Tshepo 1Million Festival of Opportunity held at Umphakathi Mall
The purpose of the events was to give young people across Gauteng access to opportunities such as skills development, job placement and entrepreneurial development.
The Tshepo 1Million Festival of Opportunity in partnership with the Gauteng province and Gauteng Department of Economic Development was held at Umphakathi Mall.
Zamantungwa Khumalo from Tshepo 1Million said the Youth Month campaign kicked off on Thursday, June 2 with five big regional events across Gauteng with interactive workshops, a bigger and better partner network, access to tangible and immediate opportunities, a platform for local artists on stage, as well as an exciting DJ competition in partnership with YFM.
“The purpose of the events was to give young people across Gauteng access to opportunities. Tshepo 1Million has always been front and centre when it comes to giving young people a voice, and a platform to speak about the challenges experienced in their communities. We’ve heard what the youth needs and have provided a solution to some of their biggest challenges – access to information, access to actual and valuable opportunities through our dynamic youth-centric format, entertainment and an opportunity for local artists to perform and share their talents with a big audience.”
She said the event was a big success and the festival supported more than 4 733 young people and registered 3 362 new joiners on the new and improved platform tshepo.datafree.co.
According to Khumalo, the festival showcased a variety of opportunities such as skills development, job placement and entrepreneurial development through their network of partners like Gauteng provincial government departments and community-based organisations in the different regions in Gauteng.
She added a young person could engage with their partners through interactive workshops and participate in intimate engagements. The event was specially designed and tailored for a young person looking for opportunities and who is ready to #DoTheMost and has done talking. They had a space called the marketplace where local small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) could set up and trade as vendors.
Khumalo said there was a time to have fun, and the stage was open for local artists to perform. They even had a surprise headliner act for their entertainment slot.
AmaSuperhero and weTshepo1Million were also there with the Hustle Show, a five-piece industrial theatre show that showcases some of the challenges faced by the youth. The superheroes come into each scene with practical solutions, products and services offered by the flagship youth programme Tshepo 1Million.
“We’ve had amazing feedback from the participants, work-seekers, hustlers and entrepreneurs. There was something for everybody and youngsters walked out of the festival as different people, feeling supported and empowered. We’ve achieved success through our collaborative efforts with our network of partners that have valuable and tangible opportunities within their organisations.”
