AT 33-YEARS-old, Pearl Pillay is redefining youth leadership and advocacy in South Africa.

Pillay, who hails from Chatsworth in Durban, has been at the forefront of youth upliftment for the past 12 years.

Pillay, who now resides in Johannesburg, She holds various positions including the managing director of Youth Lab, a youth development organisation; a board member of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA); and the national planning commissioner responsible for youth in the National Planning Commission (NPC). 

She is also a board member for the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa(WESSA). 

Pillay, who hails from Chatsworth in Durban, said her journey into youth and community upliftment started as a young girl. 

“While I was still in primary school I volunteered at the Chatsworth Nelson Mandela Community Youth Centre, which was opened three years after the deaths of several children at a nightclub, Throb, in 2000. I worked closely with Clive Pillay, who is the volunteer programmes coordinator at the youth centre.

“He was also an inspiration to me and many others because of his selflessness and he was always willing to help us grow. He didn’t just see us as ‘children acting like grown-ups’. He saw potential in all of us. 

“There was a group of us who assisted him with designing and organising programmes. We did many programmes around drug and alcohol abuse, as well as literacy, the environment and climate change. In addition, we were involved in feeding programmes in the community and hamper drives for school children. 

“The youth centre also gave us opportunities, myself included. I remember while in Grade 12, I participated in a Toastmasters through the youth centre, and was given the opportunity to attend a programme called the Global Young Leaders Conference in the US. It was also on that trip I learnt about the inner-workings of the United Nations (UN) and at the time, it made me think that I wanted to become a diplomat,” she said. 

Pillay said after matriculating, she pursued a degree in politics and international relations at Wits University. 

“I always knew I wanted to do work that involved social justice, helping people, and being immersed in community development  work. I thought diplomacy would be the vehicle because I aspired to work at the UN Human Rights Council. 

“However, I was expelled in 2013 after fellow members of the university’s Student Representative Council protested against an Israeli pianist being allowed to play in a concert at the campus. We were in support of Palestine. The students adopted a cultural and academic boycott of Israel, which meant we did not want to have Israeli academics or any kind of Israel-linked activities on campus.

“We faced multiple charges and later that afternoon, we found out on radio about the expulsion. At the time I was doing my honours degree in politics. Later on, the expulsion was overturned after we had a brilliant lawyer reach out and help us. I was able to complete my honours degree and thereafter Master’s degree in politics,” she said.

Pillay said on the same day she was offered a job at Youth Lab. 

“It just so happened that I was at an event with people that were with Youth Lab, and they asked if I needed a job, which I gladly accepted. From there I climbed the ladder, from being an intern to a director and now the managing director. Our goal is to educate, equip and engage with the youth.”

Pillay said she was appointed as a board member of the NYDA in 2021. Her term was expected to end after three years in November last year. 

“However, they are still in the process of selecting the new board. The NYDA is one of the institutions that falls under the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities and receives about 70% of the department budget.

“Our job is to fulfil the youth development agenda for the country. Being a board member of the NYDA has enabled me to extend my reach in terms of uplifting the youth. With non-government or non-profit organisations, you can, for example, only reach 50 youth through programmes due to limited funding, but now we can reach up to 50 000. It is a nice feeling to work at a larger scale and make a greater difference.”

Pillay added that she aspired to be part of the National Planning Commission. 

“At the Youth Lab we interacted with a lot of policy-makers and are immersed in the policy-making space. Also, when the National Development Plan was launched in 2012, I was still a student at Wits University, and there was a lot of activity happening centered around it. I was also able to interact with the NPC and thought  that being in the policy-making space might be the next step for me. 

“I also knew that I was not going to work in youth development forever. My ethos is that once you turn 35, you need to get out and make space for other young people to do the work. So, I was appointed to the NPC, which is referred to as the ‘President’s think-tank’, a week after being appointed as a board member for the NYDA. I definitely have my hands full, but it is quite fulfilling to know that my job is to think about the future of the country and then design frameworks for that future to become a reality.”

Pillay said she felt proud to have been given opportunities to live the “beautiful adventure of a life” she now had. 

“I have worked exceptionally hard to achieve the goals I set for myself. Growing up, there were many people around me who were smart and ambitious but did not get the opportunities that I did. I feel lucky I am one of those people who did, so that I could try to make a difference in the lives of others, especially other youth. I also feel a sense of pride and fulfilment that I have been able to find my purpose and create a life centered around it.”

Pillay said her message to the youth was to remember that they are not alone.

“There are so many people out there who are trying to make this country a better place for young people and to help address all the challenges that they are faced with. As difficult as it might be now, we owe it to ourselves to keep pushing and trying, as well as remember to act in a spirit of community and as a collective at all times.” 

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