16 June 2011- The South African Ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, hosted a special youth day event at his residence on 16 June 2011 with the theme- Economic Freedom in Our Lifetime. Special guests at the event included the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Marius Fransman, and the President of the Africa Society, Bernadette Paolo.

 A panel of students and a panel of young professionals talked about education, politics and a variety of issues that both America and South African youth face. As one of the speakers for the event, I presented the closing address.

 “When we talk about economic freedom we could be talking about free markets and trade freedom and private property rights or investment freedom or freedom of economic choice or freedom from want.

 One of the key ways to promote economic freedom is to spur economic growth. We all know that the gini coefficient for South Africa paints a dire picture of the second highest income inequality in the world. Because of this, it is doubtful if GDP is a good indicator of our economic growth.

 Today we have talked about the other indicators of economic growth. We have talked about increasing the skills of the youth. We have discussed education as a key focus area to promote economic growth. We have discussed modern communication as a form of education and skills training. We have networked and learnt about networking. We have discussed community and built bridges between South African and American youth.

 It is particularly important to tackle the issue of economic freedom as youth and for youth. Unfortunately, unemployment among South African youth is particularly high. 70% of the unemployed are between the ages of 18 and 35.

 Education is important because it promotes economic growth but also has vast social benefits including vibrancy/diversity of economic activity, a more tolerant and better informed citizenry, stronger social criticism, better communication and enhanced democratic processes.  

 In order to reap these benefits we are obliged to promote better education in schools in the second educational sphere, where most previously disadvantaged schools lie, which continues to perform badly despite massive funding increases. If opportunities are created for scholars from the second sphere they will begin to take higher paying jobs and benefit the economy and themselves.

 When we talk about education, we should remember that education is not only the formal, in-class experiences of those who are privileged to attend university. Education includes practical training and skill-enhancing opportunities such as the one we are enjoying at this very moment, courtesy of the South African embassy on this special day.

 As we move towards a more social understanding of economic growth we have to acknowledge that access to services, health levels and cultural harmonization are all factors that contribute towards economic freedom.

In closing I would like to read a quote from the African Youth Charter which is known to both the South African and American youth here today. South Africa signed the charter in 2009- ‘Africa’s greatest resource is its youthful population and through their active and full participation, Africans can surmount the difficulties that lie ahead’ “

 After the event we were treated to a real South African braai and conversation with the guests. What a wonderful way to celebrate Youth Day.