a-THE INTERNAT1ONAL YOUTH YEAP

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The year 1935 has been declared the International Youth Year by the Uritei ;.’s-icr.E General Assembly. The proposal war first made in 1977 and officially adopted in 1979 Lv the U.K. Since then, ainost all the countries affiliated ta the U.N. have been preparing for this year.

AIVS AND OBJECTIVES AS SEEN BY THE U.N.

The main aims of the IYY should be to disseminate among youth the idealt of peace, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, human solidarity and dedication to the objectives of ppogress and development. The IYY is intended to harness the energies, enthusiasms and creative abilities of youth to the task of nationbuilding and to the struggle for national independence and self-determination, as well as acainst foreign domination and occupation and for the economic, social and cultural advancement of people The IYY will serve to mobilize efforts at local, national, regional and international levels in order to promote the best educational, proffessional and living conditions foe yuung people, ensure their active participation in the overall development of society and encourage the preparation of new national and local policies and programs in accor­dance to each country’s experience, conditions and priorities. The IYY must be orientated towards action and results that will improve the living conditions! of youth, rather than beinn merely a year of ceremonies.In accordance with this, they are demanding theat the IYY be aimed at achieving a sub­stantial improvement of the educational, working and living conditions of young people. SDecific attention has to be given to the illiteracy and unemployment of youth.

INT£RH7‘.TIJM/'-L DSVELQP.'tEiTTSAn International Secretariate has been established to co-ordinate the IYY internationally We in the UDF are fortunate in that we have a South African who is a UDF member on this Secretariate (not representing UDF but YVJCA) The Secretariate has called for a national programme by August already, but due to lack of co-ordination we haven’t done that and zp

international calendar was circulated without a S.E. programme. The programme is still wanted however Up to this point, it seems as if UDF are to be invited to the General Assembly on youth as the official representatives of South Africa/We will be given a platform on that occasion. The S.A. governm.at will also be going there, but will not be recognised. This meeting will take place in October 1985.Another very interesting factor in the IYY is that internationally, they are going to focus on th conditions of youth in the Third World countries - Africa, Asia and Latin America. Common issues would be things like unemployment etc. So we in S.?.. under the UDF would be part of these international .developments.Whilst the IYY- "„s spearhead ed by the U.N. there are also another body of youth ard stu­dents that vould be participating independently. This is the World Federation of Youth

ang Students. Their theme for the Year is Anti-imperialist solidarity, Peace ar.d Fricr.cs'.. The 'TVS consists of socialist and communist youth organisations. Their 12th International Fectiv.il would have IYY as a theme and will take place in Moscow in June 1985. Among the African countries that would be represented are Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique etc. Swaoc and the ANC student and youth sections are also going to be represented here.

PKS IYY IN SO'JTH ;J~RICA

Beinc aware of the fact that the government has made moves tc take up the IVY and present their side of the situation of youth to the international community, we shouja s*e t.w IYY as a challenge, both for opposing the moves of the rt-t. ar.d tljc pz t.r'.ir-- the trj-: facts abouth youth in our country. Knowing that internationally there will b* c fecus on the Third World countries, the IYY becomes an opportunity to highlight the conditions of youth in S-A. ind to place our straggle on the interne Lior.i. 1 agenda.Given the 'fact that we, the youth organisations make up a large component of the UDF and also given the massive support of youth to the UDF, the IYY becomes particularly impor­tant for us. We should use it as an opportunity to strengthen both our own organisations and the UDF. The responsibility rests on us to politiscize the youth, to draw them into our structures and thus the Democratic Movement. The demands placed on us as youth orga­nisations is to be a catalysing, militant and fighting youth - organising young people arcunu issues that affect them. Obviously this requires mass action and education as justtwo important factors.The IYY -also gives us the opportunity tc develop links with other structures while at the same time giving us the necessary opportunty to create the fetructures that are needed nationally and regionally to co-ordinate the activities of youth organisations in the country. The IYY should be seen as an attempt tc mobilise and organise the youth of S.A. and to draw them into our organisations. _____

C0NT5XTUALISIHG THE IYY _

The IYY cannot be taken up outside of a context. That would be meaningless and a fruit­less exercise. When planning to .take up the IYY, we need to look at the theme, Partici­pation; Dvelopment and Peace in the context of the conditions in our country. The condi­tions in our country should influence our understanding of the themes.PARTICIPATION • ■The concept of participation is eealxsed on different levels:1 .Education2. Workplaces3. Government4. People’s organisations ! * •'Participation is particularly important in S.A. where a minority government and the pupp­ets make every attempt to prevent the people from participating in the running of their

'fes. For us, participation implies (Enhancing the different organisations existing.

tt aIs: demands the creation of the necessary conditions that will pernit young pecrle to assume their responsibilities individually or collectively.

