13/08/2026
With youth unemployment remNational Youth Development Agency urgent challenges—Stats SA’s Q2 survey places youth unemployment at 47.4%, representing over 5 million young people—National Youth Service (NYS) continues to be an important pillar of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, creating pathways for young people to serve, learn, gain experience and build towards their futures.
City Year South Africa was proud to participate in the NYS Implementing Partner Knowledge Exchange Workshop, as part of the YearBeyond Programme Implementing Partner network under the YearBeyond Institute.
Jacqui Boulle, Director of YearBeyond, shared a powerful presentation on the Pathway Progression approach. A key principle across YearBeyond is that young people should have three plans for their future, not just one. With the realities of youth unemployment, we need multiple pathways and options.
Throughout their service journey, YeBoneers are supported to develop plans across employment, education and entrepreneurship, preparing for their transition well before their year of service ends. With more than 3,683young people who served across the YearBeyond network, 71% of the graduating cohort successfully transitioned into their next opportunities.
It was also a proud full-circle moment to see our very own City Year alum, Sentle Sefatse, who served in 2008, now contributing to national solutions to youth unemployment through his work at Harambee working on the SAYouth.mobi. Platform to assist with large scale recruitment. Seeing someone who once wore the City Year red jacket now helping to strengthen systems and opportunities for the next generation is a powerful reminder of the long-term impact of youth service.
We are proud to stand alongside a growing network of organisations that believe in the power of NYS and its impact on young people and communities.
Together, we will continue to learn, collaborate and strengthen the movement in .
National Youth Development Agency (NYDA)
