The present study compared the suicidal behaviour and related measures of adolescents in high school in Germany (N=318) and South Africa (N=299). Participants completed a series of self-report measures of the SPS (Suicide Probability Scale), PSS-Fa (Perceived Social Support From Family Scale), PSS-Fr (Perceived Social Support From Friends Scale), SIB (Scale Of Interpersonal Behaviour) and a number of demographic questions. Analyses were conducted using content analysis, correlation coefficients and logistic regression to determine variables related to previous suicide attempts, stepwise multiple regression to account for variables predicting currents suicidal risk; and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to examine differences among the groups and among suicide attempters and non-attempters. 36 German (11.3%) and 48 South African (16.1%) adolescents reported that they had made previous suicide attempts. German adolescents reported 45 (14.2%) suicide attempts in the family and 82 (25.8%) suicide attempts by friends. South African adolescents reported 43 (14.4%) suicide attempts in the family and 92 (30.7%) suicide attempts by friends. The following variables were associated with previous suicide attempts in the German sample: attempted suicide by friends, a life-threatening event, previous psychiatric contact, the death of a friend, low perceived family support, female gender, attempted suicide in the family, suicide of a friend, and low perceived friend support. The following variables were associated with previous suicide attempts in the South African sample: low perceived family support, death of a friend, attempted suicide by friends, female gender, a life-threatening event, previous psychiatric contact, suicide of friends, and attempted suicide in the family. The following variables for the German sample were found to be significant predictors of current suicidal risk: low perceived family and friend support, previous suicide attempts, suicide attempts in the family, a life-threatening event, suicide attempts of friends, suicide of friends, female gender, and previous psychiatric contact. The following variables for the South African sample were found to be significant predictors of current suicidal risk: previous suicide attempts, low perceived family and friend support, death of a friend, a life-threatening event, previous psychiatric contact, suicide attempts in the family, suicide of friends, and suicide attempts of friends. These findings show that suicidal behaviour is frequent in both countries. Suicidal deaths of friends and family is more prevalent in Germany, whereas religion or belief in god does not protect against suicide attempts in both countries. Results indicate that perceived support from family is a strong protective factor against suicide attempts. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

The present study compared the suicidal behaviour and related measures of adolescents in high school in Germany (N=318) and South Africa (N=299). Participants completed a series of self-report measures of the SPS (Suicide Probability Scale), PSS-Fa (Perceived Social Support From Family Scale), PSS-Fr (Perceived Social Support From Friends Scale), SIB (Scale Of Interpersonal Behaviour) and a number of demographic questions. Analyses were conducted using content analysis, correlation coefficients and logistic regression to determine variables related to previous suicide attempts, stepwise multiple regression to account for variables predicting currents suicidal risk; and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to examine differences among the groups and among suicide attempters and non-attempters. 36 German (11.3%) and 48 South African (16.1%) adolescents reported that they had made previous suicide attempts. German adolescents reported 45 (14.2%) suicide attempts in the family and 82 (25.8%) suicide attempts by friends. South African adolescents reported 43 (14.4%) suicide attempts in the family and 92 (30.7%) suicide attempts by friends. The following variables were associated with previous suicide attempts in the German sample: attempted suicide by friends, a life-threatening event, previous psychiatric contact, the death of a friend, low perceived family support, female gender, attempted suicide in the family, suicide of a friend, and low perceived friend support. The following variables were associated with previous suicide attempts in the South African sample: low perceived family support, death of a friend, attempted suicide by friends, female gender, a life-threatening event, previous psychiatric contact, suicide of friends, and attempted suicide in the family. The following variables for the German sample were found to be significant predictors of current suicidal risk: low perceived family and friend support, previous suicide attempts, suicide attempts in the family, a life-threatening event, suicide attempts of friends, suicide of friends, female gender, and previous psychiatric contact. The following variables for the South African sample were found to be significant predictors of current suicidal risk: previous suicide attempts, low perceived family and friend support, death of a friend, a life-threatening event, previous psychiatric contact, suicide attempts in the family, suicide of friends, and suicide attempts of friends. These findings show that suicidal behaviour is frequent in both countries. Suicidal deaths of friends and family is more prevalent in Germany, whereas religion or belief in god does not protect against suicide attempts in both countries. Results indicate that perceived support from family is a strong protective factor against suicide attempts. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