DEVELOPMENT

Real development must answer the fundamental needs of pecple collectively. It must r.rt be in the intersts of a minority, who through the accumalation of wealth, create situations of unemployment and starvation. Taking into account that development is stunted through measures like Racial laws, gutter education and unemployment., our contribution to the IYY should be counter-measures and this implies our own methods of education through the teaching of skills to e brooder group of pecple as opposed to the academics who cft-L" us skills as tools of oppression.Development also implies the strengthening of people's organisations and 3 culture c: the people, not influenced by Western imperialism, but born from the traditions and roct* of I the people, to a culture of liberation.: i PEACE

Peace in S.A. is not only threatened by wars and militarization,:i>dt o^^all types of vio­lence thst exist in our society. Apartheid, forced removals, pass 12V3 and influx control are all measures of institutionalize.-! Violence which lead to the ncn-cxister.ce cf peir.. Peace canr.rt be realised through negotiations-, but through the destruction of lavs t: .t prevent peace. The recent peace intiatives are proof of the fact that peace can only c~r.\ when the demands of the people are mot. It cannot be built upon passive acceptance e:o co-operation, as the recent uprisings clearly pointed out, The SADF and SAB serve as foeces which subject the people to accept a false peace, but peace can only be achieved when justice rules.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion we can say that there are a number of questions facing us and issues that need to be clarified. For this purpose we need to discuss the following questions'

1 . What are the priorities cf Democratic Organisations for 1985 ?2. What are the priorities for youth organisations for 1985? u..-. V'-.-t.v3. Taking into account thes e priorities, what campaigns are we going to take up under

the IYY? Do we teJce up the IYY ns a campaign or theme ?A. What advantages are there to taking up these campaigns under the I"Y?5. What programme of action are we going to follow cn a national level ? (Ideas for prr'c)6 . What structures (nationally and regionall) do we «=et up to facilitate the campaign?7. What will our relation be to (1) UDF c , r - r , f t . . . , 'Ta a ^ t

f ' . fcr-oiw . - • c< non--Charterist forces' <’ L . . . i f

, y (3) other established structures c >|.*£• • L\\ \, ! { ' • ■' J

^ * V V V v' r* ' - I ^ *

/B. Do wo develop . notional th«K, separate to the t W of f ,o a K

;01 ! “ * thcte ier • ~ ^ « , - « « . 1 0. Hov is thi campaign gclng to be financed ?

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*t also demands the creation of the necessary conditions that will perr.it young people to .tsunifc their responsibilities individually or collectively.

:.-lVEL8>PMECT ' rZ I l development must answer the fundamental needs of people collectively. It Must net ben the intersts of a minority, who through the accumulation of wealth, create situations: unemployment ar.d starvation. Taking into account that development is stunted th-ou7h.asures like Hacial laws, nutter education and unemployment, our contribution to theiyy should be counter-measures and this implies our own metres of education through theleaching of skills to a broader group of people as opposed to the academics who oftenskills as tools of oppression.Development also implies the strengthening of people’s organisations and a culture c: th- people, not influenced by Western imperialism, but born from the traditions ar.J routs cl the people, to a'culture of liberation.

PEACE

Pc-ace in S.A. is not only threatened by wars end militarisation, *Jbut by.all t^ sv o' vie- llnce that exist in our society. Aprrthcxd. foxed rcrovals, pass laws and influ:: control „re all measures of institutionalized violence v* ich lead tc the non-c::istence cf pe«,. »*ace cannct be realised through negotiations, but. through the destruction of lavs th.t prevent peace. The recent peace intintives are proof of the fact that peace can or.ly ca_: when the demands of the people are met. It cannot be built upon'passive acceptance ar.i 'o-cperaticn, • as the recent uprisings clearly pointed out, The sr.DF and SAE» serve a* forces which subject the people to accept a false peace, but peace can only be achieve

-fhen justice rules.

CONCLUSION

in conclusion we can say that there are a number of questions facing us ind issues ih.*. need to be clarified. For this purpose we need to discuss the following questions

What are the priorities of Democratic Organisations for 1SBS ?, wh3t £rc the priorities for youth organisations for 1985?3 . Taking into account thes e priorities, what campaigns are we going to take up under

the IVY? Do we take up the IVY as a camnaicjn or theme ?4 What advantaoes are there to taking up these campaigns under the IYY?s’ What proaramine of action are we going to follow on a national level ? (Ideas for r.,„6 . What structures (nationally and regionalize we set up to facilitate the campaign-7. What will our relation be to (1) UDF ^

i*>) ) , f .cf non -Char»_crist iorc«_sf) other established structures

Collection Number: AK2117 DELMAS TREASON TRIAL 1985 - 1989 PUBLISHER: Publisher:-Historical Papers, University of the Witwatersrand Location:-Johannesburg ©2012

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