INSTALACIÓN DE CASILLA EN LUGAR DISTINTO NO BASTA QUE LA

6.4.1 Policy – Level Recommendations

 Education remains perhaps the single most important factor in unravelling the potential of South Africa‟s youth. Schools are an important mediating institution for youth civic engagement as breeding grounds for social transformation. The national school curriculum should therefore provide learners with the relevant knowledge and

128

skills to adequately prepare and usher them into adulthood and the real world of work and politics.

 The Department of Education and civil society organisations could collaborate in providing young people with adequate and relevant information about the options, channels and constraints they would most likely face in their quest for brighter future aspirations in life.

 The state should ensure that it continues with programmes to accelerate its efforts to reverse the apartheid-era education provision inequalities. This legacy continues to haunt previously disadvantaged groups leaving them severely civically unknowledgeable and incapable of promoting social change in their communities and the nation at large. The Department of Education should ensure that schools especially in these communities strengthen career guidance counselling and life-skills training. The interest by learners and positive spin-offs of this are tremendous as evidenced by the ILISO case study with its efforts in this direction.

 Government and relevant partners especially the private sector and CBO‟s such as ILISO should develop a national strategic plan on youth employment and practical skills training and development. For those that cannot immediately be recruited into work, they can at least be employment ready with practical industry relevant skills.

 Government should create stronger relations with civil society organisations involved in youth development programmes and see to it that that they are profiled and supported. They should be made accessible to all youth without discrimination or marginalisation.

 Government should strengthen the National Youth Strategic Plan (NYSP) and ensure that it emphasises development of civic skills and national solidarity. It should also find ways of making it attractive to young people from across all sections of society.

 The state, especially through local government, should promote the participation of youth in democratic processes. It is the prerogative to unsure that undemocratic tendencies such as voter apathy which are experienced in many townships as

129

evidenced in the study are curbed. This should be done to develop young peoples‟ confidence (self-efficacy) in their ability to create social change in their society.

 Local government should also prioritise investment in the arts, sports and recreation to broaden opportunities for the youth. These are not only career opportunities but also opportunities to capture their attention and get them civically engaged in development. It should take advantage of all opportunities with the private sector, civil society, which includes CBO‟s and FBO‟s to engage youth in civically productive projects.

 Government should institutionalise programmes specifically dealing with moral, character, and spiritual development. This should be done to revamp the spirit of responsibility and social cohesion. These are seedbeds of corporation and collective action for social change.

6.4.2 Organisational – Level Recommendations

 As much as ILISO has formed some valuable networks within the Khayelitsha community, there is need for it to expand. The organisation should make more efforts to link-up with other civil society organisations particularly around Cape Town. This will expand learning opportunities and exposure for most of the Site C community youth. By so doing ILISO can learn from others by allowing itself to be part of broader networks.

 ILISO should also take advantage of the private sector partnerships that exist. Within Site C and the larger Khayelitsha community, there are a few multinational corporations such as retail conglomerates and banks that it can lobby for funding. Partnerships in programmes such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies can with such companies can be formed as a way of them giving back to the poor community in which considerable profits are made. In addition to direct financing of its projects there are other CSR initiatives that can be drawn up. For example, educational competitions such as spelling bees, sports tournaments or musical

130

festivals and competitions can be entered into and branded with the sponsoring companies.

 One of the biggest hindrances to the efficient management and expansion of ILISO projects, is the skills gap at almost all levels. Some of the current partners of the organisation such as the ISD in the School of Government at UWC have professionals and academics in the fields of management, administration and community development. ILISO could propose capacity building training programmes conducted by these partners who are well placed and vested in the knowledge and skills the organisation currently lacks.

 Since June 2014, the South African Department of Social Welfare mandated ILISO to run a school feeding programme due to its reach in the community. By successfully managing the feeding programme, the organisation now has the opportunity to lobby and rope the government on its other projects in the future.

 The organisation should focus its effort on changing one or two key community level issues, rather than attempting to do too many things or spreading meagre resources thinly. Currently some projects are docile because of this and others are not well defined tackling too many community challenges with poor outcomes.

 Be intentional about getting the right people involved rather than just everyone and anyone.

 Make efforts to engage underrepresented youth such marginalised the handicapped youth.

 Another important related aspect is to seek out adults who are good at supporting local youth while allowing them to exercise independent responsibility and leadership.

 Community issues are highly emotive by their very nature as they directly touch on the livelihood of people. ILISO should pay attention to the emotions generated by its

131

work, continuously harnessing the energy of young people not only through the IMCSC but also through intensive BCC programming.