On the eve of Youth Day this month, City Press published an article written by Saldrupians Ariane De Lannoy, Gibson Mudiriza and Charmaine Smith, together with Lauren Graham from the Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA) at the University of Johannesburg. The article shares insights into the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on young South Africans, drawn from a survey conducted by SALDRU and Unicef SA through Unicef’s UReport platform. Other partners in this survey were the CSDA, the Children’s Radio Foundation, Youth Capital and Naspers Labs. Given the lived realities of youth in South Africa, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors argue for the need for a multi-faceted and integrated strategy to support youths’ educational and employment transitions. They suggest that the Basic Package of Support for youth, which SALDRU is a collaborator of, is an example of such a program. Read the article.