By Nangamso Mabindla
24 January 2005

BUFFALO CITY youngsters benefited from a three-day life-skills workshop that took place in East London over the weekend.

About 200 youngsters from around the municipality - many of them matriculants - attended the workshop run by the Eastern Cape Youth Development Board.

The focus was on imparting life and communication skills, as well as looking at ways to assist illiterate residents around the municipality.

The Eastern Cape Youth Development Board, working closely with the Joint Education Trust, co-ordinates youth programmes across the country, with the Eastern Cape being the main focus.

"This programme has been very successful because we've been working closely with the municipalities, especially Mnquma (Butterworth), Mbhashe (Idutywa) and Buffalo City," says the provincial chairperson of the Eastern Cape Youth Development Board, Viwe Sidali.

The board has 130 affiliates around East London, and most of them have been successful - particularly in training people to set up small medium and micro enterprises, Sidali says.

The Joint Education Trust supports the Eastern Cape Youth Development Board by providing managerial skills training programmes to the board members who in turn pass these skills on to workshop participants.

"After we complete the three months training, we train other youngsters to be facilitators in other fields," adds Sidali.

Sidali was pleased with the outcome of the East London workshop. "The people were very expressive. They talked about issues close to their hearts, especially ways of defeating unemployment in the province."

The Joint Education Trust project manager Mabje Mabitla was pleased to be able to pass on skills. Mabitla, who received his managerial skills training in Chicago, said: "I'm happy I could transfer my skills to the youth who I believe hold the key to a better South Africa."

A workshop participant, Linda Sibiya from Scenery Park, said she was pleased she had attended: "I learned about ways to start a business and also being a good facilitator - serving the needs of our people."