The Youth Development Programme
2022-2023
Ingelosi Foundation NPC
Entrepreneurship and Youth Empowerment
This initiative disrupts the cycle of youth unemployment by intervening at the Grade 11 level to replace the “mirage of a guaranteed job” with the reality of self-reliance. The program equips vulnerable teenagers with professional project management skills and digital literacy to turn their talents into marketable skills for the informal economy.
Amount awarded by LIFSA :
R199,482.00
Number of direct beneficiaries :
100
Addressing the South African youth unemployment crisis, the project delivered a rigorous 10-month curriculum focused on “hard skills” including budgeting and project management.
• Innovation: Integrated the “Zlto” digital portal, gamifying personal development by allowing learners to earn points for tasks — redeemable for electricity, airtime, and food.
• Digital CVs: The portal tracked student progress to generate verifiable digital CVs, providing a professional footprint for future opportunities.
• Holistic Support: The program included social work counseling and learning specialists to ensure students remained resilient and supported.
• Local Impact: Operationally, the project acted as a hyper-local economic multiplier by hiring local security, catering, and venue services within Soweto and the Johannesburg CBD.
The project was bolstered by high-level partnerships with the National Youth Development Initiative (NYDI), the African Leadership Academy (ALA), and the Project Management Institute (PMI). It also receives strategic administrative support from private-sector partner Meter Mate Metering PTY Ltd.