A literature review and qualitative study was undertaken to ascertain the influence of violence on social youth club activities, and youth as individual members of society. The purpose was to determine the involvement of youth in the ongoing political violence as well as to ascertain youth's needs and anxieties during periods of violence. Politically aligned, social and church youth groups were studied. Group discussions were held with different groups in an effort to probe into youth's activities and personal lives during periods of violence. The researcher also relied upon perusal of media, unobtrusive observation of youth's behaviour during incidents of violence, and informal discussions with the parents. The study found that political violence hinders the activities of youth, but that politically aligned youth feel empowered by their involvement in the liberation struggle. Youth referred to their own acts of violence as counterviolence against the violence of apartheid. They saw themselves as victims of violence, rather than perpetrators of violence. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Science (Mental Health))

M.Cur. (Psychiatric Nursing) / The objectives of this study were to describe group nursing therapy as a resource utilized by the psychiatric nurse as a way of facilitating the adolescent's mobilization of resources to cope with the violence in their everyday life and to describe guidelines for group nursing therapy to facilitate the promotion, maintenance and restoration of these adolescent's mental health. The situation of violence makes the adolescent susceptible to mental health problems. The adolescent perceive various degrees of violence in their homes, the community and at school. A combination of these violence related situations predisposes the adolescents to developing unhealthy ways of coping with the effects of violence. The number of adolescents referred to psychiatric community services has increased at an alarming rate. The main reasons for their referral was their poor scholastic performance; they were generally labelled as "a lost generation" and also as being mentally ill. The research was based on Nursing for the Whole Person Theory and the functional approach to nursing research was assumed. This implies that the goal of the research was aimed at improving the quality of patient care. The research design was descriptive and qualitative in nature, which was also contextual. The descriptive single case study method was utilized. Reliability was ensured by using as many steps as possible to operationalize the case study - and the research was conducted as if someone were always looking over the researcher's shoulder. Validity control measures were applied to counteract criticism by ensuring that a sufficient operational set of measures was developed and objective judgements were used to collect data by way of coding transcribed audiotaped material from all the sessions of the group nursing therapy...

M.A. / The aim of this study is to develop an Adventure Based Counselling (ABC) programme for the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents at the Ekuseni Youth Development Centre (EYDC) at Newcastle. This project is an initiative of the Nelson Mandela Childrens Fund. The ABC programme is based upon the same principles as those utilised by Outward Bound, Project Adventure and Wilderness Challenge (Garvey, 1990). These programmes have been successfully utilised individually or as part of a regimen in the treatment and rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents (Laurence & Stuart, 1990). The ABC programme is characterised by a high degree of physical challenge which takes place between a period of briefing and a period of debriefing. Through participation in continuous, cohesive, structured activities, individuals can learn about themselves as whole people, inclusive of physical, emotional and mental abilities and disabilities. This will enable the participants to develop positive emotional, social, physical and mental values which will alter their delinquent behaviour. The following chapter focuses on adolescent development and the possible causes of juvenile delinquency.

Masters in Research Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand, 2016 / Stories of home and homelessness: Young men’s experiences of Jo’burg city centre. This study paper aimed to explore phenomenon of homelessness through the narratives of young men living in Johannesburg. Current research focuses on 1) the prevalence of homelessness or 2) homelessness in relation to social problems. While the first focus serves to perpetuate the conceptualisation of homelessness as only about the absence of a house, the second focus identifies homeless people as the social problem and fails to recognise the social factors that cause and maintain this phenomenon. This study views home+less+ness as not just the lack of shelter but also as a state or experience that is not separate from the rest of the individual life. Seven young men were recruited on the basis of being currently or recently homeless, or living on the streets. The data were collected through narrative interviews and subjected to two forms’ of analysis, thematic analysis and a structural analysis that maps movement in space and time. Main themes identified were related to home as elsewhere; home (lessness) and belonging in past, present; and imagined future relationships and spaces. Mapping the life histories of the participants reveals trajectories of frequent movement, including that participants may journeys ‘home’ to their places of origin but always once again returning to the streets of Johannesburg. This suggests that the conventional ideas of home as a safe space of belonging and homelessness as a place of loss and hopelessness, are not binary, rather these are oscillating, intertwined experiences / GR2017

