On June 16 2021, Youth Day will be commemorated in South Africa. 45 years ago, black South Africans students were massacred by the police as they fought against Bantu education. This day commemorates and remembers their struggles. In 2021, 45 years from June 17 1976, the truth is that most young people are still struggling against the system.
The series will run between May 14 and July 9 and will explore the different challenges facing young people. These include climate change, menstruation rights, policy activism, infectious diseases, the cost of job-seeking, certification challenges, and the basic income grant, amongst others.
In keeping with The Daily Vox and Youth Capital style, the series will put young people’s voices at the centre of the discussion. We will bring you the experiences and the campaigns of those young South Africans who are leveraging digital media to amplify their voices, to be active, to mobilise.
The series will include a WhatsApp group, where young people can pose questions that will be answered in Instagram Lives, every Wednesday from 6 to 7pm for the duration of the series. Join the Whatsapp group here.
There will also be a special pop-up newsletter for the duration of the campaign. Sign up for the newsletter here.
Young people are one of the groups that have been most adversely affected by the pandemic and subsequent lockdown. An effective national recovery plan should put their needs at the centre; with COVID19 protocols in place, digital campaigning is now more important than ever. As a society, we need to make sure that we’re listening and supporting young people who are actively raising the flag on the challenges they face,’ says Kristal Duncan-Williams, Project Lead at Youth Capital.
Some of the people in the series include Dr. Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Samuel Flan, Candice Chirwa, Tessa Dooms, Courtney Morgan, Celiwe Shivambu, Jaryd Raizon, Nolwazi Nkwandla and Awande Buthelezi, and many more.
“It is now more than ever important that we have conversations about how young people are using social media for good. We’ve seen how conversations around woke culture and cancel culture dominate but behind all the noise – young people are doing the important work to amplify the issues they deem important. We need to listen to those voices and start implementing what young people are saying,” says Fatima Moosa, a journalist at The Daily Vox.
The series will run between May 14 and July 9 and our editors, journalists and Youth Capital Influencers will be available for interviews every day to discuss the focus of the week.
Come along for the journey. We must build a better future for ourselves.
For more information, to get involved or to arrange interviews contact Fatima Moosa on fatima@thedailyvox.co.za or Clotilde Angelucci on clotilde@youthcapital.co.za.
The Daily Vox is an independent media organisation that aims to put the young citizen at the centre of news. Our reporters seek to find, curate and amplify the voices of young South Africans.
Youth Capital is a youth-led mobilisation campaign with an Action Plan to reduce youth unemployment.
