GOV.BW

The National Service Programme (Tirelo Sechaba) is responsible for creation of opportunities for unemployed young people to be able to gain skills and experience across various industries and business sectors. These opportunities not only benefit the youth but also contribute to the economic development of their communities. Selected applicants will be placed as volunteers in different Government Departments, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO’s), public and parastatal sector institutions for a maximum period of ten (10) years.

Process:

• Graduates express intention to enrol through an Application Form 
• Government departments, Parastatals, NGOs and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) express intention to enrol graduates through a Request Form
• Graduate participants can transfer once after three (3) months by filling a Transfer Form
• Graduate participants are eligible for monthly allowance by submitting a Confirmation Form
• Graduate participants can choose to exit the programme before end of two years for various reasons by filling an Exit Form
• Graduate participants can opt for reinstatement by filling a Reinstatement Form
• Graduate participants' performance is monitored through a Workplan Form 

This service is intended for Authors, Self-Publishers, Editors and Publishers in general. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique identification number of a book, while the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is a serial number used to uniquely identify a serial publication. These numbers are issued to publishers and individual authors so that their authored work can be easily identified for consumption in the international market.

Youth Development Fund (YDF) is a socio-economic programme for start-ups and expanding businesses. YDF was introduced in the financial year 2009/10 as an economic empowerment programme meant to assist aspiring youth to venture into various economic enterprises funded at 50% loan & 50% grant. MYSC works in collaboration with other stakeholders such as Local Enterprise Authority to build the spirit of entrepreneurship and other government ministries and parastatals who offer technical support. YDF aims to achieve the following:

• Promote active participation of youth in the socio-economic development of the country
• Encourage the out of school, marginalized, unemployed and underemployed youth to venture into sustainable and viable income generating projects
• Promote the development of competitive, sustainable and growth-oriented citizen owned youth enterprises
• Reduce rural-urban migration by making it attractive to start growth-oriented enterprises in rural areas.
• Create sustainable employment opportunities for young people through the development of sustainable projects.

The Constituency Art Competition is a biannual program administered by the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport & Culture Development together with various Arts Associations in Botswana. The aim of this programme is to promote growth and support for the arts as a means to preserve culture and heritage. The competitions are held twice a year between August and March, during the third and fourth quarter of the financial year. The competitions place an emphasis on the Performing Arts (theatre, poetry, various traditional dances and instruments). The Constituency Arts Competitions commenced in 2010 and aim to nurture talent and provide leisure and recreation for young people. The objectives of the programme are to unearth talent, particularly amongst the youth; keep youth meaningfully engaged so as to avoid substance abuse; promote artistic talent as well as provide leisure activities for youth. The Competition runs in two cycles at ward level and constituency level. The prize money ranges between P1000.00 and P3000.00 at ward level, whereas at constituency level, prize money ranges between P2000.00 and P5000.00.

The President’s Day Competitions is an annual programme administered by the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development (MYSC) together with different Arts Associations. The Competitions are in support of the Visual Arts (fashion, pottery, painting, graphic design, photography and sculpting) and Performing Arts (theatre, poetry, comedy, different traditional dances and contemporary music). It has become a pinnacle of heritage month and a platform for showcasing the cultural diversity that this country prides itself in. Not only does the nation celebrate its heritage, but also gives artists an opportunity to be rewarded for their talent and contributing to the enhancement of Botswana's cultural diversity. The Competitions are aimed at:  

•   Intensifying the spirit of nationhood (Unity) through celebration of Botswana Arts and Culture
•   Helping artists realise their full potential in contributing towards the economy and economic diversification

Implementation process:

• The Ministry issues out a registration notice in February of each year
• Regional competitions commence in April
• National Finals held in Gaborone every July and Awards Ceremony held thereafter

The arts and culture grant offers financial assistance towards the development of the Arts and Culture sector. The aim of the grant is to empower artists, cultural practitioners and organisations to contribute towards economic diversification through the establishment of the creative industries. The limit for small grants is P50 000 while for large grants is P250 000.

Key areas include;

• Capacity building workshops, seminars and training.
• Entertainment covers shows, performances, music, comedy, poetry, theatre, drama and edutainment.
• Literary works cover activities around content creation, presentation and promotion of literary works, book production, translation/adaptations, discussions based on written works, writers/readers competitions
• Hosting and curating exhibitions
• Hosting fashion shows
• Public arts which includes production of sculptures and murals in public places