PRESS RELEASE: For Immediate Release February 2024

INCLUSIVE POLICY CAMPAIGN LAUNCH:  ‘ACTIVE CITIZENRY AND POLICY: EDUCATE, EMPOWER, AND DO’.

National Youth Network ACTIVATE! Change Drivers launches a year-long Policy Campaign titled ‘ACTIVE CITIZENRY AND POLICY: EDUCATE, EMPOWER, AND DO’, In its continued efforts to galvanize the youth vote and ensure that young people participate in the electoral processes as registered, informed voters who embody the full sense of what it means to be an active citizen.

The campaign aims to unpack in layman’s terms, several policies that 30 years into democracy, inform critical governance and societal issues of South Africa, including but not limited to; the Integrated Development Plan (IDP), National Development Plan (NDP), and National Health Insurance (NHI) and the National Youth Policy (NYP).

The campaign takes place two weeks after the final voter registration that saw over a million people added to the voters’ roll, following the conclusion of the voter registration weekend on February 3 – 4, bringing the total number of eligible voters to 27.4 million, for the largely anticipated 2024 General Election. 

The ACTIVATE! campaign will officially be launched on the eve of the February 2024 budget speech to be delivered by the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, on the 21^st of February 2024, and will be proceeded by the first campaign activity, a Thought Leader Engagement that will be held on the network Zoom account, in conversation with My Vote Counts’ Senior researcher, Joel Bregman, Democracy Works Foundations’ Lesego More, as well as Dimpho Lekgeu, a Youth Advisory Panel Member (personal capacity). The three will join the network in unpacking the importance of Voting for Policy in the upcoming Elections.

Executive Director for programmes at ACTIVATE! Change Drivers Tebogo Suping reflects on the continued need to galvanise the youth vote and make policies inclusive.

“There is a need for Inclusive public policy participation which accommodates and is accessible to the youth on issues that affect them and their communities. This is the corner of a healthy and thriving democracy; and a critical investment that we must all continue to make”.

Reflecting on the campaign, network coordinator Patrick Mcobothi said, “ACTIVATE! is a youth network that has always been actively engaged in policy matters”.

“The policy campaign, has propelled the network to focus on policies that impact their communities daily. Such policies include the Integrated Development Plan (IDP), National Youth Policy (NYP), [T5] and National Health Insurance (NHI), as well as some economic policies aimed at addressing economic inequalities in South Africa”, Mcobothi adds.

The campaign aims to broaden the understanding of policy and active citizenry to the entire network, focusing on making it relevant and accessible to every individual.

The hybrid campaign has a set of activities that include but are not limited to:

1. Master class that will be led by members (called activators) of the nearly 5000 national network.
2. Thought leader engagement will see several members of society involved in the research policy and activism space, unpack policy and the role of active citizens.
3. Podcast series that will unpack every Thursday in the lead up to elections, the politics behind the policies.
4. Interactive competition in a community radio station near you where those who partake will win a voucher weekly to the value of R300.
5. In community capacity-building workshops that will at a physical gathering capacitate young people on the relevance of policies in the governing of the country, 30 years into democracy and in the lead-up to the 2024 general election.

Did you know?

The government creates laws and policies and distributes resources in every society. Public policy collects statutes, regulations, actions, and funding priorities a government body adopts. Individuals and groups undertake activities such as education, advocacy, or mobilization of interest groups to impact public policy. Public policy is crucial and is significantly affected by the law, including specific statutes and constitutional or international provisions.

Advocacy involves influencing public policy through education, lobbying, or political pressure and the mission of ACTIVATE! Is to leave no young person behind from participating optimally in these processes.

For more information on the campaign follow the network on:

• Twitter: @ActivateZA
• Instagram: @Activate_za
• Facebook: Activate Change Drivers
• LinkedIn Activate Change Drivers
• Website: www.activateleadership.co.za

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To join the campaign activities contact:

Network coordinator:
Patrick Mcobothi | Cell +27 81 530 4228 | Email: patrick@activateleadership.co.za

For media inquiries contact:
Ms. Zamayirha Peter | Cell +27 76 322 3598 | Email: communications@activateleadership.co.za