Mandela Day - SpringAGE unites Youth Leaders in Qunu schools for 67 minutes on youth employment ideas

Returning to Madiba’s birth place Qunu on Mandela Day for the second time, SpringAGE targets seven schools, Milton Mbekela Senior Secondary School, Zamukulungisa Senior Secondary School, Umtata International School, Vela High School, Umtata High School, Umtata Christian School and Holy Cross, bringing together 35 pupils consisting of high potentials andthe most motivated to discuss and develop innovative ideas to create youth employment in 67 minutes. The projects born from these discussions will be directly sown back into the school system, with the option of wider school community expansion.

Other events on the programme include:

67 min BIG walk – “ Stepping Out for Education” and “Discovering Your Strengths “– a leadership, strengths based development programme for the Springers

Raelene Rorke, co-founder of SpringAGE says: “We are looking at engaging about 35 grade 11’s and 12‘s Qunu kids, from 5 high schools helping them to become part of a bigger movement even once they leave school. In the spirit of the Mandela Day, SpringAGE has evolved into a constantly growing movement that elevates ideas by local youth leaders to a level and a scale that will make a difference to the life of many young people across the nationby offering them a realistic chance to self-start a career.”

With its mission to combat youth employment in South Africa, since 2011, SpringAGE has started a broad movement of South African youth leaders across the country. SpringAGE offers an effective infrastructure to reach out to youth leaders and create lasting connections between them with the aim to foster co-creation, crowd-sourcing and exchange of best practice. SpringAGE carefully selects local youth leaders and brings them together in one or more brainstorming sessions called SpringBREAKs. The purpose of the SpringBREAKs is to grow and harvest grassroot ideas and community initiatives developed by the local youth themselves. Supported by the expertise and inspiration of the SpringAGE team, SpringBREAKS represent a platform for youth to develop their ideas into viable employment propositions. Thus far, concrete propositions were developed in the areas of tourism, agriculture and energy.

Neliswa Fente, the other SpringAGE co-founder adds: “The SpringBREAKs will allow the selected youth leaders to come up with innovative, practical projects that we assist them in refining, but they start straight away, Once proof of concept is done, the SpringAGE team will arrange for the co-creation from business, government and non-profit”

Contact:Co-FoundersRaelene Rorke Cell: 072 687 6593 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  Neliswa Fente Cell: 073 233 0989 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.                                                                                                                                                               www.springage.net

Follow us:Facebook: SpringageTwitter: @SpringAGE

About SpringAGE

SpringAGE (springage.net) is a movement that recruits young people who have started something (eg NGO’s, commercial organisations and businesses) to come together, to link ideas and collaborate to come up up with new, innovative ideas and projects in different sectors that will create employment for other young people. Our mission is to enhance leadership and innovative projects that will address the unemployment challenge in South Africa.

Please feel free to contact Vuyo Sigonya Communications for interview requests and more information:

071 896 6657/ 083 428 4189 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.