011 482 7256/7257
info@empowayouth.co.za
Vaal EmpowaYouth Week 2026
Why Partner With Us?
Vaal EmpowaYouth Week is not an event; it is a catalytic engine of national transformation. This is a high-impact economic activation designed to bridge township youth into the future economy, creating employment, enterprise, and education pathways at scale. We bring together South Africa’s most committed employers, bold funders, government leaders, and ecosystem builders, not to talk, but to engineer measurable outcomes. Whether your mission is to place youth into meaningful work, launch groundbreaking innovation, or cement your brand as a national leader in economic transformation, this is the platform where your impact must be seen, felt, and remembered.
PARTNERSHIP REGISTRATION :
Event Overview:
Vaal EmpowaYouth Week 2026
Dates
20–24 April 2026
Time
08:00 – 15:00 Daily
Venue
Koinonia Bible Church, Sebokeng, Zone 14
Theme
Powering South Africa’s Youth Economy
Audience
NEET Youth, Unemployed Graduates, Job Seekers, Entrepreneurs, Matriculants
Expected Attendance
10,000+ youth (2,000+ per day)
A mass-scale, high-impact economic platform, curated in the Vaal and designed for national impact.
EmpowaYouth Week is not a summit; it’s a catalytic economic engine
A national-scale intervention engineered to convert ideas into industries, potential into productivity, and crisis into capital.
Each day ignites one of South Africa’s most urgent and opportunity-rich sectors — where youth aren’t just participating, they’re leading
Delegate Registration
Sector Activations | Youth at the Helm of Economic Futures
Monday
100+ Power Panels & Sector Dialogues
Launching scalable careers in preventative care, mental health services, longevity science, wellness tech, and professional caregiving, sectors rapidly expanding across Africa.
Tuesday
AI, Digital Economy & Deep Tech
Unlocking the 4IR by fuelling youth-led innovation in fintech, automation, data science, cybersecurity, platform technologies, and digital infrastructure. This is the new backbone of productivity.
Wednesday
Creative & Film Economy
Monetising Africa’s cultural capital. Empowering storytellers, digital creators, filmmakers, animators, game developers, and designers to build scalable IP and creative enterprise, turning content into capital.
Thursday
Green Economy & Climate Innovation
Mobilising youth to lead climate solutions, from smart agriculture and waste-to-energy ventures to circular economy models and renewable tech. This is risk transformed into economic resilience.
Friday
Entrepreneurship, Funding & Innovation Ecosystems
Creating a national deal flow of fundable youth-led businesses. From pitch stages to ESD pipelines and VC showcases, this is where real money meets real solutions, and youth founders scale their vision.
This is not a campaign. It’s a province-wide uprising of possibility. Each township is a stage. Each stage is a sector. Each youth engaged is a future transformed. And your brand can be at the centre of it, building, activating, and leading a new generation of prosperity.
Our Impact Is Measured in Numbers But Felt in Lives Transformed.
To date, EmpowaYouth has:
Mobilised over
Youth
activating their potential through real platforms, not empty promises.
Secured
Jobs
placing young people into meaningful employment across sectors, industries, and regions.
Funded
Township enterprises
backing youth-led businesses with capital, mentorship, and market access to scale where it matters most.
Delivered
accredited skills certifications
equipping unemployed youth and graduates with the tools to enter, thrive, and lead in the economy of tomorrow.
Programme Highlights
Where Power Meets Possibility
EmpowaYouth Week 2026 is more than a programme — it’s a national engine of activation, connection, and transformation. Every element is built for scale, designed for impact, and engineered for legacy.
100+ Power Panels & Sector Dialogues
Engage directly with Ministers, CEOs, trailblazing Founders, and Policy Architects in high-stakes conversations that shape policy, unlock markets, and redefine the youth economy across ten critical sectors.
