Youth Speak: Recent Episodes
Youth Lab
This is a podcast series brought to you by Youth Lab, a policy think-tank based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Here, young people come together to engage and exchange ideas and opinions on matters that concern us.
This is a podcast series brought to you by Youth Lab, a policy think-tank based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Here, young people come together to engage and exchange ideas and opinions on matters that concern us.
President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered the State of the Nation Address, giving an account of the state of the country and touching on critical social and economic issues such as Covid-19, youth unemployment and support for small businesses. Youth Lab's Community Manager, Dimpho Lekgeu and Youth Capital campaigners, Bonginkosi Mchunu and Yolanda Magugu joined Sebenzile Nkambule on POWER Perspective to share their views.
In this episode, we are reviewing some of the significant moments, related to policies, in the past year and also talking about the things that we can look forward to in 2022.
Our Community Manager, Dimpho Lekgeu, spoke to YFM's Nightcap Conversations about the importance of last week's municipal elections and how young people can influence policy and governance in their communities beyond the polls.
In this episode, we are joined by multidisciplinary artist, Mwanji, who shares their experinces of afrophobia and helps us unpack the impact that colonisation has on how we see each other as black people.
This is a podcast series brought to you by Youth Lab, a policy think-tank based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Here, young people come together to engage and exchange ideas and opinions on matters that concern us.
This is a podcast series brought to you by Youth Lab, a policy think-tank based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Here, young people come together to engage and exchange ideas and opinions on matters that concern us.
In this episode we explore the idea of safety for women and girls, and how the absence of it affects the quality of their lives. We are joined by Social Worker, Thato Mokoena, who shares her own lived experiences as a queer woman, as well as how she applies herself in her job in order to achieve the best possible outcome for the people who seek help from her.
This is a podcast series brought to you by Youth Lab, a policy think-tank based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Here, young people come together to engage and exchange ideas and opinions on matters that concern us.
In this episode, we unpack how young women can participate in activism by putting themselves first. Our guest, Lethabo Mailula expands on the idea of radical rest and its importance in cultivating longevity and meaningfulness to the lives of black women.
This is a podcast series brought to you by Youth Lab, a policy think-tank based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Here, young people come together to engage and exchange ideas and opinions on matters that concern us.
We spoke to Jadzia Samuel, a student at City University in London abut the state of youth in South Africa as part of her journalism assignment. In 2021, young black people in South Africa still face the same challenges as those living under the apartheid regime, argues a youth activist group. Amid rising rates of unemployment, and falling standards of social care, there are fears that young people in South Africa continue to be left behind.
To celebrate Africa Month, we asked young people to share the best and worst of their experiences of living and working in Africa. We spoke to Chidochase Manuwa, an intern at the United Nations Development Programme, about alternative funding for humanitarian work and giving young people a seat at the table.
To celebrate Africa Month, we asked young people to share the best and worst of their experiences of living and working in Africa. In this first episode, we speak to Nelson Kwaje; programs director at Defy Hate Now in South Sudan, whose work centers on creating a safe online environment by mitigating misinformation and wider internet/digital access. Nelson, who oscillates between Juba and Nairobi in Kenya, shares on the challenges and opportunities for youth between both countries.
To celebrate Africa Month, we asked young people to share the best and worst of their experiences of living and working in Africa. In this first episode, we speak to Thandi Mkandawire who is a clinical social worker in Malawi.
With local government elections set for the 27th October, we spoke to Activate Change Drivers' Thamsanqa Masingi about the work the organisation is doing to drive civic education and youth participation during elections.
As part of Youth Labs #sdgeducation series, we spoke to Beryl Traore, the Head of Programs and Operations at loveLife NGO about the importance of youth health as it relates to social, mental and physical wellbeing. Since its launch in 1999, loveLife has been improving the lives of young people – first through the prevention of HIV infection and now including holistic youth development.
In this episode, Kristal Duncan-Williams from Youth Capital is joined by Pearl Pillay from Youth Lab, Lukhona Mnguni from Power FM and Zanele Mabaso of Sonke Gender Justice to talk through the issues surrounding the collapse of the previous NYDA board process and how youth can demand fairness and transparency from the new appointment process. In this part of the discussion, the panel highlights some of the challenges of previous board appointment processes.
