Youth Work and Youth Development in South Africa: an Overview

This article aims to provide an overview of youth work and youth development in South Africa through a review of literature and information from the websites of various youth development organisations. The review makes it clear that South African youth faces various social, economical and health challenges, highlighting the need for youth development. Although various organisations provided youth development in the past, the political history of South Africa leaves questions regarding the outcomes and the effectiveness of some of these initiatives. Currently, various national bodies and departments (e.g. National Youth Development Agency; Sport and Recreation South Africa), provide youth development programmes in an attempt serve the broader community. Lastly, a new trend is emerging, namely that youths attend various programmes in the form of a gap-year after completing school. However, this is limited only to those who have the financial ability to afford these often costly programmes. In conclusion, despite youth development receiving attention, the accessibility of programmes and the long-term involvement of youth in these initiatives are still unclear. Creating liveable communities to improve quality of life and foster youth development through leisure is recommended to ensure development of all South African youth.

並列關鍵字

Youth development ； South Africa ； youth work ； leisure ； recreation

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