Broken NYC needs fixing

MARTIN-OLEMBE ANTINDI





The National Youth Council (NYC), an inclusive and non-political national youth organisation under the ministry of youth, sport and national service, is a broken institution, and its existence for a long time has symbolised no youth representation or support.

The leadership is rarely felt or seen at regional level, and meetings have not been held in a long time. Previously, the institution used to be funded well by the government, but less service delivery has since been rendered to the youth, a factor that prompted government to cut the NYC's budget allocation.

The increasing situation of poor leadership, poor service delivery and many shortcomings has become too overwhelming, to the point that we can no longer be silent any more. My conscious can't take it to keep quiet about wrong situations when I know I am able to present views that can help here and there.



Structure

Firstly, I want talk about the structure of the NYC. We have 14 regions; each region has a structure of the NYC.

The top structure in regional youth forums is the regional executive committee, which is chaired by the regional chairperson, who serves in this position for five years. The members of the regional executive are the chairpersons of the constituency youth forums, and the heads for the registered affiliated youth organisations in that region.

Above the regional youth forums, we have the national executive committee that's constituted by the regional chairpersons, who report to the NYC board, chaired by the incumbent elected chairperson. Therefore, the top leadership of the NYC is the chairperson and the board. The chairperson should oversee the activities of the NYC, and ensure that there's service delivery and support rendered to the youth as far as the most remote areas.



NYC has failed the youth

From my observations, the chairperson, along with the board, has failed the youth, because this is where the power of the NYC is held. If one travels to the regions, no existence of the NYC can be observed.

The regional chairpersons as well as the chairpersons of the constituencies work on a voluntary basis, with no remuneration, despite the NYC being allocated a budget by government.

The regional youth forums receive no funds to assist in spearheading activities in their perspective regions, and as a result, youth in regions are left with no one to assist them. They must sort out their future and their business on their own.

Furthermore, there are no facilities of the NYC in the regions up to constituency level, and it funds no youth activities in the regions. The only successful project that was spearheaded by the NYC through its regional youth forum was Oshana's Endombo project.

Otherwise, success stories of the NYC are unavailable. If this is not a broken situation, what can we call it? Maybe somebody out there can help.



Supposed hope of the youth

The NYC was supposed to be the hope of the youth, because it's non-politically oriented, but now it has turned into a contributing factor to youth depression and stress.

My solution for the NYC is that we get rid of the whole board, and nobody should be reinstated during the renewal of mandates; this includes the chairperson. The NYC leadership should be replaced by new, radical youth with no affiliation to the current leaders, because we do not want a continuation of the legacy of failure.

We need an even more educated, understanding, bold, but confident mind to take over the NYC chairpersonship. All the targeted individuals in the circus of failed leadership will sink the NYC, and eventually break it into even further pieces, never to resurrect again.