Mobilising Future Careers for South Africa's Youth

Dear AVA friend

There is much to celebrate as 2025 is nearing it’s end. The MCC reached a record number of youth - almost 2000 - with career and work-readiness education workshops, this year alone!  Here’s some stats on the MCC, since our last report in September:

•       320 youth (15-34 years) reached with 7 MCC events: 269 youth in the Eastern Cape and 51 in the Western  Cape
•        Youth reached: 269 in Eastern Cape and 51 in the Western Cape
•        Unemployed youth:  78 and in-school youth: 242
•       16 unemployed youth were assisted to register and upload their CV on an online job portal for entry level positions; of whom 2 gained employment after the MCC!  This is so significant considering that this MCC was in a small, rural community in the Eastern Cape.
•       2500 kms (1553 miles) travelled to reach the youth

The MCC is now at a pivotal point and with the demand for the MCC services in the Eastern Cape growing so rapidly, establishing a part-time team in that region will be enormously helpful, should the MCC want to continue reaching those most in need of career education.  AVA knows that an investment in young people has the greatest prospect of changing their long term educational and economic trajectories.  We simply can’t stop the momentum now. 

Thank you so much for your continued support and interest in the Mobile Career Café.

Kindest regards.

Janine

Dear AVA Friend

The Mobile Career Cafe (MCC) is growing at a phenomenal rate.  The past 3 months, we reached almost 1000 youth - 978 - with basic career guidance and work readiness workshops! In this period, a Dutch student who spent almost 3 months at Action Volunteers Africa, participated in MCC events and after one of the trips, she shared her thoughts on the MCC. Here is her reflection ...

     “Last week, I joined the Mobile Career Cafe (MCC) from AVA on their trip to the Eastern Cape. And honestly, it’s hard to put into words how special this experience was. In the township we visited, a place where students go to school every day in classrooms with broken windows, shaky desks and roofs that are falling apart, something beautiful happened.

 During the MCC-sessions, I saw a change. At first, many of the students looked closed off and unsure. But slowly, as the day went on, their faces lit up. Eyes became brighter, smiles appeard, their posture changed. You could see the moment when something clicked: my future doesn’t have to stop here. They realized that they have the power and tools to shape their own future. Not because someone is giving it to them, but because they are learning how to do it themselves.

And that’s what makes the MCC so special. AVA doesn’t promises the job at the end of the day. They don’t take young  people by the hand and walk them into a company where they can start tomorrow. Because life doesn’t work like that. What AVA does do, is teach young people how to take control of their own path. They help them build the right skill, confidence and most of all: insight.

I saw with my own eyes how just a few hours can open up someone’s mind. Not with big promises, but with real attention and practical guidance.  Young people walk away thinking: I know where I want to go, and now I also know how I can get there. And after that, it’s in their hands. That’s where the strenght lies.

This is why I believe the MCC deserves full support. Not just because it helps young people, but because it activates them. It doesn’t fix something temporarily… It builds something lasting.

So, if we want to invest in true change, the MCC is exactly the kind of project where every donation has real, lasting  impact. Not just for today, but for generations to come”.

Sterre also made a lovely video about the MCC events and the link is provided with this report. 

Thank you for your support towards the MCC.  If you can, kindly consider sharing the link with friends and family.  We need your continued support to expand the services of the MCC to more youth in more areas across South Africa.

Regards,

Janine

Links:

• The MCC in the Eastern Cape