Young people who dedicated themselves to making a difference in their respective communities and equipping life skills in the process received The President’s Award for Youth Empowerment in a ceremony held at Castle Kyalami on 9 November.
A total of 135 youth were given silver and bronze President’s Awards after completing a year-long programme which required them to engage in community service and learn new life skills in their communities. These young people were offered the programme by their schools, residential youth care facilities and youth groups. Some of the schools and centres included Maphutha Secondary School in Mayibuye, Tembisa High School, United Church Schools, Johannesburg Children’s Home, Othandweni Family Care, Strathyre Girls’ Home, Don Mattera Place of Safety, Kids Haven, Aryan Benevolent Home, Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa Place of Safety and uBambiswano Centre.
The President’s Award for Youth Empowerment is the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award in South Africa which has been running for 36 years. More than 55 000 young people aged between 14 and 24 years have participated in the awards since inception. The certificates awarded hold the signatures of President Cyril Ramaphosa, The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip and are globally recognised by universities and employers.
MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi, who awarded the youngsters on behalf of Gauteng Premier David Makhura, said the programme should be extended to all schools in the province. “I want to congratulate The President’s Award for this initiative. Next time it must not only be about these schools but all our schools in the province so that all our learners will have this kind of opportunity in a lifetime. We must have an education system that enables our children to be creative, innovative and improve their employability. As the Gauteng province, from 2020, we are building a multi-certificated learning where every learner must have a soft-skill certificate,” said Lesufi.
The award is currently implemented in independent and government schools, tertiary institutions, residential youth care facilities, correctional centres, secure care centres, community-based organisations, faith-based organisations and individuals. It provides a framework of non-formal education and provides experiential learning opportunities to help young people discover talents that do not necessarily show up in the classroom context. The programme brings together practical experiences and life skills, building confidence, resilience, encouraging physical health and recreation, and motivating young people to engage with their communities.
“I was first introduced to the award in 2015 when I did my bronze. It afforded me an opportunity to bring about positive social change I would like to see happening. For me, it is quite extraordinary that I used to hate and fear making speeches to an extent that in my early high school days, whenever I was required to make one, I would stay away from school that day. But through The President’s Award, I managed to overcome that fear. Today, I consider myself to be a professional public speaker in the making,” said Frans Maluleke, a silver President’s Award holder from Wits University.
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