Young South Africans urged not to let statistics define their future
This Youth Month, fifty years after the Soweto Uprising changed the course of South African history, young people gathered at the University of Johannesburg to confront a different battle – how to build a successful future despite unemployment, inequality and social pressures that continue to shape their lives.
Hosted by AWARE.org under the theme Built Through Action: Past. Present. Future., the Youth Roundtable brought together high school learners from across Johannesburg alongside policymakers, civil society and youth leaders to reflect on the legacy of 16 June and explore how today’s generation can turn opportunity into action.
The discussion comes at a time when South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows that youth unemployment among 15-to 24-year-olds stands at 60.9%, highlighting the significant barriers that many young people continue to face. Throughout the day, speakers challenged the notion that these statistics should determine young people’s futures.
Addressing delegates was Gauteng MEC for Economic Development Vuyiswa Ramokgopa, who drew a direct connection between the courage shown by the youth of 1976 and choices facing today’s generation.
“At the heart of ’76 was a declaration from young people refusing to be relegated to the margins and oppressed. They were fighting for their place at the table. That fire from ’76 is still alive today.
She encouraged learners to see beyond the country’s challenges.
“There is a lot of scary data out there, but your data doesn’t define your destination. Young people have the power to change their circumstances. That starts by saying no to underage drinking and choosing a better future for yourself. “
Power FM host and Executive Director of Re Hata Mmoho Sello Hatang challenged delegates to think differently about the value of South Africa’s young people. “Memorialisation must trigger changed behaviour; otherwise it just becomes performance.”
One of the day’s most powerful moments came during the youth dialogue, when a youth, Sihle Daniso, shared her own journey with alcohol. “I used to think that I needed to drink to be fun and to fit in. The more I drank, the more lost I became. It took me going through recovery to rediscover myself and realise that I didn’t need a drink to have fun. I wasn’t born with a bottle in my hand. I didn’t need it then, and what I have come to understand is that I don’t need it now.”
The round table also focused on practical solutions, with entrepreneur Banele Rewo, Youth Creative Collective Programme Coordinator Sibusiso Zulu and Canva Ambassador Linathi Makanda sharing how entrepreneurship, creativity and skills development are opening new pathways for young South Africans beyond traditional employment.
For AWARE.org CEO Mokebe Thulo, the discussion reinforced that preventing underage drinking cannot happen in isolation from broader conversations about opportunity, leadership and purpose. “The choice to say no to underage drinking is ultimately a choice to say yes to themselves, to their potential, and to the communities that need them to succeed. The roundtable today was proof that when we give young people a real platform, they use it to lead.”
AWARE.org’s #NOtoU18 campaign sits at the centre of the organisation’s mandate to promote responsible alcohol consumption and reduce harmful use, not as a warning directed at young people, but as an investment in their capacity to make the better choice.
