HOLA BATSHA!

Make the voice of every young person count!

Fight for the Charter for Young People's Rights

The Young Communist League of South Africa believes that capitalism devalues
the contribution of young people to our society, using young people as cheap
labour, ignoring youth concerns and handing them nothing more than scraps they
call benefits. Capitalism limits life opportunities for young people. Capitalism
frustrates our young hopes and needs. Capitalism denies us jobs, free education
and skills training. This is because capitalism means the control of the economy
by a few fat cats who pay our parents starvation wages. Yes South Africa is
a democracy, but it remains a capitalist society.

For the rights of young people

Since 1994, the ANC has brought democracy, peace, water and housing for millions,
electricity, and hope for a better future. As young people we have gained:

• No more apartheid education
• The National Student Financial Aid Scheme
  supports poor students
• We have opportunities for skills training
• The Youth Commission & Umsobomvu
  Youth Fund are our voice & power

But we still have many
problems. Many of us are still not employed: the capitalist
bosses are not investing in jobs, skills training & our education. We face
HIV/AIDS, crime, and many other problems. At the root of these problems is
capitalism.

But workers and poor people can challenge and defeat capitalism. Even the
youth has a role to play in challenging capitalism. The YCL calls on all young
South Africans to joint the anti-capitalist struggle by fighting for a Charter
for Young People's Rights.

The YCL believes that such a Charter must ensure that young people have the
rights to:

• Free quality, public education for everyone
• Recreation and entertainment
• Decent work, training and skills development
• A decent standard of living
• Access to information and life free from discrimination

But this Charter must not just be a paper document. It must be a living document
which ensures that the voice of every young person counts. We, as young people,
must make our voices heard. We have clear needs and interests. We want:

• A good future and a better life now
• Opportunities to realise our talents
  and aspirations
• Quality public education, knowledge and skills
• No denial of education
  because we cannot pay
• Employment and an end to crime
• Treatment for people living with HIV./AIDS
• Good health services & other
  social services
• Opportunities and facilities for recreation, sports and
  culture
• A caring government which listens to us

Free quality public education

• Abolish school fees
• No expulsion of students from schools because they cannot pay
• Abolish
  fees for tertiary education
• Increase funding to education
• End government funding of wealthy private
  schools
• Expand childcare places at tertiary institutions, alongside other
  measures to make education accessible to women
• For school and university
  syllabuses informed by the needs of all-round human development, and not
  dictated by interests of capitalists
• Strengthen School Governing Bodies
  to ensure that the control of education content rests with students, staff
  and the community.
• Extend democratic rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of dress,
  and freedom of association, to all secondary and higher education
  students
• End the domination of university senates and councils by business
  representatives

The right to work and skills

• The level of all learnership allowances for young workers must
  be the same as the minimum wage in each industry
• Increase government spending
  on job creation, rather than handing subsidies to big business who have
  failed to produce any jobs for young people
• All young people must have a
  right skills training
• All young people must have a right to work
• Young workers must join trade
  unions to protect their rights

A decent standard of living

• All young people must have access to social
  security benefits
• Government must provide shelter for young people who
  are forced to remain in impossible and sometimes dangerous family situations

End discrimination

• Young people must have the right to live independent lives free
  of discrimination on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality,
  sexual
  orientation, origin, social status, ability, marital status, language,
  etc.
• End to the legal harassment of young people
• Young people have the right
  to information on sexuality and proper sexuality education at schools.
  The right to this information is fundamental for
  young people's sexual health, mentally and physically.
• Provide sex education
  in schools that informs young people of all the variety of non-coercive
  sexual relations.
• Make available free safe contraceptives, including condom
  vending machines in secondary and higher education institutions.

The Young Communist League says: Challenge capitalism to win a better life
today and in the future!

Build the Young Communist League

As young people, we must build our power and
voice in government, in the economy
and where we live, work and study. We must be organised:

• politically in the YCL, organisations for unemployed youth, students,
  etc.
• in community based organisations where we stay
• in exciting campaigns for education, employment & our other needs
• in the economy, in co-operatives and in COSATU trade unions
• even our cultural and social lives must be part of the anti-capitalist
  struggle

The Young Communist League is your anti-capitalist
and communist youth organisation which stands for the interests of all young people. We mobilise young people
to work and struggle together, to reject crime, the abuse of women, children,
drugs and alcohol, to fight for the equality of all young people, against racism,
economic exploitation and all forms of discrimination. We promote social, recreational
and cultural activities among young people. We are the youth wing of the South
African Communist Party (SACP).

Contact the Young Communist League

Issued by the Young Communist League, Tel – 011 339 3621, Fax – 011 339 4244,
Email yclinfo@ycl.org.za

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