The youth doing it all by themselves
Young leaders start an initiative to empower fellow youth
Rivaldo Kavanga
On the Grow is a youth professional development training programme that was founded in 2020 by youth leaders Bertha Tobias and Thrive Mahua.
The initiative’s central goal is to empower young Namibians through professional skills development training.
The project looks equip young people with skills that they do not necessarily get during their formal education. The skills and knowledge will supplement the formal education, therefore enabling young people to make their formal education marketable.
“We live in a world which increasingly places value on interpersonal competence,” says Mahua.
The training prioritises skills that go beyond the walls of a classroom or lecture hall. It will empower them by providing with the necessary skills of public speaking, leadership, interviewing, opportunity identification and network building. The combination of these skills is crucial but is rather rare in Namibia.
The youth programme desires to engage 60 young people between the ages of 16 and 30. The first seminar will be hosted on 18 and 19 June 2020 and the venue will be announced later.
The selection of the 60 participants came through an application process which put the applicants through a test to see if they met the criteria.
According to Tobias and Mahua, after the application process there were a few major aspects the founders had to look at, the first being that On the Grow is a commitment and a programme that requires the presence and the effort of its participants.
“We also ensured that the individuals selected are proactive and intentional with their personal lives as well as their overall vision for Namibia and its development,” says Tobias.
The founders are taking on a mammoth task in ensuring the sustainability of youth development through the On the Grow alumni. According to the founders, they want to ensure that those who have the opportunity to be a part of On the Grow go out in Namibia and the world at large and set it on fire.
On the Grow is a youth professional development training programme that was founded in 2020 by youth leaders Bertha Tobias and Thrive Mahua.
The initiative’s central goal is to empower young Namibians through professional skills development training.
The project looks equip young people with skills that they do not necessarily get during their formal education. The skills and knowledge will supplement the formal education, therefore enabling young people to make their formal education marketable.
“We live in a world which increasingly places value on interpersonal competence,” says Mahua.
The training prioritises skills that go beyond the walls of a classroom or lecture hall. It will empower them by providing with the necessary skills of public speaking, leadership, interviewing, opportunity identification and network building. The combination of these skills is crucial but is rather rare in Namibia.
The youth programme desires to engage 60 young people between the ages of 16 and 30. The first seminar will be hosted on 18 and 19 June 2020 and the venue will be announced later.
The selection of the 60 participants came through an application process which put the applicants through a test to see if they met the criteria.
According to Tobias and Mahua, after the application process there were a few major aspects the founders had to look at, the first being that On the Grow is a commitment and a programme that requires the presence and the effort of its participants.
“We also ensured that the individuals selected are proactive and intentional with their personal lives as well as their overall vision for Namibia and its development,” says Tobias.
The founders are taking on a mammoth task in ensuring the sustainability of youth development through the On the Grow alumni. According to the founders, they want to ensure that those who have the opportunity to be a part of On the Grow go out in Namibia and the world at large and set it on fire.
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