Competition seeks 100 young leaders accelerating community development

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The Young Independents, part of Independent Media, is asking community members to nominate any young person between the ages of 18 and 35 whom they think is making a difference in their community. The nominee’s work can be involvement in the church, the workplace or general community, or he or she could have environmental influence, etc.

Categories

The five nomination categories are:

• Disruptors include young people challenging the status quo or traditional thinking with their unconventional ideas and actions. This includes artists, writers, media, and civil society leaders.

• Healers include young people involved in healing our planet and society with their hands and heads. These are young medical practitioners, young educators involved with environmental work such as recycling, and NGO workers.

• Influencers are young people who are influencing the actions and behaviours of brands, policies and people, and this includes government leaders, trendsetters, social media gurus, and critics.

• Innovators include young people inventing new products, and business ideas or services that are changing the way we live, work and play. This category is for youngsters who are driving business or technology, scientists, architects, and chefs.

• Trailblazers include young people leading their field at a local and even international level. These include top sport stars, academics, scientists, and business leaders.

Nominees must be South African residents (not necessarily born in South Africa) who are doing exceptional community development work.

“We recognise that there are many inspiring young people doing exceptional work in communities around the country, however, much needs to be done to support their work in order to help accelerate their efforts. Our aim with the Young Independents competition is to provide some support to boost their efforts and their community development endeavours, and provide the necessary support to enhance their work in communities,” says Saajida Francis, head of The Young Independents.

“Our aim is to encourage and accelerate young leadership in various structures of society, recognising that this age group is the future of our country, and by nurturing them, we are nurturing the country’s future leaders.”

Applications close on 31 January 2017. To nominate a candidate, click here.