2 THE IDEA BEHIND THE WORKING DOCUMENT
Organizing for Zimbabwe (O4Z) Trust as a capacity development forum for activists and their
community organizations, committed to mobilizing and organizing citizens for informed and
active participation in developmental processes, carried out a survey in 2013, with a view to
assess and find out from young people their five (5) priority issues from the list proposed by
government in the national youth policy.
This is based on the prevailing reality where the government is working within a very tight fiscal
space, and is unable, in all intents and purposes, to meet its targets as set out in the policy.
Moreover, the strategies proposed in the policy are intrinsically linked and have reciprocal
impacts. For example, in improved in youth education can impact on gender equality and youth
migration.
The idea of coming up with a ‘manifesto’ is primarily hinged on helping inform government and
other stakeholders, on what the young people think are priorities, which if fulfilled can be a solid
foundation to the attainment of all the other youth issues outlined in the youth policy. The
rationale has been to help in coming up with an advocacy tool that young people can use in
pushing for government to address the most pertinent needs of young people, alive to the
changing realities and dynamics in our country. This advocacy tool seeks not to challenge the
National Youth Policy, but rather provide the youth perspective to the aspirations of young
people, and help inform government and other stakeholders on youth perspectives to addressing
their salient issues.
As the title of the document suggests, this ‘working document’ is not final, but rather, seeks to
be an advocacy tool to assist all stakeholders including the youth themselves, to have a starting
point around collective conversations towards the genuine addressing of young people’s issues
and the attainment of their aspirations – all towards the sustainable and inclusive development
of our country, Zimbabwe.
2.1 THE SURVEY
The survey was carried out through structured questionnaires and administered by volunteers to
2000 respondents in 10 administrative provinces of Zimbabwe. The majority of respondents were
able to fill out the questionnaire by themselves while a handful needed the assistance of
enumerators in filling the questionnaires. There was a wide and random selection of respondents
by geo-location and an equal segregation by sex. An analysis of the data gathered reflected the
following as the five (5) most salient issues that young people perceive as a priority for their
development:
1) Education and Skills Development
2) Youth Employment and Sustainable Livelihood
3) Gender and Equality and Equity