{"id":6811,"date":"2025-08-15T08:25:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T06:25:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/?p=6811"},"modified":"2025-08-15T08:25:03","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T06:25:03","slug":"it-takes-a-nation-to-support-and-guide-our-youth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/articles\/it-takes-a-nation-to-support-and-guide-our-youth\/","title":{"rendered":"It takes a nation to support and guide our youth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There\u2019s a lot that can be \u2013 and needs to be \u2013 done to guide and support young people in South Africa to achieve their goals of bright futures, even in the face of high unemployment. Some of PROTEC\u2019s alumni, tutors and managers share valuable learnings and experience in commemoration of Youth Month to encourage the country\u2019s youth, their families, schools and other mentors to invest time, energy and resources in building success in young lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many young people, becoming entrepreneurs will be the route their lives take, while for others, it will be full-time or part-time employment. Whatever they choose, these are life lessons from people who\u2019ve walked the same road or worked with youngsters that could make a difference to their future success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balan Moodley<\/strong>, CEO of PROTEC, which has been supporting youth to achieve successful STEM careers in South Africa since 1982, says that an important part of the training PROTEC provides entails lifeskills and guidance in the World of Work. \u201cThis vital part of the curriculum gives the youngsters confidence, an ability to communicate effectively, an understanding of their own responsibilities and accountability and a clear idea of their chosen careers. By far the majority of our alumni refer to this support as having had a major impact on their achievements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moodley notes that these are skills, ideas and encouragement that can be widely shared with youth. \u201cWith increased informal and formal investment in and encouragement of our youth, we can reduce unemployment and give more young people hope for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tracy Nyongwana<\/strong>, a PROTEC alumnus from the Tongaat Branch, who matriculated in 2019 with six distinctions, faced obstacles in her life. Today she is a double graduate with a BSc Chemistry and Applied Chemistry Engineering degrees from Wits University and is employed by Sasol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opportunities were rare in the village of Ndwedwe and Tracy always made the most of those she encountered. \u201cWherever I could, I reached out to organisations and people who were in a position to support or guide me in some way. My bursary covered tuition and accommodation, but left me with little to keep me going. I reached out to The North Coast Courier Orphan Fund, and they supported me with a stipend for on-campus food and other costs, which gave me peace of mind to focus on my studies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tracy\u2019s advice to all young people facing challenges is to \u201cget involved and reach out\u201d. At university she became a member of the student council, she played sport and found other support available to students. \u201cWhen you start your studies, throw yourself into the experience. There\u2019s so much support available if you look for it. You don\u2019t have to go through it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thandeka Zungu<\/strong>, from PROTEC Umbogintwini, matriculated in 2009 and has achieved an array of qualifications. She is a Senior Environmental Health Practitioner with eThekwini Municipality. \u201cMy determination to break generational curses have been the driving forces behind my resilience. Coming from humble beginnings, it was my mission to become the first child in my family to graduate. To achieve this, I had to work extremely hard, seek knowledge, and actively pursue opportunities for growth. I have always remained open to learning and view every experience \u2013 whether positive or challenging \u2013 as valuable. My advice to learners is to choose a career that resonates with who you are. Passion fuels commitment and perseverance, and without it, a career can become a burden.\u201d To stay positive, Thandeka says she draws motivation and inspiration from people she looks up to \u2013 mentors and leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elzabe Matthews<\/strong>, Branch Manager at PROTEC Umbogintwini, reiterates that resilience and motivation are the character traits of learners who succeed. Having seen many young people start their careers with the PROTEC education support programme as their launchpad, her encouragement has been \u2013 and will continue to be \u2013 to choose careers that they will love to do every day, and not something that has been chosen by someone else. \u201cThey must remember that life is not always easy after their school years, but if they work hard, they will manage. They must stay focused and remember that all their hard work is to better their own future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JJ Ndadane<\/strong>, PROTEC Mandeni\u2019s English Tutor, is direct in her advice. \u201cNever retreat \u2013 failure is not a death sentence, but laziness and procrastination are your enemies.