40+ Experiential Zones
Step into the future through interactive Demo Labs, real-time Skills Accelerators, Employment Hubs, and Startup Showcases, where innovation meets access, and opportunity becomes tangible
200+ Strategic Partners Activated
Corporates, government, funders, and ecosystem builders deliver live opportunities, from job placements and bursaries to enterprise funding, mentorship, ESD integration, and digital upskilling.
Live Performances & Cultural Immersions
South Africa’s top artists, storytellers, and cultural icons come alive on stage, amplifying youth identity, creativity, and voice, transforming inspiration into activation.
Pitch Stages & Career Clinics
High-growth youth enterprises go head-to-head on dedicated Pitch Stages, securing investment, incubation, and visibility. At the same time, Career Clinics connect job-seeking youth with top HR leaders, recruiters, and mentors for personalised, actionable pathways to employment.
EmpowaYouth Week is not a summit; it’s a catalytic economic engine.
A national-scale intervention engineered to convert ideas into industries, potential into productivity, and crisis into capital.
Each day ignites one of South Africa’s most urgent and opportunity-rich sectors — where youth aren’t just participating, they’re leading
Why Your Brand Belongs at the Frontline of EmpowaYouth
EmpowaYouth Week 2026 is more than a programme — it’s a national engine of activation, connection, and transformation. Every element is built for scale, designed for impact, and engineered for legacy.
Strategic Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG), Corporate Social Investment (CSI) & Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) Impact
Deliver measurable, mission-aligned transformation where it matters most, in youth employment, enterprise development, and inclusive economic growth. This is not a tick-box exercise. It is high-return, high-visibility impact that directly advances your Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) priorities, fulfils your Corporate Social Investment (CSI) objectives, and maximises Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) scorecard contributions. Through EmpowaYouth Weeks 2026, your partnership becomes a visible, quantifiable driver of systemic change, one that creates jobs, funds township enterprises, expands local supply chains, and opens markets for historically excluded youth, all while positioning your brand as a national leader in purpose-driven growth and economic transformation.
Build the Workforce of the Future
From AI engineers and digital storytellers to skilled artisans and data analysts, EmpowaYouth Weeks 2026 is where tomorrow’s workforce is discovered, shaped, and deployed at scale. Be first in line to access, mentor, and pipeline exceptional young talent into your organisation and sector, ensuring you’re not just meeting future skills demand, but owning the competitive edge in the talent economy. This is where high-potential youth meet high-impact opportunity, and where your brand becomes the catalyst for the next generation of industry leaders.
Unrivalled Brand Reach & Stakeholder Engagement
Position your organisation in front of national ministers, policy architects, investors, funders, and a dynamic youth market ready to engage. Across every touchpoint — media, government, civil society, and community, your brand leads the conversation.
Purpose-Led Transformation with Legacy Returns
This is not charity. This is not compliance. This is catalytic transformation with your brand as the architect, powering real lives, shifting economic systems, and leaving a legacy built on scale, substance, and national relevance.
Unrivalled Brand Reach & Stakeholder Engagement
Position your organisation in front of national ministers, policy architects, investors, funders, and a dynamic youth market ready to engage. Across every touchpoint — media, government, civil society, and community, your brand leads the conversation.
Purpose-Led Transformation with Legacy Returns
This is not charity. This is not compliance. This is catalytic transformation with your brand as the architect, powering real lives, shifting economic systems, and leaving a legacy built on scale, substance, and national relevance.
EmpowaYouth is where brands don’t just show up.
They stand up. And they lead.
Vaal Empowayouth Masterclass Series 2025–2026
Frequency
1 Masterclass per month
(October 2025 – February 2026)
Format
Hybrid
(Live in Sebokeng + Streamed Nationally)
Venue
Koinonia Bible Church, Sebokeng, Zone 14
(Professionally hired venue)
Audience
100 youth per session
(NEET, graduates, jobseekers, entrepreneurs)
Time
10:00 – 13:00
Delivery
Keynote + Practical Activation + Brand Integration + Recruitment/Skills Access
Masterclass Registration
Masterclass Calendar & Sector Themes
October 2025 – February 2026
Five Months. Five Sectors. One Mission:
Build the Workforce That Will Own the Future.
