ACTIVATE! Exchange, the think tank forum of the ACTIVATE! Youth Leadership network will be hosting its first event in Cape Town at the District Six Museum on 8 October 2013 following successful launches earlier this year in Durban and Johannesburg respectively.
ACTIVATE! was founded in 2012 to identify and equip a critical mass of entrepreneurial and socially-aware young leaders between the ages of 20 – 30 with the skills and networks that will enable them to become the change-makers capable of unleashing the South Africa’s full potential.
Members of the national network will join stakeholders from the private and public as well as the non-governmental sectors for a day-long dialogue about what young people are doing to create positive social change in South Africa and what can be done to support them. The participants will discuss issues that are pertinent to their environment and their development and convey their ideas.
“At ACTIVATE! we believe that by creating fertile conditions for social entrepreneurship, we can contribute to tackling many of the grass roots challenges facing our communities. The ACTIVATE! Exchange affords us a platform to table the critical issues and to kick start a process to formulate strategies and touch points with which this issues can be addressed collectively,” says Christ Meintjes, Chief Executive Officer of ACTIVATE!
Among the speakers at the Cape Town ACTIVATE! Exchange will be:
David Harrison, Chief Executive Officer of the DG Murray Trust, who founded the Health Systems Trust, a non-government organization supporting health services development in South Africa and headed up LoveLife, a national HIV prevention programme for young people before joining DGMT. He also started the South African Health Review of Health and Health Care in South Africa, which is published every year.
Zamandlovu Ndlovu, communications specialist with the National Planning Commission (NPC) responsible for the external communication of the NPC’s work and the National Development Plan‘s progress. She is a patron for the Citizen ZA movement and an honorary member of the Golden Keys Society.
Blum Khan, Chief Executive of Health Business of Metropolitan Health Group at Metropolitan Life Ltd and an Executive Committee Member of MMI Holdings LTD.
Zikhona Tumi Jonas, a second-year Activator, psychology honours student as well as founder and secretary of ONE PATH AFRICA global peer-to-peer leadership network
Akhona Mbenyana, a second- year Activator with extensive experience in the field of sustainability and environmental education, training and development. He has worked for SANCCOB, Omni HR Consulting, and has volunteered for organizations like Greenpeace Africa and Climate Action Partnership (CAP).
Juzaida Swan, a second year Activator and Programme Officer: Strategy & Fundraising for the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR). Prior to joining the IJR, Juzaida received a scholarship to promote regional integration between South Africa and Mozambique and completed community service at several organisations in Maputo province. She runs her own online empowerment project, which lists development opportunities for the youth and was recently recognised, as one of the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans under the Civil Society category.