\u201d She reminds youngsters to gain inspiration from others who beat the odds to make it in life and advises them to carry themselves into the future with dignity, courage and resilience.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ishwar Naidoo<\/strong>, PROTEC Mandeni Branch Manager, adds leadership skills and an appreciation of what they have as strengths that successful young people display. He reminds them that there are many people in their lives who care about their wellbeing and only want what\u2019s best for them. He encourages them to \u201ckeep pushing boundaries and believe in yourself\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gift Sawaya<\/strong>, Physical Science Tutor at PROTEC Nelspruit, offers clear advice to learners and students. \u201cLearn how to communicate ideas simply and clearly.\u201d And while Gift\u2019s main focus is science, this applies across the board to all young people. \u201cCommunication skills are critical because they set you apart. You can explain work to others, write reports and proposals, present ideas confidently and collaborate with others. It opens more doors and you\u2019ll have a clearer path to entrepreneurship, teaching or media. It makes you think more clearly and sharpens your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.\u201d He suggests that young people build their communications skills by practising writing, explaining concepts at school, to friends or on Tik Tok, and to grab every opportunity to speak in public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agnes Mhlongo<\/strong>, PROTEC Nelspruit\u2019s Branch Manager, and Nsuku Mathebula<\/strong>, PROTEC Nelspruit\u2019s English Tutor, share their learnings. The advice they give to PROTEC matriculants is to think of their skills in two parts that work together \u2013 their technical skills, which are honed in the maths, English and science support they get, and their personal skills. \u201cThis is your ability to communicate with people, to present your ideas, to work in a team and to write an email that people can understand. That\u2019s what directs your power. You can be brilliant in technical skills, but if you can\u2019t explain your vision, your brilliant idea might go nowhere. So the advice is to nurture both sides \u2013 be a master of your craft but also be a great communicator.\u201d They also encourage youngsters to accept that it\u2019s okay if things don’t go perfectly according to plan.<\/strong> \u201cThe world needs problem-solvers who have overcome challenges; they must know that they are the future and their contribution is valuable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moodley concurs. \u201cWhatever can be done to build the confidence and skills of our young people, whatever their level of education, must be done by all \u2013 parents, family, teachers, community leaders, organisations, corporates, NPOs and others. It\u2019s possible to inspire and encourage where life has become disheartening; it\u2019s crucial to guide and support, finding avenues for small entrepreneurships or building businesses; and it\u2019s necessary to remind our youth to be curious, to be resilient, and to remember that someone is rooting for them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about PROTEC, please visit www.protec.org.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tracy\u2019s advice to all young people facing challenges is to \u201cget involved and reach out\u201d. At university she became a member of the student council, she played sport and found other support available to students. \u201cWhen you start your studies, throw yourself into the experience. There\u2019s so much support available if you look for it. You don\u2019t have to go through it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,20],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-6811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-startups","tag-national"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PROTEC-group.jpg",1600,1073,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PROTEC-group-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PROTEC-group-300x201.jpg",300,201,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PROTEC-group-768x515.jpg",640,429,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PROTEC-group-1024x687.jpg",640,429,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PROTEC-group-1536x1030.jpg",1536,1030,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PROTEC-group.jpg",1600,1073,false],"magazine-7-slider-full":["https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PROTEC-group-1536x1020.jpg",1536,1020,true],"magazine-7-slider-center":["https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PROTEC-group-936x897.jpg",936,897,true],"magazine-7-featured":["https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PROTEC-group-1024x687.jpg",1024,687,true],"magazine-7-medium":["https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PROTEC-group-720x380.jpg",720,380,true],"magazine-7-medium-square":["https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/PROTEC-group-675x450.jpg",675,450,true]},"author_info":{"info":["TheLife Team"]},"category_info":"Articles & Advertisers<\/a> Start Ups<\/a>","tag_info":"Start Ups","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6811"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6825,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6811\/revisions\/6825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelife.digital\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}