By Nangamso Mabindla
8 November 2006

THE needs of Buffalo City's young people will finally receive some attention, after the municipality officially opened three Youth Advisory Centres (YACs). These aim to help the youth deal with their concerns.

After identifying the needs of the youth through the Youth Development Strategy, the City teamed up with the Umsobomvu Youth Fund to set up three youth centres - one each in Mdantsane, Gompo and King William's Town.

They focus on career guidance, youth employment, self-employment and health and wellbeing, among other issues. Zilungile Kwinana, a youth career guidance adviser at the Mdantsane YAC, said that the township's young folk had responded positively to the centre.

"The response has been very good and we truly are happy to know that our presence is welcomed by the young," she said.

Kwinana said the centre worked with people between the ages of 14 and 35. "We're supposed to start from 18 years upwards but we want to deal with these youngsters from Grade 8; we want to help them find the right career path when choosing subjects for Grade 10 and ultimately for tertiary education."

Without proper guidance youngsters could choose the wrong career path and later regret their decisions. A recent study also showed that most young people in Mdantsane, although they had matric, were unemployed.

"We assist them draft professional curriculum vitae. We also assist the business-minded ones on how to start a business, steps that need to be taken … for a successful business," she added.

Turning her attention to the location of the YAC, Kwinana said the Mdantsane Tourism Centre was the best place to operate from. "We don't only have the tourism centre but also the library, where students normally come for research and other things. Learners from local high schools come here to be assisted with computer skills and career choices. We also have students from the Walter Sisulu University coming here."

Looking to the future Kwinana saw the YAC playing an important role in the Mdantsane Urban Renewal Project (MURP), which aims to change the face of the township and turn it into an economic hub by 2020.

"It's the youth that will be part of those plans and we really want to work closely with the City's MURP unit and its local economic development department so that we empower our youth and enable them to play a part in changing the face of the township."