The central focus of this study is the role of the church as a faith-based organisation in dealing with unemployment. Following an introductory chapter in which the research methodology and modus operandi are being explained, Chapter 2 is devoted to a discussion, in the light of recent literature, of the concept of unemployment and the effect of unemployment on the individual, the family and society. In Chapter 3 the discussion focuses on the involvement of faith-based organisations in addressing unemployment as part of social development. In Chapter 4 the empirical survey, conducted by means of semi structured interviews with church leaders in the Paarl-Wellington-area, is described. The interpreted results are discussed in Chapter 5 according to main themes, sub themes and categories. A literature control is carried out simultaneously. Based upon the literature study and the findings of the empirical survey, certain conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made in chapter 6. These recommendations are specifically aimed at activating the church in the form of local congregations to get actively involved in dealing with unemployment in their environment and community. / Social Work / D.Diac. (Youth Work)

Thesis (MPA (Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Swartland Municipality is situated in the West Coast of the Western Cape Province as one of the thirty municipalities in the province. Swartland Municipality, like other municipalities, is faced with socio-economic challenges such as crime, unemployment and low levels of education. although the unemployment rate is not so high when compared with some of the municipalities in the province, Swartland amongst other challenges is faced with the problem of access to tertiary education. As a result the agricultural sector dominates as the main economic activity. As part of the effort to address some of its socio-economic challenges, Swartland Municipality’s Youth Development programme was established in partnership with Umsobomvu Youth Fund and named Youth Advisory Centre (YAC). It was established mainly to uplift the living conditions of youth in Swartland by assisting them with career guidance advice, CV writing, and to start own businesses. To achieve this two officials were employed, one as Career Guidance Advisor, and the other one as an Outreach Officer. These two officials had the same duties but the Outreach Officer was appointed mainly to bring services to Swartland areas which are far from where the Youth Advisory Centre is located. However, to ensure that the programme achieves its goals, programme evaluation has to be carried out. Programme evaluation assists in determining the programme’s shortcomings and the areas that need improvement. In this study programme evaluation has been carried out to determine if what is planned gets implemented, and the extent to which programme plans are achieved. In doing so, the researcher used the YAC’s plans, reports, Swartland Municipality annual reports and held semistructured interviews with two senior officials of Swartland Municipality who are involved in the YAC and with the two appointed YAC officials mentioned above. These data collection instruments provided the researcher with the information on what the YAC planned and what it achieved from July 2006 to April 2009. The researcher analysed this data and found that not all YAC plans and reports were available and some contradictions existed in targets between YAC plans, the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Swartland Municipality and Umsobomvu, and Swartland Municipality’s Annual reports. Despite these findings, it was found that the YAC plans correspond with the YAC results reported; therefore the YAC has been implementing its plans. Although the YAC did not meet all of its targets, the difference between the planned outputs and achieve outputs was not big. On the basis of these findings, the researcher recommended that there should be an integrated planning process to set up YAC’s performance standards and the YAC has to improve its performance in most of its key outputs, especially in supporting the youth in business development and opportunities. