JOBURG – City Year South Africa, a non-profit organisation that trains youth in a year of full-time voluntary service, launched its 2017 service programme, which will see 50 service leaders embark on a journey of civic engagement and leadership development.
HIGH HOPES: City Year inductees pledge to take on a year of service.
During this year’s inauguration ceremony, service leaders were sworn into a year of full-time service by taking the City Year pledge. A signature piece of the Joburg-based non-profit organisation’s uniform, the City Year bomber jacket which symbolises spirit, discipline, purpose and pride was also handed to each service leader.
“This is a very proud moment for City Year. This year, we have hired 50 service leaders who are between the ages of 18 and 25. To date, over 1 500 service leaders have graduated from the programme, spending over a million hours serving the children and communities of Gauteng,” said City Year executive director, Daylene van Buuren.
WORDS OF WISDOM: City Year executive director, Daylene van Buuren addresses the new members of the NPO’s programme.
City Year also announced its partnership with Mutual and Federal, the oldest short-term insurer in South Africa. They will be providing funding for skills development and coaching of youth members of the City Year 2017 programme.
“We are very proud to welcome Mutual and Federal to City Year. This partnership will help us reach more communities and grant us greater opportunities to create a difference in the lives of young people,” said Van Buuren.
Other partnerships include the Lego Foundation through Care for Education, which will introduce the six bricks concept to learners in early childhood development centres, primary schools and the Professional Childcare College as training partners offering the Early Childhood Development course.
MAKING IT OFFICIAL: The pledge is said to induct 50 service leaders into the City Year programme.
Registered with the National Youth Service project, City Year develops young people through a transformative year of service by simultaneously addressing critical development needs in schools and communities in which the young people serve. Service leaders receive a wide range of professional training to gear up for the year and for their future. The skill sets gained through the programme are highly desired in university classrooms as well as the workforce.
