Today we celebrate the Day of the African Child.
‘The Day of the African Child has been celebrated on the 16th of June every year since 1991 as an honour to those who participated in the Soweto Uprising of June 16, 1976.’ The Soweto Uprising described a series of protests
Every gathering has its moment and the one i had over the weekend was no exception.
My previous blog talked about youth and employability, this particular one will attempt to expand it further after a conversation i had with an aspiring MP we will call John for obvious reasons.
John told me that he was approached by the youth of his constituency to vie for the parliamentary seat
"Our youth are not failing the system; the system is failing our youth, ironically the very youth who are being treated the worst are the young people who are going to lead us out of this nightmare." Rachel Jackson
Youth unemployment is one of the most pressing challenges facing Africans countries today. In recent years this has caused young people to get involved in drugs, commit suicide, get involved in crimes and other vices to survive. The economic and social marginalisation as a result of this phenomenon has stripped off young people from any dignity they could have and deprived the continent of making significant economic growth. Unlike in the past, African countries have made huge effort to ensure all people have access to education irrespective of their social background. But despite this, since the economy is slowing down, unemployment is most likely to remain high with Africa having the highest number of young people in the world.
Last saturday i attended a talk organized by Power Talk Women the female branch of Power Talk. I am rarely impressed by people but i admit having been highly motivated. The discussions, guests, decoration and performance all contributed to the look and feel of the meeting..