{"id":98460,"date":"2025-06-18T11:14:53","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T09:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=98460"},"modified":"2025-06-18T11:14:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T09:14:53","slug":"youth-day-a-call-to-action-beyond-commemoration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/youth-day-a-call-to-action-beyond-commemoration\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth Day: A Call to Action Beyond Commemoration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n3-minute read
\n16 June 2025<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

\ud83d\udcf7 \u201cThey used stones, now use your rights\u201d \u2013 Youth Day echoes urgent calls for economic empowerment and meaningful participation in SA.<\/p><\/div>\n

As South Africa marks Youth Day, a somber reflection returns to the brave youth of 1976 whose defiance against apartheid\u2019s oppressive education policies altered the nation\u2019s trajectory. Speaking on this year\u2019s theme, \u201cSkills for the Changing World: Empowering Youth for Meaningful Economic Participation,\u201d<\/em> Teachers’ Union representative Nomusa Cembi urged the country not to forget the “bravery and vision” that defined the Soweto Uprising.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very important not to forget what the youth did,\u201d said Cembi, reminding us of the sacrifice that \u201cgave impetus to the struggle for liberation.\u201d Initially sparked by the imposition of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction, the 1976 student protests expanded into a broader rejection of systemic oppression. \u201cThey understood that being taught in Afrikaans would diminish their chances to succeed in the world,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

But nearly five decades later, many young South Africans remain disillusioned. \u201cThey feel they are unemployed, unheard, and victims of crime and gender-based violence,\u201d Cembi observed, highlighting a growing frustration. Despite democratic advances and initiatives like NSFAS, many graduates face bleak job prospects. \u201cThey sit with degrees that do not match what industry is looking for,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Cembi emphasized that youth must not grow despondent. \u201cJust like the youth of 1976 used stones to fight bullets, today\u2019s youth must use the Constitution, which guarantees the right to education and work.\u201d<\/p>\n

She stressed that the theme of Youth Month must move beyond lip service. \u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be a slogan, but a call to action<\/em>.\u201d Government and the private sector must invest in \u201cquality education, vocational training, and youth entrepreneurship,\u201d she urged.<\/p>\n

Drawing links between this year\u2019s theme and SATU\u2019s 10th Congress, Cembi underscored the need to focus on \u201cfoundational learning and functional skills\u201d to achieve inclusive economic growth. \u201cWe are building the futures of these children. Let us prepare them for the Fourth Industrial Revolution,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n

In closing, Cembi made a heartfelt appeal: \u201cThe youth are not people who cannot think. They are critical to the future of this country. Let\u2019s open the doors and prepare them to lead it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today<\/a> <\/em>with Moulana Junaid Kharsany and Nomusa Cembi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 16 June 2025 As South Africa marks Youth Day, a somber reflection returns to the brave youth of 1976 whose defiance against apartheid\u2019s oppressive education policies altered the nation\u2019s trajectory. Speaking on this year\u2019s theme, \u201cSkills for the Changing World: Empowering Youth for Meaningful Economic Participation,\u201d Teachers’ Union representative […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":98461,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Youth-Day.jpg?fit=231%2C207&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-pC4","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-15 23:08:21","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}