Umsobomvu Youth Fund Annual Report 2006 - Nyda

operationalreviewYouth Entrepreneurship Conference 2006Umsobomvu Youth Fund 2006 Annual Report26The Division continues to partner with theinstitutions:• Youth organisations (including NationalYouth Commission)• The three tiers of Government (National,Provincial and Local)• Community structures• Political stakeholders (includingParliament and trade unions)• Civil society• Private sector• Media (broadcast and print)The focus of the Marketing andCommunications Division was genericawareness campaigns that aimed toprovide information on the Fund, howto access the Fund, the programmesand services of UYF and to showcase, asmotivation, some of the young peoplewho have benefited from the variety ofUYF offerings.Outreach initiatives2005/2006 has been an exciting year inoutreach initiatives – the outreach strategyis two pronged, where the Fund initiatesits own awareness and information-givingoutreach initiatives, and the alternatestrategy is a partnership strategy thataims to maximise resources and reach,thereby informing and empowering more young people. UYF has partnered with National,Provincial and Local Government.Outreach initiatives have resulted in direct contact with over five million young SouthAfricans, in all nine provinces, in the urban, peri-urban and rural areas. On average therehave been 12 outreach initiatives per province, per month.Media2005/2006 saw the organisation intensify its efforts to solidify relationships with themedia. This in turn elevated the awareness of UYF. The strategic approach was tocontinue to position the CEO as the voice of the organisation in addition to utilising thebeneficiaries of UYF’s products and services as “brand ambassadors” and getting themessage (and faces) across that UYF was empowering young people of South Africa tohave sustainable livelihoods.On average, UYF received 65 articles, mentions and interviews per month, resulting infree media coverage in excess of R22 million. 80% of this coverage was positive, with15% being neutral and 5% negative.Human ResourcesUYF’s Human Resources Division is a strategic partner in ensuring that the organisationachieves its goals through people, thus acting as the lifeblood of the organisationthrough human resources practices ranging from attracting talent and retention thereof,keeping a high morale through a Performance Management System and making UYF a“best organisation” to work for.During the period under review the organisation has grown from 80 to 146 staff membersindicating that our business strategy had to move current operations to scale. The retailoutlet set up in terms of the UYF strategy implies that the numbers of human capitalwill be increasing in the next financial year. Much as the organisation will be growing, ithas launched a values charter that makes staff members accountable to South Africansociety, shareholders, clients and fellow employees.