Visionary Corner founder Tinyiko Mashele hosted a business seminar in Vuwani Secondary School on Youth Day to inspire the youth in Chiawelo Soweto to take part in entrepreneurship. The seminar was graced by young speakers who are excelling in their businesses.

It is well documented that young people over the course of history were part of a revolution. The youth of 1976 took to the streets to protest the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in schools. In mid-October 2015, a FeesMustFall student-led movement protested to stop increases in student fees as well as increase government funding for universities. Will we witness an entrepreneurship revolution led by young people?

The unemployment rate in South Africa was recorded at 32.9% and is among the highest in the world. Statistics South Africa said youth unemployment remained a problem following the release of the latest figures. This means 4.9 million young people were unemployed.

Tinyiko Mashele says that young people need to change their lives and fight for a great course like the youth of 1976. He continues to cite that not much is being done to change the state of young people in South Africa, but he agrees that there are some organizations that are trying to address youth unemployment. Tinyiko adds that the most important thing is the mindset, he cites that some young people are stuck in the old way of seeking employment rather than creating employment.

The business seminar gave youth entrepreneurs the opportunity to set up stalls and advertise their businesses. The Guardian Report spoke to a few entrepreneurs about the significance of Youth Day. One of the entrepreneurs said that the current youth lack the information that will make them prosper in life and make better decisions. She further cites that drugs are a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

Don Mashele, Head of Business Development (small enterprise finance agency), says that the culture of entrepreneurship should be installed at homes, in schools, and in communities, and that young role models should preach entrepreneurship and plant the seed of entrepreneurship. Mashele further adds that partnerships within the communities are important to deal with the lack of participation amongst young people. Don states that the Small Enterprise Finance Agency only has funding, but the funding won’t have proper reach without proper partnerships.

Visionary Corner is a non-profit organization that focuses on closing the information gap in different industries and inspiring young people to follow their purpose.