*Thuma Mina* Campaign
Introduction
Thuma mina means send me. Thuma mina is a campaign initiated by COPE
Youth Movement aimed at revitalising and rejuvenating the morale of the
young people to ensure a strong, energetic, and vibrant organisation at
branch level having a bottom up approach for cemented concrete
foundation.
The Youth has realised that young people belong to the
future and future is them. The timing of the introduction of this
campaign was strategically planned in the sense that it was done on the
youth day, June 16 in 2009.
The campaign must be built on the fundamental basis of the formation of
the congress history, heritage, constitution, politics, policies,
principles, and traditions derived from Bloemfontein National Congress
Inauguration. It should not loose site of the *Langa Resistance
Initiative* and the Sandton National Convention where all political
parties, non-governmental organisations, community based organisations,
business community, religious community, youth sector and so forth were
invited to look at the South African political challenges and possible
opportunities.
Mission
Ensure young people adapt to new changes of the present political
landscape in this global village. Instil trustworthy, hope and integrity
in society. Promote know-how and innovation amongst the young people.
Youth must take initiatives in changing the lives of young people and
take appropriate action at the appropriate time.
Objectives
Build capacity and capabilities of young people to unravel their
potential. Mobilise and organise youth through visible and realistic
campaigns. Lead massive recruitment drive that is targeted to expand
membership. Induction and training in politics, policies and
constitution of the organisation. Orientate membership to campaigns,
protocol, constitutional structures and other external forces within the
society.
Scope
Youth Movement is best placed to understand historical background of
the rationale of the formation of the Congress of the People and
therefore its role is to educate the majority of the young people. It
should mobilise and organise youth from all strata of society including
the vulnerable poor of the poorest. It should identify the youth in
schools, in tertiary institutions, employed, unemployed, underemployed,
youth in business. The decision to broaden its scope is to broaden it
support base within communities to ensure organisational coherence
towards progressive path.
The youth should lead in encouraging robust debates and in promoting
constructive engagement within and organisational discipline without
fear or favour. Thuma mina campaign cannot be effective and make an
impact if the Youth Movement is not accessible, transparent and
reachable to its constituency and to the broader society. A clear and
concise programme for *Thuma Mina Campaign* should be developed. It
should be a unique, probing constructive and provocative to win over the
majority of young people in South Africa.
Rationale
The rationale for the campaign is to build outcomes based programmes
and strategies projected to stimulate and inject enthusiasm of the young
people to join COPE Youth Movement. Youth should realise that they are a
powerful force in creating successful youth policy, programmes and
strategies.
Youth is adding new energy and expert dimension of analysis and see
everything with fresh eyes. The outcome based programmes can only be
realised if the young people can develop a solid theoretical base, good
organisational structure and great community partnerships. The youth
must connect and network with policy makers, programme managers,
academic and organic intellectuals, research institutes in order to
develop a better and solid political perspective and methodology that
enhances applicability of ideals. COPE Youth Movement should take due
diligence on every detail regarding young people and understand
expectations to create a
successful connection.
Keep the young people informed, inspired and directly involved to
realise fresh perspective, fruits of a rich, rewarding exchange of ideas
and tap into their abundant energy driven by collective hope of the
future. Moving ahead, the youth should provide comprehensive service for
youth in-at risk situation for example, substance abuse, HIV & AIDS,
children trafficking and so forth.
This simple means that youth should provide supportive and
developmental appropriate services for youth across the spectrum. Youth
led-programmes must leave room for the youth to truly lead fearless even
if its leadership takes unexpected and unmandated direction. Outreach,
community based assessment and advocacy programmes with produced
material by youth having an ability to retain core leaders for
sustainability.
Conceptualisation
COPE Youth Movement should first and foremost acknowledge its power.
Young people should be empowered to acknowledge their strength before
volunteering to be send to represent interest and aspirations of youth
in general. Why Youth Power Matters the Most in South Africa? Young
people are the future generation leaders, and their participation adds
value to the benefit of communities in the long run.
Youth must be empowered to realise their capabilities and abilities for
sustainable communities. Youth Movement should invest in young people
for sustainable adulthood in the process of building self-sustenance
communities. They should build study circles to help building
sustainable relationships necessary for long-term change. Youth should
use this opportunity to give back to community they serve, build trust,
enhance self-esteem, boost confidence and heighten a sense of honesty
and respect to communities.
Yes, a transition from youth to adulthood has its challenges in
measuring success in life. Youth contribution and participation to
society should be viewed as an ongoing process of self-development
having of course enormous challenges, so it is rather not an outcome
that counts. Young people*s experiences should be viewed with a
holistic lens and we need to consider it as part learning process.
In order to make a difference, youth should gather information,
translate their ideas into action and collaborate with communities on
concrete projects for realisation of their potential. The post
liberation modern political party needs innovative and dynamic youth
that understands global challenges. The fact is that youth contributes
to robust generational debates and constructions of these engagements.
Contextualisation
Congress of the People is a post-liberation modern political party
which is the embodiment of change and hope in the post apartheid arena.
Why the youth must be sent to make change? Since the post-apartheid the
gap between the poor and the rich has not improved but has dramatically
been widening. The populist political elite benefited a great deal
through government empowerment projects and yet the poor get poorer. The
powerlessness of the poor which subsequently lead to vulnerability and
ignorance is a case in point demonstrated recently by the South African
voters voted based on sentiments.
