Youth Development & Training

The youth development and training section within the community development division focuses on the City of Windhoek's contribution towards youth development. The youth development initiatives are generally been associated with an integrated, holistic, collaborative, collective, and preventative approaches to meeting developmental needs, based on value commitments to leadership, civic responsibility, participation and empowerment.

Brief description of their core function/ mandate

Community Development Division and specifically the Youth Development and Training sub-division is responsible to coordinate, monitor and implement youth development and training programs in the City Of Windhoek

Youth Development Policy

The developmental challenges of youth growing up in the contemporary society is complex and dynamic, leaving youth with enormous choices to make with limited guidance in most cases. Youth development is an important life process that every one goes through because it is a process of growing up and developing essential life skills to make a significant developmental contribution. Positive youth development is a policy perspective that emphasizes providing services and opportunities to support all young people in developing a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging, and empowerment. The goal of the positive youth development approach is to ensure that all adolescents experience this life stage positively. When youths are supported and guided by caring adults they become valuable contributors to the quality of community life.

Youth Development Programs:

• Integrated After School Care Program
• Life Skills and Deportment Training Program
• Career Guidance and Development Program
• Leadership Training Program
• Computer Training Program
• Personal development/Motivational Program

The specific objectives:

• To motivate the youth to become achievers by learning from the motivational speakers
• To create a career exhibition platform and youth exposure to career information session
• To create an environment for youth dialogue in determining their skills training needs for further recommendation.

Reporting system

Monthly reports are being submitted which are then translated into four quarterly reports and all these reports are then comprehensively summarised in sectional annual reports that contributes towards the divisional annual report.

Junior Council (Brief description of their core function/ mandate)

Introduction

The Local Authorities Act 23 of 1992 section 32, subsection 1 (w) makes provision for the establishment of the Junior Council. The City of Windhoek initiated the establishment of the Junior Council in 1999 to act as an advisory committee to the City Council through the Management Committee. The Junior Council contributes towards the development of the Windhoek residents through identified and Council approved projects.

Aims and Objectives of Junior Council

• To provide a vehicle by which senior learners may obtain knowledge of civic affairs.
• To report back to schools all information pertaining to the Junior Council and civic affairs
• To create a liaison between school learners of Windhoek and the City of Windhoek
• To set an example, which will encourage learners of schools represented to participate actively in all civic affaires
• To correspond and communicate with other Junior Councils and similar youth bodies.
• To create a platform to develop the leadership and organizational skills of Junior Council

Junior Council Executive Committee

• Junior Mayor
• Deputy junior Mayor
• Treasurer
• Secretary

(The current programmes they are running/ how they are fulfilling their mandates)

Nominations & elections Process

• Nominations: The participating schools nominate annually a grade 10 learner who will serve for a period of two years. In the grade 10 year the nominee will be an understudy. The grade 11 participant will be the junior councillor.
• Leadership Training: The JC nominees are compulsory and mandatory taken through a leadership training to facilitate that skills, knowledge and expertise development for the leadership roles and responsibilities. (click here to see picture)
• Orientation: An orientation program is implementation with the aim of providing the Junior Councillors with insight into the City of Windhoek focusing on the management bodies, the Council, Management Committee and operational management like the Office of the CEO and the departments. (click here to see picture1 picture2)
• Election of office bearers: The office bearers as stipulated in the Junior Council constitution were elected. (click here to see picture)
• Project identification: The nominees finalized the project identification through an extensive consultative process during the last day of the leadership training workshop. Two types of projects are envisaged namely a Core Project and Standing projects (click here to see picture1 picture2):
  • Standing projects: These projects are those undertaken in partnerships with key partners and the role of the Junior Council is mainly supportive in nature. The following will be implemented as such:
    • Cancer project: Support to the patients especially children in hospitals in partnership with Cancer Association
    • Older people support project: Support to the senior citizens were rated among the important projects to be supported annually
    • HIV/AIDS project: This is rated as important and should be implemented in close collaboration wit Healthy Services.
    • National Days Commemoration: This should be actively undertaken to foster civic responsibility and patriotism. (click here to see picture1 picture2 picture3 picture4)
  • Core Project: The core project is identified during the leadership stage annually

Junior Council External Partners

• Junior Town Councils (click here to see picture)
• Children's Parliamentary Forum (click here to see picture)

Reporting system Monthly reports are being submitted which are then translated into four quarterly reports and all these reports are then comprehensively summarised in sectional annual reports that contributes towards the divisional annual report.

Community Library and Information Services-GM Community Library

Brief description of their core function/ mandate

Community development seeks to empower individuals, families and groups of people by providing them with skills they need to effect change in their own lives, families and communities. The information and library services to be provided by libraries in the contemporary society have a much integrated developmental approach compared to the services provision in the past. The GM Community Library identified the need to be more community development oriented and responsive in its service delivery and thus focuses on active integration of the community.

Children living in the majority of the residential areas in Windhoek are from the densely populated Katutura and Khomasdal where most are living in households that are experiencing challenges with space because of overcrowded households, lack of electricity and or limited access to electricity. The children are living in areas where shebeens, alcohol outlets are making playing loud music daily to attract customers resulting in uncontrollable noise pollution that negatively affects the learning and studying abilities and environment for the learners and community at large. The shebeens have also become popular hang-out places for the children and especially youth exposing them to unbecoming behaviour, substance abuse, vulgar language and absolute disregard for respect of others.

Objectives of Library

• Bring services of information to the grassroots level and to bridge the digital divide
• Improve library and information services for the use of Katutura residents
• Strengthen the administration of the library services and the professional skills of the personnel.
• Increase, enhance and strengthen the cooperation with other sectors such as UNAM/Min. Education (click here to see picture)

Library administrative & management guiding documents:

• Library Rules & Regulations
• Community Library ICT Policy
• Book selection guidelines
• Community-based research findings for informed decision-making
• Vision 2030
• Millennium Development Goals

The current programmes they are running/ how they are fulfilling their mandates

• Library Promotion Program
• Library After School Care Program
• Library Reading Culture Promotion Program
• Library Computer Training Program
• Library Staff Capacity Building Program

Reporting system

Monthly reports are being submitted which are then translated into four quarterly reports and all these reports are then comprehensively summarised in sectional annual reports that contributes towards the divisional annual report.

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