Introduction to Campaigns
The capitalist social system is characterised by poverty, unemployment and class exploitation. This affects young people in more ways than one, but also is in opposition to the kind of society we seek to create.
Campaigns provide a political space for the organisation to mobilise youth to fight against this system. As the struggle against Apartheid was won through many forms and tactics, so will the struggle against capitalism.
In order to increase our mass-base, and to be an advanced guard for youth development, youth interest and aspirations, we need to put a concerted efforts towards key campaigns that affects the lives of youth.
The purpose of our campaigns should be to expose the brutality and inhuman face of capitalism, and to highlight the plight of the working class and poor youth.
Inasmuch as most of the campaigns that we will engage into will not immediately usher a socialist society, they will however intervene in a minimal way.
This also provides a platform to draw attention to the fact that societal crises are as a result of capitalist accumulation path.
The YCL focuses on this key issues in its campaigns:
- Socio-Economic Conditions of Young People, Socio-Economic Transformation and Development
- Education, Training and Human Resources Development
- Health, Sexuality and the HIV/AIDS pandemic
- Transformation of Gender Relations and Women’s Emancipation
- Marginalized Youth and Minority Youth
- Culture, Religion and Ideology
- Criminal Justice
- Environment
- Sports and Recreation
The campaigns of the YCL are also meant to mobilize and organize youth behind the banner of Socialism and Communism, and to ensure that minimum but emphatic struggles are waged against capitalism.
We also use campaigns to educate youth about the social ills that are as a result of the system of capitalism, and how certain behaviors, conducts and addictions are as a result of profit and not entertainment.
We also believe that our responsibility is not in making noise without providing solutions.
Our key Campaigns focus on:
- Free Education!
- Quality Jobs for All!
- HIV/AIDS!
The tasks that structures and members of the YCL should undertake are:
- Recruit new members into the organization!
- Participate into YCL and SACP led Campaigns!
- Focus on locally-based issues!
- Participate in community-based programmes meant for youth
development!