Young people as the beneficiary of organisation*s activities, they
are also responsible for the running of the organisation. Diversity as a
constrain, it is the most prominent characteristics of youth
organisation. If they are to achieve a shared value, cultural heritage
and history they are bound to defend their terrain. If they are not
investing to the activities that will contribute to the accomplishment
of their mission, the character of an organisation diminishes.
Poverty Alleviation
The youth must fight to eliminate poverty and fast growing
impoverishment. It must fight corruption, fraud and skewed distribution
of economic resources in favour of the few political elite, cronies,
friends, close families. Send the youth to open eyes of the toiling
masses of our people to see through how dangerous popul
ist political
elites are. Send the youth advocate COPE message as a modern school of
political thought that practical programme that will ensure youth
benefit in the mainstream economy.
COPE Youth Movement should drive a campaign that private
entrepreneurships are the better option to build growth and development
for sustainable modern economy. It has been proven world-wide that
entrepreneurship is the better intervention strategy for job creation.
COPE Youth Movement must demand that the government should provide
funding, establish support systems, coaching and mentoring of
entrepreneurs to their level of growth and development to reach maturity
stage.
Send the youth to embark on awareness campaign to advocate for youth to
move away from comfort zone in the quest to greater public scrutiny of
the present regime. Send the youth to demand greater investment in
research and development.
Send the youth to fight for security and comfort, to eliminate
homelessness, hunger, starvation, vulnerability, disease, illiteracy,
threat to violence and crime. Send the youth to raise its voice to
demand revitalisation and modification of the South African
manufacturing industries. Send the youth to fight against rapid
dependence on foreign patronage and manipulation perpetuated by
submissive and succumbing populist political elite which benefit the
most in self-enrichment.
Brain Drain
Send the youth to fight against brain-drain caused by mass emigration
of the South African professionals. Youth Movement may decide to support
Doctors, Nurses, Teachers and Police to earn better salaries. Currently,
they are manipulated and vulnerable to marginalisation by COSATU and
government. The majority of these professionals are young people. There
is a need to intensify youth development workshops series and additional
coaching in the area of organisational change.
Thuma Mina *Send me*
Send us as youth to vigorously campaign to ensure victory in the coming
local government elections and in the next term national elections. Send
the youth to enter into manifold relations with these masses of our
people to bring them into mutual-intercourse to isolate the populist
political elite and be self-sufficient to lead the way forward. Send us
to campaign for effective recognition of all three official languages in
the Western Cape without discriminating or subtle suppressing one over
the other. Send the youth to fight against political elite who use their
power and control to extract resources for their personal enrichment and
finance their own consumption to the detriment of the masses of our
people
Send the youth to enhance and accelerate a progressive and dynamic
transition from socio-economic bondage to modernity and prosperity. Send
the youth to expose the embedded culture of political rhetoric rhythm
which continue to foolishly indoctrinate and brainwashes the thinking of
the toiling masses of our people not to see through the wrongs of
political elite power mongers.
Recommendations
* A clear and concise programme should be developed for example,
prevent violence and promote peace amongst youth and ensure healthy
development of young people
* A programme should be *SMART*
* Resources needs to be identified to fund youth programmes
* Build benefiting networks and partnerships with NGOs and CBOs to
the Youth Movement and broader society e.g. Molo Songololo etc.
* Devote sufficient time in fighting against human and children
trafficking in particular by domestic and foreigners
* Core leaders should be identified to focus on the campaign and
programmes that attract youth to join the party massively.
* Monitoring mechanisms and political oversight of the National
Youth Development Agent should be developed to ensure the implementation
of a youth development policy
* Examine, evaluate and critique the present youth policy, and
present alternatives
* Support systems needs to be established such as organisational
structures
* Assessment, outreach and advocacy campai
gns needs to be
facilitated
* Research on each project needs to be conducted in order to
develop programme and embark on campaigning
* Usage of case studies as learning experience is of paramount
importance
* Inculcate a culture of learning and reading with sharp and
critical eye especially on legal and policy framework
* Organise study groups or circles for debating of politics and
policies
* Specific community based planning indicators such as interest
groups etc
* Set standards to promote opportunities for youth to take on
challenges that build important life skills such as decision-making,
leadership, critical thinking, multi-cultural diversity management and
teamwork
* Unambiguously and unequivocally combat destructive tendencies
that side track, disrupt, defocus our young organisation such as cliques
and factions
* Jealously and genuinely guard against opportunism and power
mongering
* Jealously and genuinely guard against political witch-hunting
and tailored vendetta against comrades
Conclusion
COPE Youth Movement should be unique and be seen as role models in the
society. Its membership should show a sense of discipline with good
conduct and demonstrate humility. Parent and young adults in general
should see it befitting to encourage their children to join COPE Youth
Movement. Youth Movement should be exemplary in their moral and ethical
conduct. The society should be seen putting that to Youth Movement as
the organisation gets directly encouraging young people to opt for
education and training. Young people should be directly involved in the
mainstream of the economy. Promote information sharing through study
groups or circles, winter and summer schools. Identify scares skills and
resources to encourage young boys and girls to take wise choices. Ensure
campaigns are sound, measurable, realistic and time-bound.
Author: Lindikhaya Bravis Maqhasha
Head: Policy
COPE – Western Cape
Tags: Thuma Mina campaign
