The Newcastle Municipality has made history by hosting the biggest Youth Career Expo in Northern KwaZulu- Natal. The event, which took place over two days, 26 and 27 May, at the Richview Civic Hall, saw hundreds of youth descend upon the venue to gain knowledge, empowerment and meet Mayor Xolani Dube.
Youth empowerment forms a very important role in society; by encouraging young people and giving them the information, guidance and resources in order for them to take charge of their lives. They are also able to fulfil their dreams because they have access to opportunities that they need to reach their full potential. Even though poverty is a global challenge that affects many, it is important for youth empowerment to be prioritised in order to avoid poverty.
It was for this reason that Newcastle Mayor, Xolani Dube, during the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) Road Shows, reiterated his administration’s commitments to targeting core contributors which have led to youth dissatisfaction, high levels of crimes and lack of educational insight. Mayor Dube adopted the Youth Career Expo in the IDP in a bid to combat these social ills which continue to plague the youth.
The municipality also hopes that the programme will yield the intended outcome of attracting more youth to the agriculture sector, science and technology while growing Northern KwaZulu-Natal’s industrialisation programme. Part of that vision is to make the town the preferred business destination. Mayor Dube also sent out a passionate plea to other leading captains of industry to partner with the Newcastle Municipality. He said that his zeal is strongly fixated towards a Newcastle which will restore the hopes of thousands of youths.
“Our immediate task is to lend a helping hand to youth who have fallen in the trap of hopelessness, and we want to alleviate them from the ill of dissatisfaction which has engulfed them. Our master plan involved the immediate adoption of programmes which are biased towards the youth and create a conducive environment for those wishing to conduct business in our region. The career expo enables us to create a pool of youth who will have a different perspective of highly sought-after career opportunities in line with the growing demand of the fourth industrial revolution, which will also help us to retain these skills in Newcastle,” said Mayor Dube.
The Youth Expo was a resounding success and a first for Newcastle, with many praising the efforts of the Municipality.
Maria Ndlovu, a parent, said that it is very encouraging to see the municipality investing in young people. “This is very heart-warming and encouraging. Many of our youth are trying to find a way out of poverty and programmes like this play a huge role in eradicating such social ills. Our Newcastle youth have a second chance and we just want to extend a big thank you to the municipality for such a successful event,” said Ndlovu.
Many items were also gifted to learners straight from the hands of Mayor Dube. These included learning hampers, laptops and packages. Learners who came out were equally excited to meet Mayor Dube and exchange encouraging words with him.
