africa's accordance with international agreements, particularly the United Nations World Plan of Action for Youth and the Commonwealth Youth Programme which, amongst others, commits all member countries to the adoption of national youth policies by the beginning of the new millennium; organising and convening the decisive 2nd National Youth Summit, bringing together 200 national youth organisations in the last consultative instance of the policy development process; establishing important bilateral support relationships within the framework of the Gore - Mbeki agreement, which has now, amongst other benefits, resulted in the provision of strong US support networks for both the NYC and the development of SA youth WORK PROGRAMME FOR 1998/99 Perhaps the most prominent aspect of the policy if past media attention is anything to go by, will be the provision of National Youth Service for South African youth. Indeed, in the consultation process leading up to the final National Youth Summit last November, national service for all youth was the one strongly felt proposal that came up consistently in all provinces from a range of widest range of youth organisations. With the recent matriculation debacle highlighting the issues of school-leaving youth, it is clear that National Youth Service provides a creative and developmental intervention at a challenging time in the lives of the majority of our young people. Whilst issues of detail require further investigation and debate via the Green Paper process, the National Youth Policy does set a clear direction and rationale for the design and implementation of a National Youth Service programme. The policy sees national service as a useful component in national development in that the skills and capacities of young women and men can be employed on projects and activities which promote development in South Africa, but it also identifies the programme as an invaluable opportunity for young people to gain new experiences and develop new skills which will benefit them later in life. If we take the example of the thousands of youth who have left school without matriculating, it is easier to understand the important benefits of a well-structured National Youth Service. The programme will provide work and educational opportunities to those young men and women who are no longer at school and who are unemployed. Through national service, they will be re-integrated into society through a structured skills and work experience programme which is nationally accredited and youth-focussed. National service will also be on the cards for graduates of higher education, involving participants in the delivery of services and social benefits to communities. In all instances, the design of the programme will be driven through a balancing of social responsibility requirements with incentives, which could include linking it to financial support for education and the accreditation of service in terms of the SA Qualifications Authority. In this way, service can be linked to career development in a valuable way that advantages both youth in service and the communities who benefit from it. Another tangible programme arising from the policy which youth will be able to take advantage of before the end of 1998, will be the Youth Information Services project. Youth Line will provide young women and men with access to a wide range of information, support and resource services which can address their particular needs, concerns, problems or opportunities. This information service will be based on a free telephone (0800 number) calling service, where young people in need of assistance can call from anywhere in the country. The youth information service shall offer information on a wide range of issues including crisis help, health services, employment support programmes, unemployment support services, drug and alcohol advice, emergency services and youth rights. This information will also be obtainable via Internet access points which will be made available via a national infrastructure linked to multi-purpose youth centres. The NYC and Universal Services Agency are working urgently on a 1998 launch for this project, recognising that the provision of relevant understandable information is the most powerful tool for youth to make responsible decisions about their own lives. Other prominent mandates to government across a range of sectors - which will form the core of the work of the NYC and relevant government departments for 1998 - include the following: Facilitating a government investigation into offsetting student debt through internships and community service and investigating the implementation of a comprehensive financial aid programme to ensure access to education for all youth based on a revolving system of payments into a national education finance scheme. Ensuring the provision of a system of localised, government-supported career guidance and information centres for youth. The development - in conjunction with relevant government departments - of employer incentive schemes - including wage subsidies or tax rebates - to encourage private sector training and employment of unemployed youth people. Facilitating the provision of employment internships within the public and private sectors to provide young men and women with practical work experience. Ensuring more extensive use of enterprise education in the school curriculum. Revising Department of Education approaches to ensure that students who fall pregnant will enjoy continued access to education and study support. Developing clear, practical alternatives to the incarceration of young people, particularly first-time offenders. Providing for youth participation at the decision-making level in the National Arts Council and the proposed National Heritage Council. Facilitating the development by the Department of Education of a clear programme of support for the establishment and development of science and technology clubs within the school system. These tasks give an idea of the awesome responsibility facing the NYC as it enters the brave new world of programme delivery in conjunction with government departments and civil society organisation. What is certain is that the youth of this country have forced the organisation into the front and centre of the transformation agenda in 1998 where it now has the unavoidable responsibility of making a tangible difference to their lives and prospects. We are confident we will validate the confidence we have been given.

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