Share skills – MMC Phalatse urges graduates
On Friday 6 July 2018 Dr Mpho Phalatse, the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human and Social Development, presided over a young women’s graduation ceremony.
The ceremony was held to celebrate young women between the ages of 18 and 35 who completed a programme that takes young women on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment through modules such as:
· Life skills: emotional, social, occupational, spiritual and parenting
· Healthy Lifestyle: sexual, emotional and physical health
· Safety
· Career planning: skills development and job preparedness
· Inner healing
The City of Johannesburg’s Social Development Department, through its Women Empowerment Policy, saw the need to develop programmes to empower young women.
Through community consultation, the department discovered that young women face a series of challenges such as poverty and underdevelopment, gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy, HIV and Aids and poor quality education.
This year marks the fourth group of young women who have gone through the programme. In total, 319 young people graduated from the 2018 programme.
What is remarkable about 2018 is that for the first time, 18 young men participated. Although the programme is designed for young women, the addition of young men will go a long way in changing the consciousness of young men and building positive relationships between men and women.
For some of the young people in attendance, this was their first post-high school skills development programme. Everyone accepting their graduation certificate was met with boisterous cheers and claps. “It’s the first time I am in a space where I can express how I feel,” said Lebohang, one of the young ladies that completed the programme.
MMC Phalatse motivated the young recipients and handed out certificates of completion to all. She passionately commented how education shapes the way you think and view life. She challenged each graduate to mentor other people and pass on the knowledge they learned.
The Social Development Department is currently in talks with the City’s department of Economic Development to see how the graduates can be further upskilled so that they are more employable.
