Welcome remarks by Neville Gabriel, Executive Director of the Southern Africa Trust, at the launch of sayXchange

Wanderers Club, Johannesburg, 4 February 2010

Dear friends, a very good evening to you all!

Welcome you to this launch of the Southern Africa Youth Exchange, that we call sayXchange! This initiative is the first structured programme of its kind. The Southern Africa Trust and AFS Interculture are very happy that you have come to be part of this great event.

Of all the people that I have been privileged to get to know, there is one person who stands out as being the most energetic, tireless, and young in spirit. That is the very special young woman sitting next to me: Mama Graça Machel, a very special welcome to you. We are indeed grateful that you chose to be with us this evening even though there are other equally important tasks that require your attention.

Your activism and commitment to the welfare of the people of our region, especially those who are at the margins of our societies, inspires us all to redouble our efforts to find lasting solutions to the development challenges of our region.

Almost two years ago, in the midst of the violent attacks in South Africa on migrants from other African countries, you proposed and we worked with you to convene a regional forum of civil society organizations to understand the root causes of the tragic attacks, assess its regional impact, and plan practical responses in a coordinated way. One of the recommendations that came out of that forum was to create new opportunities for regional cross-border exchanges of young people so that we work to develop a shared regional identity in southern Africa.

I am sure that you are as happy as we are today that this recommendation is now becoming a reality.

I want to acknowledge the presence here tonight of:

• The chairperson of AFS Interculture South Africa, my friend and colleague Bongani Khumalo; and
• The president of the Southern Africa Youth Movement, Muzwakhe Sigudhla.

Let me also especially welcome the many partner organizations present here today who are supporting this initiative and other youth-focused initiatives of the Southern Africa Trust. I especially want to welcome the regional counselor of the Candian International Development Agency (CIDA), Ms Ellen Hagermann.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As I mentioned earlier, not so long ago we witnessed horrific attacks in South Africa on migrants from other African countries. What did we learn from this sad state of affairs? People living in poverty turned their anger on their neighbours from other African countries whom they accused of taking their jobs. The attackers were mainly young people in urban areas. Young people bear the brunt of the fault lines on our societies today. They, more than others, face the many challenges of poor education systems, joblessness, HIV and AIDS, voicelessness, and many forms of social exclusion.

Through sayXchange we intend to offer the opportunity for exposure of young people to different possibilities, different world experiences, and a better future than the one we got a glimpse of during the brutal violence in 2008. One that is built on a shared regional identity, deeper inter-cultural understanding, and people-based regional integration in southern Africa. It is only that kind of regional integration that will build a future in which everyone in the region can share the benefits.

SayXchange will also develop the values of selflessness, discipline, self respect, commitment and independence among its participants.

The programme will offer the opportunity to develop exceptional young people from our region into leaders who have a regional perspective – a kind of leadership that builds bridges across conventional borders – not only the borders of our countries, but the borders between the rich and the poor and between women and men as well.

Too many young people in our region are at risk of falling into the margins of society. It is our hope that, through this programme, more and more young people in our region will get involved in civic affairs and grow a strong interest in development work.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you once again for being here this evening. In this programme, we want to work very closely with all of you – especially youth and development organizations in our region. You can do this by nominating possible participants in the programme or offering to host young people on exchange, or in any other way that you can give your support.

I hope that you will enjoy this launch event and give your full support to sayXchange.

I thank you.