The National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC) program

Venue: NARYSEC College – Thaba Nchu
Duration: 2-day programme, First intake from FS, EC, Mpumalanga and North West
Second main intake: 04 September 2024

The National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC) was established in September 2010. The NARYSEC’s main goal is to recruit and develop rural youth in order to prepare them to perform community service in their own communities. The Department of Military Veterans has partnered with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform in recruiting 600 unemployed youth who are children of military veterans in a developmental programme — National Rural Youth Service Corps (NARYSEC).
Military Veterans and their dependents especially from non-statutory forces are the most disadvantaged. It is aimed at providing basic skills for military veterans’ dependents. The Rural Development and Land Reform programme was established in September 2010.
NARYSEC’s main goal is to recruit and develop rural youth; and to perform community service in their own communities.

The Objectives of this project are:

To recruit unemployed youth in rural areas
To train the youth through Further Education and Training programmes linked to the identified developmental community projects in rural areas.
To develop youth with multidisciplinary skills through civic education.
To increase the number of rural communities receiving support in their self-development through the CRDP.

The program will be focusing on the following areas:

NARYSEC Programme Details, Orientation, Induction & Life Skills, Youth Leadership Development, NARYSEC Skills Development, Community Service and Exit Strategy.

During the intake:

Leaners were welcomed into the facility by the Head of the Narysec College.
The military personnel conducted an inspection of their belongings and lead them to the main facility buildings.
Medical check-ups was performed on the learners, those who pass the medical check-up go for full military training after four months, those who do not pass the medical check-up are kept at the centre for other skills development programmes.
All of the learners receive a R1300 stipend.
Learners between the ages of 18 – 27, are then taken to the college storeroom to receive their uniform, toiletry and allocated their dormitories.
Day 2 comprises of learners going through an orientation and induction program with the first two weeks in the classroom, followed by community service e.g hospitals, health awareness. The induction is not credit barring, it teaches them current, political affairs and their environmental education, peer to peer groups, spiritual and emotional education and social, managing expectations and character building lessons. Sport and recreation are also integrated into training, coordinating and own games and promoting indigenous games.
Upon completion of the course, leaners are given a certificate of attendance, they are then sent off to military (The Navy) training unfit ones remain behind for a 12 week leadership programs.

The Department of Community Safety (Gauteng), which was in attendance, committed to a Military Veterans programme to:

Uplift military veterans in our communities.
Supervisory layer to be created for MVs to work as community patrollers, the department is still engaging relevant stakeholders.
To create opportunities for women military veterans.
Department of Justice will also be roped in to assist with military veterans who have criminal records, in terms of clearing them so that they can be integrated into the system.