Kitso Lesedi Youth Development aims to provide young South Africans with leadership and entrepreneurial skills to identify different community and business needs.
The purpose of the programmes within the development centre is to capacitate the poor and the most vulnerable with both hard and soft skills, moving them from a state of being poor to self-reliance.
The organisation was formed in 2009 and is made up of business specialists who identified a need for a youth service in communities.
Kitso Lesedi Youth Development’s vision is to develop communities and to make a difference in the lives of young people.
The programme provides free youth development services to young people and also has placement programmes for employment opportunities.
The programme is focused on youth unemployment and youth poverty.
Since 2014 the organisation has trained:
- four young people in motor mechanics skills training;
- five young people on tractor, backhoe and forklift skills training;
- forty young people on business training;
- approximately 300 people on life skills training and computer training.
Kitso Lesedi Youth Development’s objectives are:
- to mentor communities through social and skills-based programmes;
- to provide easy access to information through guidance, mentoring and technology;
- to grow the youth into responsible members of the community.
Services offered:
- Advice and referrals: empowers the youth by providing information on opportunities that are available in the government and private sectors for employment.
- Social programmes: informs the community and provides relevant information, training and social services.
- Business and computer studies: empowers and equips young people with business and IT skills to assist them with running their own organisations or businesses effectively.
- Artisan skills: provides the youth with technical skills in welding, boilermaking, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, forklift, motor mechanics, tractor loading, backhoe, certified Cisco network administration, auto diagnostics and key coding.
Kitso Lesedi Youth Development’s wish list:
- Cash donations (funding) in order to implement more development programmes.
- Office furniture (tables, chairs and a filing cabinet).
- Office equipment (computers and a photocopy machine).
- Library books for their club.
- Food donations for their soup kitchen (where they cook every Thursday at 1pm).
- Clothes and blanket donations.
- Branding and marketing materials.
- Sports equipment.
- Donation of land and buildings.
Kitso Lesedi Youth Development is in partnership with the Gauteng Social Development Department, Cisco Networking Academy, Siyafunda Community Technology Centres, Lulaway and the SAPS.
For more information regarding volunteering, donations, partnership, funding or any other way you would like to get involved, contact the centre at 2 Lupin Avenue, Primrose, on 011 822-0540, email to info@kitsolesediyouthdev.org.za or visit their website at www.kitsolesediyouth.dev.org.za.