These are not ordinary workshops. These are power labs, designed to plug South African youth directly into the fastest-growing industries on the planet, equip them with the skills that pay, and connect them to the decision-makers who can open the door to jobs, contracts, and funding.
OCTOBER 2025 | Health, Wellness & the Care Economy
Healing the Economy: Careers in Care, Health & Humanity
Power Statement: Health is the new wealth, and the Care Economy is a trillion-dollar global sector waiting for Africa’s next generation of healers, innovators, and human-first entrepreneurs.
Key Outcomes & Activities:
- Healthcare Career Fast-Track: Direct pathways into medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, sports science, and occupational therapy
- Mental Health Enterprise Labs: Turning mental wellness into a scalable business opportunity
- Wellness Tech Incubator: Exposure to startups disrupting healthcare with apps, wearables, and AI
- Industry Access: Networking with CEOs, medical specialists, NGO leaders, and private hospital executives
NOVEMBER 2025 | AI, Tech & the Digital Economy
Code the Future: AI, Innovation & the 4IR Workforce
Power Statement: The 4th Industrial Revolution will not wait for Africa. We either write the code, or we get coded out of the future.
Key Outcomes & Activities:
- Live AI Coding Arenas: Youth coding real-world solutions in fintech, logistics, and health
- Fintech Power Sessions: Meeting the banks, digital lenders, and payment disruptors
- Next-Gen Careers: Cybersecurity, data science, cloud architecture, blockchain innovation
- AI in Business Masterclass: From predictive analytics to automated customer engagement
DECEMBER 2025 | Film, Media & the Creative Economy
Frame the Future: Youth in Film, Content & Storytelling
Power Statement: Whoever owns the story owns the culture. Whoever owns the IP owns the wealth.
Key Outcomes & Activities:
- Content Monetisation Workshops: How to make your art pay, and keep the rights
- Production Labs: Film, sound, animation, editing, hands-on, real-time creation
- Creator-to-CEO Roadmap: Building brands that attract global audiences and buyers
- Industry Immersion: Networking with streaming giants, production houses, and ad agencies
JANUARY 2026 | Green Economy, Sustainability & AgriTech
Regenerate: Green Jobs, Agribusiness & the Circular Economy
Power Statement: Climate crisis is the challenge, green enterprise is the answer. The future belongs to those who can grow, build, and innovate sustainably.
Key Outcomes & Activities:
- Urban Farming Hackathons: Food security meets entrepreneurship
- Climate Innovation Labs: Waste-to-energy, green construction, and eco-engineering
- Agri-Processing Value Chains: Turning local produce into global products
- Circular Economy Blueprint: Monetising sustainability in every industry
FEBRUARY 2026 | Entrepreneurship, Funding & Innovation Ecosystems
Fund the Future: From Hustle to High-Growth Startups
Power Statement: Hustle is not enough. To win, you need systems, scale, and serious capital.
