Create Youth Employment and Fight Poverty by Lance Greyling
2006-01-05. The title of the speech today sounds like a call to action. The ID has taken up this call and in May of this year we launched the Y-iD intitiative where we have given the youth a platform to fight for the issues affecting them. The new struggle in South Africa is to give our youth hope and opportunities for the future. My interactions with young South Africans have convinced me that it is them that are truly transforming our country. I have seen unbelievable talent in all different spheres and I have witnessed children overcoming the most horrendous situations to become leaders in our society. Of particular note is the My Life project, where former homeless children are now living productive lives and creating waves in the music scene. It is up to us as government, however, to create the structures and support systems to allow the creativity and the new ideas of the youth to flourish.
“Honourable Members we are a country that is 11 years old, our disadvantaged youth of the 1970’s are the advantaged one’s, and it just shows what freedom is. They are the members of national parliament, provincial parliament, CEO’s, Millionaires and billionaires. If we are preaching the same gospel; of the previously disadvantaged youth, which has become the national anthem of this country, who are we talking about – aren’t we supposed to be the advantaged ones, aren’t we supposed to be benefiting from the freedom our fathers fought for, aren’t we supposed to be enjoying the fruits of the country!”
These are words that should be guiding us when we consider whether we truly are living up to the aspirations of the youth in our country. Lastly, with the Speaker’s indulgence, being my birthday and all, I want to relay some other powerful words of the youth, this time taken from the My Life CD. These are words written by former homeless children who are now living productive lives and are acting as mentors to other in the same situation. In many ways they are mentors to me to. This is what they have to sing:
“We want you to know, we don’t feel self pity, there some points in our life that have been real pretty!
We don’t see ourselves as victims
We’re stronger - its true man
We ask you to do the same – See us as Human
We not asking for something else from your handbook What we really asking you is to try and understand
that you can help, assist, .. encourage and support us
But your assistance stops there – you can never do it for us
Its impossible to keep away the pain, suffering and strife
Just let us walk through it
It’s My Life!”
