Local foundation empowering the youth with digital skills

JOHANNESBURG - Marcia Monareng set up the Millennial Mindset Foundation last year to inspire the Leachville community on the East Rand.

In the face of South Africa’s staggering unemployment rate of 32.1 percent and a growing digital skills shortage, the gap between skills needed and those possessed by young job seekers is growing.

This is what Monareng says drove her to leave her corporate job and focus on addressing the community’s multiple social issues, including unemployment and substance abuse.

To turn things around, the foundation bridges the gap by equipping the youth with the skills that will help them thrive in the digital age. This is done through several free courses aimed at enhancing skills, knowledge and personal development.

The youth have talent but lack resources and exposure, says Monareng.

“Leachville is a small place and there is no community centre, no space for young people where they can express themselves, I left and came back to find there’s still no development here.”

By repurposing a previously community policing forum container, the Millennial Mindset Foundation was born.

The foundation has trained over 100 Leachville youth in the past year.

Members of the community acknowledge the impact that the foundation has had.

“Since the foundation was opened, it’s given us hope and enlightened us because our children were loitering and involved in all sorts of wrongdoing,” Dumisani Khumalo said. 

Philisa Ndaza, meanwhile, says the foundation has equipped her with essential digital skills that she can put to use.

The foundation also has a mobile library that is freely accessible to community members.