Tracker’s Men in the Making campaign will see businesses across the country welcoming boys from Grade 10 to Grade 12 into their offices for job shadowing and life mentoring activities this month. 
Tracker launched its Men in the Making campaign five years ago, seeking to offer boys and young men the chance to interact with role models in society.
The campaign, which will take place on Thursday 25 April 2013, is supported by the Department of Basic Education, Shout SA and Metro FM.
Designed to be more than just a career day, the aim of the campaign is to help teenage boys understand the value of their education, to challenge them to overcome their obstacles and to work towards becoming productive adult citizens.
Statistics SA figures for the third quarter of 2012 show 71% of SA’s unemployed are aged 25 to 34. The unemployment rate among South African youth is 36%, and about 3,3-million youth aged 15 and 34 are not employed or studying.
“One of the most complicated aspects of South Africa at the moment is the way all our social issues relate to each other,” says Tshego Bokaba, Tracker CSI manager.
“It’s very difficult to separate gender violence from drug abuse, poor education and general unemployment. But when you take a broad view, it’s clear that many of our youth lack a general frame of reference and experience. It’s very hard to make positive life decisions when you can’t even picture the basic outline of positive adult life.”
At the broadest level, Men in the Making is a practical intervention designed to create a practical bridge between South Africa’s social aspirations and its very challenging daily reality.