MaAfrika Tikkun and Deutsche Bank have worked together on three youth dialogue events (called The Big Talk) in the last two years that have involved giving Grade 10 learners the opportunity to discuss their challenges and celebrate their ability to identify possible solutions to these issues. These events were all attended by officials from the Department of Education from provinces of Gauteng and/or the Western Cape.

From the previous events it has become apparent that although the youth uncovered the same issues each time, including teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, peer pressure and low self esteem, when it came for the youth to attempt to lessen the impacts of these in their schools and communities, they felt overwhelmed and intimidated and therefore stopped trying to be change agents.

Therefore, this year’s Youth Citizens Action Programme is linked with the National and Provincial Department of Education's Race and Values Directorate and has been tailored to provide step-by-step guidelines on how to initiate change to help the participants to first grasp the background of what it takes to be a good citizen, and then to embody that by acting responsibly and making a change in their schools to improve their situations. The scope of the learners’ projects will be practical and implementable within their frame of reference and environment to effect change for the better.

The Grade 10 learners and the assigned teacher are to choose a concern related to one of the following themes:

a) Environment, including litter, maintenance of sports fields, maintenance of classrooms, pollution, recycling et cetera
b) Abuse, bullying, peer pressure and lack of respect for others
c) Substance abuse – how to lower drug and alcohol abuse in schools
d) Knowledge and learning – encourage reading, form book clubs, do book donation drives, catalogue library books
e) Xenophobia and racial tolerance – promoting the celebration of diversity
f) Morality – Honesty, words matching actions, discouraging sexual relations with many partners at the same time, not stealing, and cheating in exams

The groups will then follow the action programme steps:

a) What are values? List your values as your think about them and match them with examples of actions you took that reflected your values. List school values and examples of these in action. Give examples of how values can be used well to make South Africa a better place.
b) Draw a map of your school
c) Identify and understand the problems in and around your school by making a list of them, grouping similar problems, choosing the one problem you will focus on solving and describe it in detail.
d) Choose the action you will take to solve one of the problems you found by listing all the actions that you think could solve the problem and then deciding which solutions would be more effective and which should be used first. Draw up a chart of action, people, resources, information and costs you need in order to complete your action.
e) Plan the action to take by drawing up an action plan of what must be done, by who, by when and with what resources.
f) Do the action – actually making your plan a reality
g) Review and revise by asking what is working, what is not working, what values were positive? What can be changed to improve the plan?
h) Complete the project and measure the change from before, during and after your action was taken
i) Report back – by using the structure provided – attach your planning documents, write about what you learned by doing the project, what other projects you plan to do, attach photos or drawings of the actions taking place, and interviews with teachers, parents, learners who were part of the action or watched the action.

Three pillars to the programme that will be assessed

a) Communication – posters, drama, song, poetry, storytelling about the topic to encourage change in thought
b) Behaviour – Record keeping of change of behaviour before, during and after the action has taken place
c) Portfolio of action steps – learners must submit their planning documents with their final report for evaluation