Train-Surfing is a high-risk phenomenon that has in recent years, become a trend affecting black male youths in South Africa. This study aimed at examining the motives behind the phenomenon. It also aimed at exploring the role that train-surfing plays in constructing a black, South African, masculine identity and what it means to be a train-surfer. A broader aim of the study was to explore the constructions of masculinity and their influence on high-risk behaviours in men. The reason for the choice of topic was that although train-surfing is not a recent phenomenon it appears to be a growing phenomenon in South Africa. Scientific publications are limited thus far with regard to international and local literature on this issue. This exploratory study used the social constructionist theory as a theoretical framework and presents qualitative research findings based on in-depth interviews of six juvenile train-surfers who reside in Soweto, Gauteng. Thematic Content Analysis was used to analyse the data. The study found that train-surfers tend to show evidence of family discord and are inclined to rely on support from their train-surfing peers. All of the participants lacked a substantial father figure, however many of them showed evidence of consistent support from mother figures. Reasons for participation in train-surfing include impressing young females, a desire for status and fame and peer pressure. Some participants perceived the activity as a sport or hobby, whilst others used symbols of addiction in describing the phenomenon. It was also found that the train-surfing participants used train-surfing as a means to define their identity as young, black males living in South Africa. Train-surfing was found to be associated with other high-risk activities such as taking drugs, drinking alcohol and gang-related behaviours. These findings are important as they highlight the role of high-risk behaviour in adolescents and uncover much needed research regarding men and masculinities in South Africa. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

This study explores the impact of racism on the identity construction of Black Nigerian youth in Montreal. Several themes, related to socialization, family, education, integration, employment, racism, marginalization and social exclusion emerged from phenomenological interviews of 10 Nigerian youth, 5 parents and 3 community leaders. These expressions of their lived experiences exposed the negative impact of racism and racist discourses of the Canadian society on minority groups. It simultaneously showed, through the acquisition of pro-social skills, the extent that marginalized groups, as depicted by Nigerian youth, formulate resiliency and strategies to resist and deconstruct their "othering," in order to construct a healthy identity.

The study explored the leisure styles of peri-urban youth living on the fringe of the city of Durban. Little is known about the leisure patterns of this marginalised segment of the urban population and an aim of this study was to begin to develop a knowledge-base using a holistic or multi-theme approach. Data was collected on the leisure activities, attitudes and the leisure setting of shack youth. Such information would be helpful in understanding the role which leisure plays and could play in the social development of shack youth. The research methodology, comprising qualitative interviewing in phase one (to gather contextual data) and a survey in phase two (to explore leisure patterns quantitatively), complemented the holistic focus by examining actors' leisure experiences and the wider leisure context. To interpret the research findings, socio-psychological models of leisure explained respondents' styles of leisure at the interpersonal level whilst at the macro-spatial level, findings were contextualised in an apartheid city 'framework to show the way the historical context has shaped present leisure patterns. In the context of shack life, leisure was found to be a strategy for survival and an alternative route to the satisfaction of higher order needs. Despite environmental constraints, respondents identified socio-spatial opportunities for leisure activities which they perceived to be freely chosen and enjoyable. The study concluded that leisure is a valuable tool which social policy makers and planners could use to develop the latent potential of young shack dwellers. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1994.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2006. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 44-06, page: 2580.

M.Ed. (Educational Guidance) / This study forms part of a group project on school dropout which the Rand Afrikaans University and the Ben Gurion University in Israel have jointly undertaken. There is a widespread concern about the high dropout rate in schools all over the world including the Republic of South Africa. In view of the many challenges facing the country economically and politically South Africa needs its youth to be motivated, productive and self supportive.The Rand Afrikaans University and the Ben Gurion University have decided to pool their knowledge and experience in researching factors which contribute to pupils' leaving school too early. The project aims to identify the at-risk pupils and to research internal and external factors such as self concept, family relations and locus of control and their relation to dropout. This study will specifically focus on the way potential dropouts in black schools experience their self concept.

M.A. (Psychology) / Youth and children constitute seventy percent of the population in South Africa. It is these children who carry the potential for the future of our nation. They may be precluded from reaching their potential jf we do not urgently address the problems brought about by violence. Highly evident is the increased incidence of PTSD within the violence stricken communities in South Africa. PTSD among black youths is so high that it can be described as an epidemic. Due to the limited therapeutic resources available, it is imperative that a programme ofaction aimed atreducing the negative impact which PTSD has and continues to have on children is designed. Thus, following adiligent study of the literature, it was decided to train lay counsellors I volunteers in terms of a previously devised Cognitive Behavioural Group intervention formulated by Cowley, Hetz and Rosin (1994) in order to reach out to these children who have been so aversively affected by violence. Utilising the services of lay counsellors rather than professionals is cost effective and time effective. A large sample of PTSD positive subjects were selected from three different schools on the basis that they satisfied the DSM IV criteria for PTSD. The subjects participated in a six week intervention programme. A large number of lay counsellors were trained and selected to facilitate the intervention programme. The administration of the intervention by the lay counsellors did not alter the effectiveness of the Cognitive Behavioural intervention. The results obtained were in accordance with those obtained by Cowley et al.,(1994) in the paired sample tests which were deemed appropriate for this kind of research.