All Inclusive Youth Summit Gets Underway

BuaNews (Pretoria)

May 30, 2003
Posted to the web June 2, 2003

Thabo Mokgola
Pretoria

Over 200 delegates from more than 60 youth and student formations have converged in Boksburg for the South African Youth Council's (SAYC) Biennial General Assembly (BGA).

The two-day summit seeks to elect office bearers and map out the council's programme and plans for the next few years.

The biennial general assembly is the highest decision making structure of SAYC and will determine the life and future agenda of the organisation.

SAYC General Secretary Neville Naidoo says the theme for the biennial general assembly is:'A Platform for Youth Development and Unity in the African Century' and it reflects the organisation's commitment to placing youth development and unity at the centre of the African Renaissance.

'SAYC also seeks to ensure participation of young people in national development and reconstruction initiatives aimed at young people, and more broadly to contribute to the social, economic and political life of our communities and country,' says Mr Naidoo.

SAYC was formed in 1997 as an autonomous, non-partisan and representative body of young people.

Its affiliates are drawn from different backgrounds and sectors including student formations, political, religious and business youth organizations and many single-issue-based organisations.

These include, amongst others, the Young Christian Students, African National Congress Youth League, Anglican Students Federation, Azanian Student Congress, Bahai Youth, BCYA, Black Management Forum, Boys Town SA, Democratic Alliance Youth SA, Disabled Youth SA, Congress of South African Students, South African Students Congress, Malamulela Social Movement for the Unemployed, Muslim Youth Movement, SA Youth Chamber of Mines and Pan Africanist Youth Movement.

Others include the Inkatha Youth Brigade, NNP Youth Action, the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, the National Youth Commission, Youth Development Network, the United Democratic Movement Youth, and the Fakulteit van Afrikaanse Kultuur (FAK).

Mr Naidoo says the organisation's diverse membership provides SAYC with an ideal opportunity to serve as the 'Voice of the Youth', and unifying convergent views into a common agenda for youth development in the country.

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