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Swartland Munisipaliteit is aan die Weskus van die Wes-Kaap Provinsie as een van die dertig munisipaliteite in die provinsie. Soos ander munisipaliteite, staar Swartland Munisipaliteit sosio-ekonomiese uitdagings soos misdaad, werkloosheid en lae vlakke van opvoeding in die gesig. Swartland staar, onder andere, die uitdaging van toegang tot tersiêre opvoeding in die gesig, alhoewel die werkloosheidsyfer nie so hoog is as dit met dié van ander munisipaliteite in die provinsie vergelyk word nie. Gebrek aan toegang tot tersiêre opvoeding veroorsaak dat die landbousektor oorheers as die hoof ekonomiese aktiwiteit wat die meeste van die mense in die Swartland gebied in diens neem. Swartland munisipaliteit se Jeugontwikkelingsprogram is in samewerking met die Umsobomvu Jeugfonds as deel van die inisiatief om van die sosio-ekonomiese uitdagings aan te spreek gestig en die Jeug Raadgewende Sentrum (JRS) het tot stand gekom. Dit is hoofsaaklike gestig om die lewensomstandighede van die jeug in Swartland te verbeter deur hulle by te staan met loopbaanvoorligting, die skryf van CV’s en om hul eie besighede op die been te bring. Twee beamptes is aangestel om hierdie doelwit te bereik, een as Loopbaan Voorligting Raadgewer en die ander as Uitreikbeampte. Hierdie twee beamptes het dieselfde pligte, maar die uitreikbeampte is hoofsaaklik aangestel om dienste wat ver vanaf die Jeug Raadgewende Sentrum geleë is, nader aan die Swartland areas te bring. ’n Evaluasie moet uitgevoer word om te verseker dat die program sy doelwitte bereik. Programevaluering het ten doel om die program se tekortkominge en die areas vir verbetering te bepaal. Programevaluasie is in hierdie studie uitgevoer om te bepaal of dit wat beplan is, geïmplementeer word, en in watter mate die program planne verwesenlik word. Die navorser het gebruik gemaak van JRS planne, verslae en Swartland Munisipaliteit se jaarverslae. Semi-gestruktureede onderhoude is met twee senior beamptes van die Swartland Munisipaliteit wat by die JRS betrokke is, en die bogenoemde aangestelde JRS beamptes gevoer. Hierdie data insameling instrumente het aan die navorser die inligting gegee oor wat die JRS beplan en wat dit vanaf July 2006 Tot April 2009 vermag het. Die navorser het hierdie data ontleed en gevind dat nie alle JRS planne en verslae beskikbaar was nie. Daar was ook teenstrydighede in doelwitte tussen JRS planne, die Oorenkoms Memorandum tussen Swartland Munisipaliteit en Umsobomvu en Swartland Munisipaliteit se Jaarverslae. Ten spyte van hierdie bevindings is daar bevind dat die JRS planne met die JRS resultate soos gerapporteer in die verslae ooreenstem, dus het die JRS hul planne geïmplementeer. Die JRS het egter nie al die doelwitte bereik nie, maar die verskil tussne die beplande en werklike uitsette was nie groot nie. In die lig van hierdie bevindings stel die navorser voor dat daar geïntegreerde beplanning moet wees om die JRS se prestasie standaarde op te trek, en die JRS moet hul prestasie in die meeste van die sleutel uitsette verbeter, veral in die ondersteuning van die jeug in besigheidsontwikkeling en geleenthede.

Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Like in many developing countries, youth development in South Africa is advancing towards becoming the central focus of government. The population figures illustrate a demographic dividend, or youth bulge as others would want to call it. A more pragmatic and aggressive approach to youth development for South Africa has never been more urgent than now. Municipalities by design are at the grassroots and the gateway for providing direct development interventions to the masses of the peoples of South Africa. Most of the municipalities in the country have started to take up this responsibility. There is, however, evidence that success in implementing youth development programmes is limited, owing mainly to the lack of performance management application at the local government level. This study is intended to explore a research problem defined as follows: “The absence of a tailor-made performance management for youth development leads to limited or no achievement of the set targets for youth development.” The study is started by exploring the literature on both the underlying areas of the study: youth development and performance management. Though youth development is a fairly new area, there has been progress in defining and conceptualizing both performance management and youth development in South Africa. Youth and youth development are defined respectively as young people between 14 and 35 years of age, and deliberate interventions to enable the youth to participate in the socio-economic wellbeing of the country and the world. Performance management is further defined as the process towards ensuring there is a concerted effort in the implementation of the predetermined plans. The researcher opted for the case study approach, using Nkangala District Municipality (NDM) as the case to explore the extent to which municipalities apply the prescripts and principles of performance management to the youth development programmes. The study sought to establish whether municipalities have performance management frameworks and systems, whether youth development matters are included and whether there are specific youth development performance measures in place. The literature shows that there is extensive work done on the area of performance management in local government in South Africa. The legislation compels all municipalities to have performance management systems and frameworks in place and adopted by the councils. The document review shows that in Nkangala District Municipality there is still a need to trickle down the application of the systems and framework. There is a need to ensure that youth development is included in the performance management process. Evidence from the study shows that there are still gaps to be addressed in as far as the district is concerned. Their application of the performance management framework and systems still needs to be cascaded to all staff members; the application must still be applied to youth development programme and youth development units. There is a need to align municipal planning with youth development. Youth participation still remains a challenge throughout the process of planning, implementation and reporting. Municipalities are suffering from attitudes that suggest that youths are simply recipients of hand-out products and services. Finally, the study suggest a Youth Development Performance Management Framework which will also integrate youth participation, monitoring and evaluation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Soos in baie ontwikkelende lande neig jeugontwikkeling in Suid-Afrika daarna om die sentrale fokus van die regering te word. Die bevolkingsyfers illustreer 'n demografiese dividend of jeug uitstulping (“youth bulge”), soos wat daarna verwys word. `n Meer pragmatiese en aggresiewe benadering tot jeugontwikkeling was nog nooit meer dringend vir Suid-Afrika as juis tans nie. Munisipaliteite, deur ontwerp, is op voetsoolvlak en die poort vir die verskaffing van direkte ontwikkelingsingrypings vir die meerderheid van mense in Suid-Afrika. Meeste van die munisipaliteite in die land het begin om hierdie verantwoordelikheid op te neem. Daar is egter bewyse dat sukses in die implementering van jeugontwikkelingsprogramme beperk is, veral as gevolg van die gebrek aan die aanwending van prestasiebestuur op die vlak van plaaslike regering. Hierdie studie is bedoel om die navorsingsprobleem gedefinieer as: “die afwesigheid van 'n pasgemaakte prestasiebestuurstelsel vir jeugontwikkeling lei tot beperkte of gebrekkige bereiking van die gestelde teikens vir jeugontwikkeling” Te verken. Die studie begin deur die literatuur te ondersoek op beide die onderliggende gebiede van die studie, jeugontwikkeling en prestasiebestuur. Hoewel jeugontwikkeling `n redelik nuwe gebied is, is daar vordering in die definiëring en konseptualisering van beide prestasiebestuur en jeugontwikkeling in Suid-Afrika. Jeug en jeugontwikkeling word gedefinieer as jong mense tussen 14 en 35 jaar oud en doelbewuste intervensies om die jeug in staat te stel om deel te neem aan die sosio-ekonomiese welstand van die land en die wêreld. Prestasiebestuur word gedefinieer as die proses om te verseker dat daar `n gesamentlike poging is vir die implementering van die voorafbepaalde planne. Die navorser het besluit op `n gevallestudie benadering, deur gebruik te maak van die Nkangala Distriksmunisipaliteit (NDM) om die mate waarin munisipaliteite die voorskrifte en beginsels van prestasiebestuur op die jeugontwikkelingsprogramme toepas te verken. Die studie poog om vas te stel of munisipaliteite prestasiebestuursraamwerke en stelsels het, of jeugontwikkelingsaangeleenthede ingesluit is en of daar spesifieke jeugontwikkeling prestasiemaatreëls in plek is. Literatuur toon dat daar uitgebreide werk gedoen is op die gebied van prestasiebestuur in plaaslike regering in Suid-Afrika. Die wetgewing verplig alle munisipaliteite om prestasiebestuurstelsels en raamwerke in plek te hê en goedgekeur deur die rade. Die dokumentêre hersiening toon dat daar in die Nkangala Distriksmunisipaliteit steeds `n behoefte daaraan is om die toepassing van die stelsels en raamwerk te laat deursyfer. Daar is `n behoefte om te verseker dat jeugontwikkeling ingesluit word in die prestasiebestuursproses. Bewyse uit die studie toon dat daar steeds gapings is om aan te spreek met betrekking tot die distrik. Die aanwending van die prestasiebestuursraamwerk en stelsels moet nog afgewentel word na alle personeellede. Die aanwending moet nog van toepassing gemaak word op jeugontwikkeling en jeugontwikkelingseenhede. Daar is 'n behoefte om munisipale beplanning in lyn te bring met jeugontwikkeling. Jeug deelname dwarsdeur die proses van beplanning, implementering en rapportering bly steeds 'n uitdaging. Munisipaliteite ly onder gesindhede wat daarop dui dat die jeug eenvoudig ontvangers is van produkte en dienste. Die studie stel ten slotte `n jeugontwikkeling prestasiebestuursraamwerk voor wat ook jeug deelname, monitering en evaluering sal integreer.

