Afrika Tikkun Youth Month Breakfast Sparks Powerful Dialogue on Youth Empowerment and Skills Development

Afrika Tikkun, proud recipient of the 2025 CSI Legacy Award for Best NGO, successfully hosted its highly anticipated Youth Month Breakfast on Thursday, 12 June 2025, at the Uthando Centre in Braampark, Johannesburg. The event brought together a dynamic mix of government officials, business leaders and development sector stakeholders to engage in meaningful conversations about the future of South Africa’s youth.

Themed around youth development and the evolving landscape of essential skills, the breakfast served as a platform for collaboration, reflection and inspiration. Attendees engaged in a thought-provoking panel discussion featuring experts and change-makers who shared insights on the challenges and opportunities facing young people in today’s economy.

One of the most moving moments of the morning came from Afrika Tikkun alumni, who shared personal stories of transformation made possible through the organisation’s Cradle-to-Career 360° model. Their journeys stood as powerful testaments to the impact of holistic youth development and the importance of sustained investment in young lives.

“This event was more than a conversation; it was a call to action,” said Nellie Zembe, Afrika Tikkun’s Head of Monitoring and Evaluation. “The key themes are collaboration, skills development, and shifting from employability to actual employment. It’s about bringing all our efforts together to reach more young people and create sustainable opportunities. We are deeply grateful to all our partners and guests who joined us in reaffirming our collective commitment to empowering South Africa’s youth.”

Zembe said the current youth unemployment rate is a crisis that demands urgent, coordinated intervention.

“We have a 62.4% unemployment rate and it doesn’t matter where you go, private sector or government, everybody is talking about the fact that we have a problem as a country. And everything we're going through, whether you look at it from a social development perspective orfrom an education perspective, it all comes back to the same problem: youth unemployment. There is no room for siloed efforts if we are to achieve meaningful impact.”

She explained how Africa Tikkun’s flagship Early Childhood Development programme, which has reached over 2,000 children, lays the foundation for future employability and success.

“It’s a well-designed programme with trained teachers, an internationally accredited curriculum and a strong parent-child focus. We’ve identified all the ingredients that make a child school-ready — 99% of our kids enter Grade 1 ahead of the standard. We offer an after-school programme to keep them ahead, not just academically, but by exposing them to chess, coding and sport. Exposure builds confidence and helps them show up better in class.”

She added: “This is why 90% of our children passed matric last year, and over 50% are now in university. That matters because graduate unemployment is under 10%, compared to 62.4% overall youth unemployment. We’re focused not just on employability but on actual employment. Even for those who missed our earlier programmes, our skills development and placement work ensures they’re job-ready with the soft skills employers value most, like problem solving and communication.”

Mokgadi Waleng, a Client Relationship Manager at Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, said corporates are no longer looking at young people as “beneficiaries just there to tick a box or fill a voucher.”

“There’s been a shift. Employers now see them as active contributors and are willing to invest in those who show up. The difference is clear when youth go through skills programmes with 6 or 12-month contracts. They don’t just gain education or technical skills. They also learn to adjust socially. That transition from education to employment is huge. We need more of these programmes, and more involvement from SMEs and civil society.”

Gauteng Social Development Department’s Acting Head of Department, Bongani Ngomane, said the department is investing in undergraduates and professors, particularly in the area of social development.

“We’ve paid tuition before and launched cultural reform programmes that targeted youth. But after 10 years, we realised many couldn’t understand it especially those who only saw themselves as part of social development, not business. Now, we’re focused on identifying ventures in business management and marketing, bringing others with us to take part in reindustrialisation. It's really good to be a part of the transition to industrialisation. In fact, I think that industrialisation is in our hearts. We hope that such initiatives are initiated that will instil in us motivation to fight. We hope these kinds of initiatives inspire others.”

With over three decades of service, Afrika Tikkun continues to lead the way in creating opportunities out of poverty for disadvantaged youth, equipping them with the skills, confidence and support needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

As Youth Month continues, Afrika Tikkun invites all stakeholders to join hands in building a future where every young person has the opportunity to succeed.

To find out more about Afrika Tikkun’s award-winning Cradle-to-Career360° model or for partnership opportunities, go to: Afrika Tikkun.