Department Of Human Settlements Youth Brigade

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and the National Department of Human Settlements have partnered to recruit and train approximately 10 000 young people in the next five years following the launch of the National Human Settlements Youth Brigade.

The National Human Settlements Youth Brigade is the vehicle by which youth in the Human Settlements and Built Environment will be presented with economic opportunities through a basket of youth empowerment programmes. Youth Brigade Volunteers within the programme will be catalysts who move housing delivery along at a pace which meets community needs and expectations.

On 1 December 2014, the NYDA, National Department of Human Settlements, and other key stakeholders hosted a Youth Summit targeting youth from all corners of the country.  The overall objective of the Summit was to present economic opportunities for the Youth within the Human Settlements and the Built Environment. At the end of the Summit all parties involved signed a Youth Accord titled “National Human Settlements Youth Accord for Active Youth Participation in the Sustainable Human Settlements Development”.

Today, during the second day of the Youth Summit, Minister of Human Settlements Ms Lindiwe Sisulu, together with the Provincial MEC’s, and the NYDA Chairperson Mr Yershen Pillay launched the National Human Settlements Youth Brigade in Savanna City in the Sedibeng Municipality.

The vision of the Youth Brigade is to create a capable strong and flexible category of well-trained Human Settlements volunteers who support government to accelerate housing delivery, participate and be part of the key catalytic projects of the Department of Human Settlements in various communities and contribute to sustainable development, as well as monitoring the housing delivery progress at project level.

“The NYDA is proud to be part of such an honourable initiative. We have been working with Human Settlements and NHBRC over the years in our YouthBuild programme which sees hundreds of young people being trained in construction before being posted to carry out field work in different areas of the country. The Savanna City project and the Human Settlements Youth Brigade will enable us to  provide the necessary skills development to youth which speaks directly to our mandate,” says Yershen Pillay, NYDA Executive Chairperson.

Once empowered through various youth development programmes in partnership with the relevant partners the Human Settlements Youth Brigade volunteers will be able to build their own houses through cooperatives and according to their wishes – thus the spirit of “Youth at Works”.