This study examines the specific elements of youth’s experiences at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada (BGC) that contribute to the development of their social and emotional competencies. Social and emotional competencies include managing one’s emotions, developing concern for others, and making responsible, ethically informed decisions. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 respondents ranging in age from 16 to 18 years old. This study gave adolescents a voice, empowering them to contribute to a deeper understanding of the ways in which community youth programs can assist in positive youth development. Data analysis revealed three categories of themes: social setting at the BGC, interpersonal connections, and personal development. The CASEL model of social and emotional learning (SEL) was used as a conceptual framework, and evidence from the research themes was used to demonstrate how SEL skills may have been fostered at the BGC. The four elements of the BGC that were mentioned by respondents most frequently in relation to the development of SEL competencies were receiving and offering social support, acquiring successful coping skills, engaging in formal leadership opportunities, and developing conflict prevention and resolution strategies. The results of this study have implications for theory and practice. The information presented in this study can guide onsite workers to focus on specific aspects in their interactions with youth and inform future youth program planning. / x, 278 leaves ; 29 cm

The central focus of this study is the role of the church as a faith-based organisation in dealing with unemployment. Following an introductory chapter in which the research methodology and modus operandi are being explained, Chapter 2 is devoted to a discussion, in the light of recent literature, of the concept of unemployment and the effect of unemployment on the individual, the family and society. In Chapter 3 the discussion focuses on the involvement of faith-based organisations in addressing unemployment as part of social development. In Chapter 4 the empirical survey, conducted by means of semi structured interviews with church leaders in the Paarl-Wellington-area, is described. The interpreted results are discussed in Chapter 5 according to main themes, sub themes and categories. A literature control is carried out simultaneously. Based upon the literature study and the findings of the empirical survey, certain conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made in chapter 6. These recommendations are specifically aimed at activating the church in the form of local congregations to get actively involved in dealing with unemployment in their environment and community. / Social Work / D.Diac. (Youth Work)

In America, it is estimated that between 500,000 and two million children run away each year. A majority of these runaways become involved with illegal substance abuse. This study questions whether children experience substance abuse prior to their running away or if their substance abuse is an attempt to cope with the new stressors created by street life. Data collection will include having 50 volunteers complete a questionnaire, with consideration of race and gender. The findings suggested that no relationship exist between runaways engaging in drug use and the amount of stress experienced at home or during the runaway.

Sexual minority youth are coming out about their same-sex attractions earlier in recent years. Such youth and their families may experience a range of potential problems and concerns, suggesting that the child welfare system may need to do more to respond to the unique needs of this population. By employing a qualitative research design, this study, using face-to-face interviews with ten child welfare workers, examined child welfare agencies' ability to adequately render services to sexual minority youth and their families.

The purpose of this study was to examine the County of San Bernardino's Independent Living Program's (ILP's) efforts to prepare ILP participants for self-sufficiency. These efforts were evaluated from the perspective of foster youth who are currently participating in an Indepent Living Program. The study utilized quantitative and qualitative research methods to assess the ILP participants' preparedness for independence.