A lack of access to education is a major predictor of poverty, and receiving an education is one of the top ways to achieve financial stability (globalcitizen.org). In contrast to this statement, South Africa has one of the highest rates of learning poverty in the world, with eight out of ten children in Grade 4 considered learning poor pre-Covid-19. “Learning poverty” is defined as the percentage of 10-year-olds in a country who are either out of school (schooling deficit) or are in school but do not meet a minimum level of reading proficiency (learning deficit) (saldru.uct.ac.za).
Taking into consideration the mentioned statements as well as the daily information we receive regarding the state of unemployment in our country, which actions can be taken to assist our youth?
A shift in focus
We are so focused on the unemployed youth that we tend to forget to focus on the wider implications of poverty. A document prepared by Youth Power (youthpower.org) summarizes the environment in which young people will thrive, as follows:
“To be successful, youth should be surrounded by a community that maximizes their assets, and [provide] access to services and opportunities, while providing a safe and supportive space for expression and growth. An enabling environment encourages and recognizes youth, while promoting their social and emotional competence to thrive.”
Enabling our communities
While focusing on the unemployment figures and investing in various skills interventions, we overlook the socio-economic complexities of communities and the fragile psychological mindsets of the youth. Yet, we expect them to thrive, when receiving an “opportunity” in the form of a funded skills intervention or university studies funded by a corporate company or a government incentive.
It is time that we ask ourselves certain questions before creating “opportunities” for our youth.
• Should corporate organizations not invest in enabling communities where most of the unemployed youth reside, rather than merely providing them with skills development opportunities only?
• Is it not time that we address the origin of youth employment, such as their living conditions, rather than just focusing on providing them with an educational certificate?
• Will a thriving and sustainable economic hub not be a more enabling environment compared to most communities where basic human rights are mostly non-existent?
Conclusion
We must not overlook the fact that poverty is multidimensional. This means that our focus should shift beyond monetary deprivations, such as unemployment, to include lack of access to education and basic infrastructure, as indicated in the World Bank’s Multidimensional Poverty Measure (MPM). At Community Trailblazers we follow a multidimensional approach which addresses not only the education of our youth, but also the social determinants of health and economic inequality within specific communities.
Contact us if you are interested in making impactful investments in the economic development of our communities.
Anita Seydel
Managing Director
Cell: +27 73 375 6325
E-mail: anita@communitytrailblazers.co.za
Madelaine Joubert
Marketing Director
Cell: +27 68 287 6251
E-mail: mads@communitytrailblazers.co.za
Website: www.communitytrailblazers.co.za
About the author
Anita Seydel is the Managing Director of Community Trailblazers (Pty) Ltd. The purpose of the company is to offer strategic project management services to South African corporate investors focusing on enabling our communities and the youth.