In this episode, Kristal Duncan-Williams from Youth Capital is joined by Pearl Pillay from Youth Lab, Lukhona Mnguni from Power FM and Zanele Mabaso of Sonke Gender Justice to talk through the issues surrounding the collapse of the previous NYDA board process and how youth can demand fairness and transparency from the new appointment process. In this first part, the panel explains the importance of having a board for strategic direction and oversight.
In the second week of #sdgeducation, we looked at SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. We spoke to communications and development practitioner, Esethu Sotheni, about his experience as a young person looking for work and taking care of his mental health in the process.
As part of our #sdgeducation series, we spoke to Rebonegele Diale from the Sesi Fellowship and Skill Hub about doing grassroots work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal on gender equality. Sesi Fellowship and Skill Hub is a womxn-led and youth-led organization operating in South Africa and targeting the adolescent girl child and womxn from all walks of life. The aim of the organization is to address the lack of all round mentorship that exists in South Africa for adolescent girl children and to invest in professional and informal skill building of womxn so that they can compete successfully in the job market and to access socio-economic opportunities.
October is recognized as global mental health month; a time to raise public awareness around mental health and reduce stigma surrounding mental disorders. With black and brown people facing a greater risk of suffering from mental illnesses due to systematic injustice, we spoke to Sikhona Nazo and Bongeka Ndandani about the relationship between psychology and these communities.
In light of Mental Health Awareness month, we spoke to educational psychologist Andrea Jacobs about the state and access of mental health support for young people, especially in the wake of Covid-19.
Youth Lab hosted an insightful discussion on re-centering African intellectual labour. The discussion was moderated by Itumeleng Letsoalo who was joined on the panel by Alma Cele and Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane of The Cheeky Natives and authors Mathabo Tlali and Jamil F. Khan.
This episode is a summary of our Youth Month Panel discussion that looked at the legacy of apartheid in the education system. Youth Lab's former MD, Tessa Dooms, is joined by Boitumelo Masipa from Section27, Abongile Quthu from the Triangle Project, Asher Gamedze from the Radical Education Network and researcher Sibabalwe Gcilitshana.
What does it mean to be a young South African on Freedom Day?
We reflect on freedom and equality in South Africa 26 years after the country's first democratic election. We ask what truths COVID-19 has unveiled about our freedom and how we can use this pandemic to build more inclusive systems going forward.
We spoke to:
Sasha Middleton: Researcher Lethabo Mailula: LGBTQIA+ rights defender Mahlatse: Trans rights activist Matthew Bergsteedt: Biochemical Science Mogau Makitla: STEM student
Welcome back to Youth Speak!
We speak to Lethlogonolo Mokgoroane, of The Cheeky Natives, about party messaging. We focus on how it is the biggest parties have been speaking to us, thoughts on this and touch on the right to abstain.
Follow Hlogi @Mr_Mokgoroane, Lwazi @mfazomnyama_ and engage with us @YouthLabZA. Feel free to mail us on media@youthlab.org.za with any questions, opinions or if you'd like to join us for an episode.
We've brought you our second episode of this pop-up podcast.
This is a podcast series brought to you by Youth Lab, a policy think-tank based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Here, young people come together to engage and exchange ideas and opinions on matters that concern us. Today Tshego and Lwazi chat with Lesego Louw and Nkanyiso Ngqulu on youth participation within the political sphere. We cover everything from the importance of young people being politically involved in the change and development of the country involved politically, to just how it is that this space works and get some insights from them on the future of our politics in SA.
Follow Lesego @lesego_louw, Nkanyiso @nkanyiso_ngqulu and Lwazi @mfazomnyama_ and engage with us @YouthLabZA. Feel free to mail us on media@youthlab.org.za with any questions, opinions or if you'd like to join us for an episode.
Welcome to our first episode!
This is a podcast series brought to you by Youth Lab, a policy think-tank based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Here, young people come together to engage and exchange ideas and opinions on matters that concern us. With our 2019 election a few weeks away, MD of Youth Lab Pearl Pillay and Lwaphesheya Khoza join the host, Tshegofatso Senne, in a discussion about youth participation myths and share our concerns on the current political conversation occurring.
Follow this week's guests on Twitter: @pearlpillay and @mfazomnyama_ and engage with us @YouthLabZA. Feel free to mail us on media@youthlab.org.za with any questions, opinions or if you'd like to join us for an episode.