Activating youth citizens through Public Achievement – Kwa-Zulu Natal

The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in partnership with YouthLab will host the first Public Achievement workshop in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

In 2015 and 2016, South African young people have challenged the definition of “political participation” by extending their political voice beyond voting, party protocols and normative forms of mobilisation. From student protest and the Occupy Luthuli House protest to the active absence from the voting stations as protest, young people have begun to rethink political power through civic engagement.

While these movements are driven by energy and frustration, they have also been characterised by ideological underpinnings of democratised power and decolonisation. What is required to capitalise on and keep the momentum of these developments is a focus on building civic skills beyond protest and develop the range of transformative ideologies about democracy for young people at all levels of society.

Public achievement training aims to take Public Action through moving citizens from voters to proactive civic agents for policy and practical interventions. By Learning Civic Skills which citizens will learn how to interact with political and government leaders for action. Lastly, through Citizen Leadership Training on how to bring democratic principles and skills into workplace, classrooms and communities.

The proposed methods that will be used for Public Achievement are co-creation, collaboration, public work, citizen professional, building civic agency and power as the ability to act and participatory democracy

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