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Q&A with Recruitment Officer Esau Raditsela

Esau in his red jacket giving two thumbs up and smilingIn advance of our 2021 service leader application launching in mid-October, we sat down with our Recruitment Officer, Esau Raditsela, to get some behind the scenes insight and tips.

What qualities make someone a strong candidate for a City Year South Africa service leader?

We are looking for young people who are passionate about bringing positive change both in their lives and those of others. The strongest candidates are those who have a clear vision of how the City Year experience will assist them as they transition from where they are to where they aspire to be. These change-makers need to provide insight into the leadership activities they have engaged in during and after their high school years to show that they have already been taking the right steps to improve their lives. Most importantly they need to have full confidence that they can commit to a 10-month full time service programme.

How has City Year South Africa adapted its service during COVID? 

I really believe that the organisation has lived up to one of its favorite phrases “City Year is Always Ready!!!” because within a few months of the COVID-19 national lockdown, City Year had reached out to its partners who had to continue to provide essential services to their communities and came up with ways for service leaders to work with them in maximizing their impact. This meant that service leaders would actually continue with their community service and gain various skills. The staff and service leaders were introduced to more online tools to ensure that the implementation of the programme as well as reporting is still done effectively.

What is your favorite part of the recruitment process?

Community Outreach has to be my favorite part of the process, I enjoy going into different communities and engaging with our stakeholders as well as the young people they work with. I get to learn more about each of our service areas, their dynamics and cultures. In the past couple years, I have found myself experiencing full circle moments during our graduation ceremony when I see a young person I met at a community outreach having went through the entire programme and seeing how tall they stand, how confident and proud they are of themselves sometimes even celebrating on stage with their family members who are just as proud of their transformation. Those are moments I am grateful for and they inspire me to do better and reach out to more community-based organisations so we can get to more young people.

I am however looking forward to how we will be recruiting this year. The online campaign will be a new challenge and I love a good challenge and even though I will not be going to the communities I will be engaging with our stakeholders and candidates virtually.

Why are you passionate about this work?

I am a proud product of National Youth Service programmes myself, I am fully aware of the impact they can have in one’s career growth and that’s what I want for other youth people. The other thing I have noticed is that most young people want to belong to a course greater than self, they want to be surrounded by like-minded peers who are driven by the desire to grow and that’s where our work comes in, I am very proud to be part of a movement that unites young people with a common goal and give them an opportunity to serve and grow in a lot of aspect of their lives.

Esau holding a camera and smiling next to another staff member

Why is volunteer or service work important?

It is important because it teaches citizens to take responsibility for their environment and, in this day and age, it is a pathway to upskilling oneself and creating meaningful networking circles. As citizens, we need to realize that our growth and that of our community depends on us taking a stand and making positive decisions and actions consistently. We may have challenges with our economy or the leadership of our country but if we come together every day to do a bit of good we will definitely change the world.

Service Partners
  • Sekwati primary school logo
  • Tshilidzi Primary school logo
  • Zola Higher Primary School logo
  • Paul Mosaka primary school logo
  • Lyndhurst primary school logo
  • Mikateka logo
  • Rebonwe Primary School logo
Amathuba Partners
  • Camp Sizanani logo
  • Phakamani young minds logo
  • WestRand Youth Development logo
  • Timberland South Africa Logo
  • Aggatu logo