Call for participation: YouthX Awards in SA

Launched in 2021, YouthX seeks to drive and empower the youth by providing them with access to resources, mentorship and inspiration to unlock their potential. To implement this, the financial institution has partnered with 16 influential thought leaders and experts, dubbed ‘changemakers’, and tasked them with mentoring and inspiring young people to pursue their passions and drive positive change in society.

This year, YouthX has revamped the programme to enhance its relevancy by adding subcategories across four main categories: Arts and Culture, Sports and Entertainment, Tech and Innovation, and Social Good and Sustainability. Each of the categories has four subcategories, with one changemaker assigned per subcategory. Forming part of last year’s success story, 2021 Changemaker of the Year Keitumetse Pule has been assigned as one of the changemakers in the Tech and Innovation category.

To participate in this year’s YouthX Awards and become the next Changemaker of the Year, participants should follow this link and enter their work from August to November to stand a chance of winning prizes valued at R300 000 at the YouthX Summit in December.

These prizes aim to help the winners fund their business ideas, existing businesses or opportunities to further their careers. One winner will be selected in each of the four award categories.

“We have seen the change that YouthX by Nedbank has made in the lives of last year’s winners who received funding from Nedbank and mentorship from the changemakers to help them kick-start and advance their entrepreneurial journeys,” Nedbank group executive for marketing and corporate affairs Khensani Nobanda said.

“YouthX is a platform that tangibly demonstrates our commitment and dedication to tackling issues that youth face daily. We have rigorously selected this year’s changemakers who could positively influence the youth and the people they aspire to emulate. YouthX is a platform that encourages youth to exchange ideas with each other and we believe that through this, ideas will be born that can take this country forward and inspire more youth to execute their own ideas.”

Nobanda says the YouthX movement is designed to offer young people a valuable opportunity to gain direct access to industry leaders within a field aligned with their passion.

“The youth face plethora challenges in finding employment opportunities and mentors; the changemakers offer empowering insights and guidance that can positively impact their career paths or entrepreneurial ambitions,” she said.

View the original call here.