Key Outcomes & Activities:
- Investor Readiness Bootcamp: Perfect your pitch and land the cheque
- Startup Clinics: Legal, branding, and growth hacking for early-stage ventures
- VC & Angel Network Access: Meet the funders who can accelerate your idea
- Township-to-Global Case Studies: Real stories of entrepreneurs who scaled beyond borders
TETA Empowayouth Week
Orange Farm – 2023
TETA Empowayouth Week
Orange Farm – 2022
TETA Empowayouth Week
Orange Farm – 2021
TV Coverage
Empowering the Unemployed Youth
SABC NEWS
Expropriation Act Presents Opportunities for Youth – Minister Chikunga
SABC NEWS
Gauteng Film Commission helping Youth With Opportunities
SABC NEWS
Gauteng Film Commission – Tackling Youth Unemployment – Tumi Lebaka Weighs in
SABC NEWS
Mlambo-Ngcuka: It’s important for women to break barriers in male-dominated fields
NEWZROOM AFRIKA
Women in Agriculture | Opportunities and funding for women
ENCA
EmpowaYouth outreach programme empowers unemployed young people in Mpumalanga
SABC NEWS
Empowayouth week | Building a better future for the youth
ENCA
EmpowaYouth support programme a possible solution to high unemployment rate
NEWSROOM AFRIKA
Discussion | NYDA joins Empowaworx to launch the 2022 Orange Farm Empowa Youth week
SABC NEWS
Empowa Youth Weekend Campaign North West
NEWSROOM FRIKA
Calls for young people to consider being agripreneurs: Kgalaletso Tlhoaele
SABC NEWS
Youth empowerment programme in Mahikeng
SABC NEWS
Last day of the TETA EmpowaYouth Weekend held in Qonce
NEWSROOM AFRIKA
INSETA launches first ever Insurance Skills Indaba
RANDBURG SUN
EmpowaYouth Addresses the Urgent Issue of Youth Unemployment in South Africa: A Call For Collaborative Action
PROAGRIMEDIA
EmpowaYouth Addresses the Urgent Issue of Youth Unemployment in South Africa: A Call For Collaborative Action
FUTURE SA
EmpowaYouth Masterclass Empowers Future Filmmakers
RANDBURG SUN
EmpowaYouth Heads to Ekurhuleni: Connecting Young People with Tangible Opportunities
ONLINE MAGAZINE
EmpowaYouth Gathers Leaders to Shape Job Solutions
RANDBURG SUN
EmpowaYouth and Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga Reimagine Livelihoods to Recover Lost Ground at Inaugural EmpowaYouth Indaba
STOKVEL TALK
Media Release
For Immediate Release
Vaal EmpowaYouth Week 2026: South Africa’s Most Powerful Youth Economic Reset
20–24 April 2026 | Sebokeng, Gauteng
Powering South Africa’s Youth Economy
But this crisis is also a once-in-a-generation opportunity. In every unemployed graduate, every unlinked artisan, and every disconnected coder lies untapped human capital capable of fuelling sector growth, driving innovation, and generating profitability.
Vaal EmpowaYouth Week 2026 is the bold, national-scale catalytic intervention that will turn this potential into measurable results in real time. This is not a conference, nor an awareness campaign. It is an economic engine where jobs are secured, enterprises funded, skills certified, and markets unlocked on the spot.
Five Days. Five Industries. One National Reset.
From 20–24 April 2026, Sebokeng will become South Africa’s most powerful marketplace of opportunity, directly connecting more than 10,000 youth to jobs, funding, training, and supplier networks across the five fastest-growing economic sectors:
- Health, Wellness & Care Economy – Launch careers in nursing, allied health, biotech innovation, and wellness entrepreneurship, driving impact in one of Africa’s fastest-growing sectors.
- AI, Digital Economy & Deep Tech – Power up future-ready talent through coding labs, high-intensity hackathons, fintech simulations, and AI mastery sessions.
- Creative & Film Economy – Unlock Africa’s creative capital with production labs, IP monetisation platforms, and global distribution pipelines.
- Green Economy & Climate Innovation – Equip youth to lead in renewable energy, sustainable farming, and waste-to-value innovation for a low-carbon future.
- Entrepreneurship, Funding & Innovation Ecosystems – Activate a live “deal room” where youth-led enterprises secure venture capital, ESD funding, and market-shaping partnerships.
Every day is a live economic activation, not theory, but transactions, contracts, and employment offers delivered on the ground.
Why the Vaal? Why Now?
Once a manufacturing powerhouse, the Vaal has been hit by industrial decline, disinvestment, and broken talent pipelines. This is ground zero for high-impact transformation, where first-mover brands can secure lasting trust, loyalty, and market share by directly unlocking opportunity where it is needed most.
