In South Africa, June 16 symbolises a day where young people united against a system of oppression that took the form of an exploitative education system under the Apartheid regime. It was a day that changed the course of South Africa’s history. Where anger, passion and protest was met with ruthless aggression and violence from the police. It was a day where young people lost their lives in the fight for justice and equality.
Today, systems of oppression continue to destroy our society, and as young people, we’ve had enough.
We wish to use Youth Day 2020 to acknowledge the pain, rage and devastation felt as a result of hundreds of years of oppression, inequality, racism (environmental and otherwise) which has been laid bare during the Covid-19 Pandemic and has reignited the #blacklivesmatter protests in the US and around the world.
Racism, sexism, ecological damage, climate change, queerphobia and all other struggles are more interlinked than many realize. There will be no climate justice if we do not achieve racial and other forms of justice too.
This June 16th, with the power of the struggle veterans who came before us, we are turning our pain and rage into positive action. We are naming the future we want, and committing to making it happen.
We’ve taken the classic adultism of ‘young people are the future’ and flipped it with the strong and powerful message of The Future is Now.
We encourage young people all over South Africa to:
- Share your message of the future you desire (through video, text or art) and post it online with #thefutureis
- Consider what is practically needed for the future you desire to be actualised, and make this call to action,
- Engage your school on why and how they need to be part of a better future now
- Join our live stream event on June 16th at 5pm South African time. Follow African Climate Alliance on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for more information.
We invite partnering organisations and civil society to join the campaign:
- Become a co-host on the day’s event
- Share the campaign with your members and friends
- Participate by adding your unique message to the #thefutureis
- Join ACA and other youth-led organisations in uniting youth voices for collaboration and solidarity
Please contact team@africanclimatealliance.org
Please feel free to utilize any of the digital artworks provided in this file and shown in the document below.
| Components of the #TheFutureIs Now Campaign |
Purpose: (why are we doing this? – what can we achieve with this?)
- To honour June 16th, Youth Day, and the crucial role young people played in the history of this country so far
- To show the power we have as young people
- To create a mass message of the voices and experiences of young people, speaking truth to issues that are important to us.
- To show the connection between our struggles
- To build a sense of community and solidarity in sharing about the issues we are passionate about
- To amplify youth voices and encourage decision makers to give youth a real seat at the table
Key Messages of Campaign: (what are we saying?)
- We’re feeling the pain and the anger, both of the past and the present moment, and we’re transforming that into action.
- As young people, we are here to show up and do the work now.
- Our struggles are interconnected. We seek solidarity.
- We draw on the strength and pain of our past to turn it into positive action.
- We unite our voices, to share ideas, resources, and mobilise energy.
Some messaging could look like:
The future is now
The future is green
The future is just
The future is anti-racist
The future is equal
The future is queer
The future is non binary
The future is regenerative
The future is degrowth
The future is fossil fuel free
The future is decolonized
The future is decentralized
The future is wheelchair accessible
The future is understanding
The future is inclusive
The future is accepting
The future is anti-fascist
Example Graphics
