Young people in South Africa are interested in making a difference in areas affecting climate change, agriculture, and issues of the day such as corruption. Creating opportunities and empowering the youth to make an impact is a task taken on by ACTIVATE! Change Drivers, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

Activate’s aim is to equip, connect, inspire, provoke, and influence its network of 4 500 youth at a community-based and national level through stories of impact, innovation, and socio-economic opportunities. These areas of impact have now been broadened to include, agriculture, climate change, sports and recreation, arts and culture, and active citizenry which will tackle current issues in society such as corruption and politics.

The Activate programme equips Activators with innovation and project planning skills. They explore aspects of leadership and values; and offer an understanding on how to navigate the socio-political landscape. The Activate ‘Theory of Change’ is that if young people are provided with a provocative platform to meet, connect and be inspired to actively contribute to the common good; as well as strengthen and develop their abilities and skills set, then they can be innovative and active citizens who can drive positive social, economic and political change for South Africa and the global good.

Activate national programme manager, Malusi Mazibuko, explained that the NGO is adding another layer to enable youth in their network to build on their knowledge and create further impact in their own communities. “There is more to young people than is often portrayed and they want to address challenges around climate change, agriculture, corruption, etc. So, we need to do more to empower them and help them to engage with these challenges.”

Activate is unique in its nationwide network of youth hubs in urban areas and rural spaces, which aid communities through its youth network, creating safe spaces for necessary conversations and outreach and educational programmes. The NGO researches the issues and challenges around each of the strategic areas it focuses on within the network and provides training and opportunities for its activators to engage with the content and thought leaders within each sector.

“We will be having conversations about the sectors nationwide, unpacking the research, and hosting dialogues within communities for our youth activators to immerse themselves in the content. We then capture the insights coming out of those conversations, collect the data and bring in the right stakeholders to follow up on specific issues highlighted.”

Mazibuko said the right stakeholders and partners were introduced to the activators to advance their projects. They get mentored, supported, and even funded in some cases.

“We also want to build on the knowledge that young people have. Young people tend to work from a passion perspective, and don’t have the right information or knowledge to necessarily take their ideas forward. By being part of these circles of conversations, they will learn how to ensure that their activism has an impact,” he emphasised.

The focus on additional sectors is a natural evolution for Activate, which has been inspiring and empowering the youth of South Africa for a decade in leadership skills and social activism. The time is also right, said Mazibuko, as social activism grew under pandemic lockdown when various socio-economic issues, including poverty, corruption, infrastructure scarcity, and a lack of resources on the ground, left many communities extremely vulnerable. Many activators became involved in the distribution of food parcels; assisting with translating Covid information into indigenous languages; as well as assisting community members with TERS applications at the youth hubs.

“Our activism is not only dependent on one thing, it is a host of different things and covers the issues that young people are interested in today and where they want to make an impact. The youth hubs play a very important role. The sustainability of the network is dependent on the functionality of the youth hubs.”

Said Mazibuko, “This is an important new direction for Activate Change Drivers. We have seen how these are burning topics in South Africa, such as how the youth access land. We need to equip our youth with  the knowledge and training to make a difference in their communities and in South Africa.”

Written By Malusi Mazibuko, National Programme Manager, ACTIVATE! Change Drivers