New youth platform launched

Nedbank this week launched YouthX, a platform designed to enable youth potential by giving them access to resources and inspiration. According to Stats SA, 63% of youth under the age of 26 are unemployed and the Covid-19 pandemic is expected to worsen the situation. Nedbank has committed to tackling the issue head-on through this platform and has partnered with some of SA’s most accomplished youth changemakers to give guidance and industry expertise. 

“YouthX is really for us to demonstrate our commitment to SA’s youth, especially in the current environment where the global pandemic has further strained access to resources,” said Khensani Nobanda, group executive for marketing and corporate affairs at Nedbank.

YouthX has several components.  The first is six prominent changemakers, who are all young people below the age of 35, who have seen success in their respective industries and are on their way to becoming the next generation of industry leaders.  The six categories represented are Business & Finance, Sports & Wellness, Fashion & Beauty, Arts & Entertainment, Tech & innovation and Social Good & Sustainability.

Theo Baloyi, founder of Bathu Shoes, is leading the charge in Business & Finance, international superstar Sho Madjozi in Arts & Entertainment, award-winning designer Rich Mnisi in Fashion & Beauty, Olympian and football analyst Amanda Dlamini in Sports & Wellness, innovator Rivoningo Mhlari in Tech & Innovation, and menstrual health activist Candice Chirwa in Social Good & Sustainability.

“As a brand, we believe that the changemakers embody the values and behaviours to inspire the next generation of changemakers. We believe in the spirit of collaboration, but more importantly that young people should get the opportunity to lead and support each other through their passions,” says Mutsa Chironga, Nedbank managing executive of consumer banking. “Nedbank is committed to the development of the youth and ensuring that we provide resources, finance and otherwise, for the betterment of the country at large.”

YouthX has several additional components, like YouthX Live – a series of virtual events to learn from changemakers and industry experts; a web-based app that will give them access to valuable, exclusive content. YouthX Awards to reward young people for brilliant businesses or ideas with unmatched prizes up to the value of R2.2-million and a YouthX Summit – a festival and networking opportunity to close the year.

YouthX is accessible online by visitingwww.unlocked.me/potential. YouthX is the next evolution of Unlocked.me, a “beyond banking” platform for youth which Nedbank launched in 2019.  Unlocked.me has to-date has supported youth with over 480,000 Smart CVs, improved youth employability by enabling youth to complete over 128,000 courses, as well as assisted over 73,000 learners with a combination of career guidance, university bursaries and National Student Aid Scheme (NSFAS) applications. Beyond Unlocked.me

Nedbank’s commitment to South Africa’s youth was demonstrated when the bank was one of the first companies to sign the CEO pledge for the YES initiative, committing R134-million to the cause that created employment opportunities for more than 3300 YES recruits, some of whom are now full-time employees  at the bank and externally.

The YouthX website is live with information on all YouthX categories, while YouthX Live events start in April with the launch of the YouthX webinar platform, and the summit is set to close the year’s events in September. SA youth can now sign up for Unlocked.Me and all YouthX programmes through the Unlocked.Me platform here: https://youtu.be/vOSlo7hCGlo.