In celebration of Youth Month, 041online has partnered with Fineprint to spotlight emerging young voices through our Youth Mentorship Programme. Every Monday throughout June, we’ll be featuring essays and opinion pieces from talented local mentees—unfiltered, authentic, and powerfully relevant. These are the stories, insights, and reflections of young South Africans navigating today’s world with energy, insight, and purpose.
We kick off the series with an inspiring piece by Aka Radana, who explores the hidden strengths and everyday resilience of youth in the modern workplace
Youth Is a Superpower
By: Aka Radana
As Youth Month approaches, I thought—why not commemorate Youth Day by highlighting the superpowers that come with being a young person in today’s workplace?
In 2024, a survey was conducted by the African Response to challenge the false narrative that South African youth are overly reliant on the government for employment.
The survey revealed that 41% of youth, classified as either unemployed or seeking work, were earning up to R15,000 through piece jobs, running their own businesses, and freelancing.
Despite the ongoing challenges of youth unemployment, this shows that many young South Africans already possess the right work ethic. As Mamapudi Nkgadima noted in the article “Young South Africans innovate and hustle to beat unemployment,” young people have a “can-do” mindset—a powerful outlook that says, “In spite of the obstacles, I will persevere.”
One of our greatest superpowers as youth is time—time to chase our career goals, explore opportunities, and build a future.
This isn’t to say older generations don’t have time too, but with youth comes hope, resilience, and the ability to shift things in society.
History supports this. The youth were instrumental in challenging the oppressive apartheid regime—most notably through the Soweto Uprisings of 1976.
(Anon., 2013)
Had the youth of that time chosen to carry forward a legacy of hatred and bigotry, we would not have the democratic South Africa we know today. Nor would we have access to the opportunities that, thirty years ago, might have cost us our lives.
Youth in the Workplace
In the modern workplace, young people offer fresh perspectives—especially when it comes to connecting with younger audiences.
When I began my role as a Marketing Intern in December 2024, one of my tasks was to create engagement strategies for our social media pages. Based on feedback from my boss, I learned to be more mindful of the music I used for our Facebook videos.
I began choosing songs that, while not necessarily trending with youth, carried deeper messages that could resonate with broader audiences.
The Future is Ours
Young people drive change. We have the potential to shape the future of businesses and entire nations. History’s most iconic changemakers were often young dreamers with bold visions and relentless work ethics.
So to every young person out there:
You’re doing a great job.
Keep working. Keep earning.
Your achievements will follow.
This piece is part of the 041online x Fineprint Youth Mentorship Series for Youth Month 2025.
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