Proven Power to Deliver
EmpowaYouth’s track record speaks for itself:
- 198,000+ youth reached across 8 provinces.
- 690 verified job placements.
- 150 township enterprises funded.
- 2,000+ accredited skills certifications delivered.
We don’t host events for visibility, we engineer outcomes that are auditable, scalable, and nationally relevant.
A Call to Industry Leaders
Vaal EmpowaYouth Week 2026 is more than partnership; it is a strategic acquisition of influence in one of South Africa’s most urgent and high-return transformation platforms.
Event Details
- Dates: 20–24 April 2026
- Venue: Koinonia Bible Church, Sebokeng – Zone 14
- Theme: Powering South Africa’s Youth Economy
- Audience: NEET youth, unemployed graduates, job seekers, entrepreneurs, matriculants
- Expected Attendance: 10,000+ youth over 5 days
Quote “This is not about speeches, it’s about economic engineering in real time. Every job secured, every enterprise funded, every skill certified is a direct step towards rebuilding South Africa’s economic future.” – Simphiwe Masiza, Founder & Executive Producer, EmpowaYouth
Media & Partnership Enquiries
Mbali Mavuso
Project Lead – Vaal EmpowaYouth Week 2026
Tel: +27 11 482 7256 | Mobile: +27 72 882 1840
Email: mbali@empowaworx.co.za
ENDS
SMG -CELEBRATING WORKERS MONTH WITH MOOKHO RICH AUNTY MHLAYIVANA
#LifeInBalance Practical Solutions to Unemployment in South Africa
EmpowaYouth Indaba - Youth Unemployment
YFM Podcast
TUT FM Podcast
Radio 2000 Podcast
SA FM Podcast
Jozi FM Podcast
702 FM Podcast
Team
Simphiwe Masiza
Founder & Executive Producer
Simphiwe Masiza is the visionary Founder and CEO of Empowaworx and The Speakers Firm — two powerhouse brands at the forefront of South Africa’s integrated marketing, reputation leadership, and impact ecosystem. As the architect of groundbreaking platforms like EmpowaYouth, EmpowaWomen, EmpowaEntrepreneurs, EmpowaHim, EmpowaMen, and EmpowaHer, he is redefining how nations mobilize people, capital, and ideas for lasting transformation.
A sought-after international keynote speaker, author, and trailblazing entrepreneur, Simphiwe is known for turning vision into velocity. His platforms are not just events — they are movements that fuel opportunity, unlock capital, and champion inclusive growth.Armed with academic excellence from WITS, GIBS, and other top institutions, his expertise spans strategic planning, executive leadership, governance, organisational development, and reputation architecture. Simphiwe Masiza doesn’t just build brands — he engineers impact.
Mbali Mavuso
Lead Event Manager
Mbali Mavuso is a powerhouse Events Manager with over a decade of high-impact experience in events, activations, and brand experiences. From spearheading Eskom’s iconic 49M initiative to driving strategic executions for TOTAL South Africa’s CSI and Marketing portfolios, as well as activations for Tiger Brands and Distell, Mbali is known for delivering campaigns that don’t just land they resonate.
As the lead events strategist for EmpowaYouth, EmpowaWomen, and EmpowaEntrepreneurs, Mbali curates bold, purpose-led experiences that command attention and inspire action. Her work doesn’t just fill rooms, it fuels movements, unlocks sponsorship value, and shapes memorable engagements that align seamlessly with brand purpose and social impact imperatives.
Celebrated for her creative precision, operational excellence, and deep understanding of audience psychology, Mbali is the driving force behind experiences that shift perceptions, build legacy, and leave a lasting footprint. Simply put she turns visions into unforgettable realities.
Why Partner With Us?
Connect with us to co-create impact, scale transformation, and position your brand at the forefront of South Africa’s youth economy.
Mbali Mavuso
Programme Lead
Vaal EmpowaYouth Week 2026
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