Hiring the future: Young South Africans imagine resilient communities

Radio Workshop launched Hiring the Future, the second in a series of campaigns exploring youth employment and the changing world of work. The initiative brought together young reporters from 12 community radio stations across South Africa to explore how communities could build more resilient and self-reliant futures.

Building on the earlier Who’s Hiring Me? campaign, which examined employment opportunities in a changing labour market, Hiring the Future shifted the conversation towards the work communities needed to feed themselves, generate energy and care for one another.

With rising food, transport and energy costs placing increasing pressure on households, the campaign encouraged young people to look beyond conventional employment and consider how they could contribute to stronger local economies.

At its heart was the concept of a just transition, framed through food sovereignty, energy sovereignty and the right of communities to shape their own futures. Young reporters explored questions about where food came from, who had access to green economy opportunities and what skills and activities were already helping communities become more resilient.

The campaign also highlighted the importance of work that often went unrecognised or unpaid, including growing food, caring for others and repairing essential resources.

As part of the initiative, young reporters visited schools to engage learners in conversations about their communities and the future. Learners were invited to write letters to their present-day selves from the year 2046, imagining what their lives and communities might look like 20 years into the future.

The exercise encouraged learners to think creatively about environmental protection, local food production and the role they could play in shaping a more sustainable future. Growing vegetables within their communities was among the practical actions promoted to strengthen food security in the face of rising prices.

Through community radio, school outreach and youth-led storytelling, Hiring the Future encouraged young South Africans to see themselves not only as future jobseekers, but as active participants in building the communities they wanted to live in.

Listen to their range of audio podcasts on the Radio Workshop YouTube channel.

Good stories are meant to be shared: