(in English): This diploma thesis deals with the theme of low-threshold facilities for children and youth. The thesis is divided into a theoretical and empirical part. At the beginning of the theoretical work, work with risky youth, the theory of risky behavior and its individual types is approached. In detail, a low-threshold facility for children and young people is introduced, including legislative anchoring, principles, target group and individual working methods. At the end of the theoretical part is described system of social services assessment and current events in this area. The empirical part contains research methodology, research results and evaluation. The aim of the thesis is to compare the facilities of the capital city of Prague and the Central Bohemian region and to compare the ideas about the goals of work between the managers and their subordinates. A qualitative method was chosen for the research, when data collection was carried out using semi-structured interviews.

<p>This study provides educators with an opportunity to share their commitments and biases, their beliefs about what these learners need and what, as educators, they have to offer them. The study focuses specifically on what curriculum educators believe should be offered to the youth in these centres. It is important to note that the focus of the thesis is on the educational debates and challenges within SYCECs, and not on the overall goals and role to be played by these institutions in rehabilitating youth. This piece of work acknowledges the systemic issues that impact on learning and development of youth, but foregrounds what learners in SYCECs should be taught and why. This is its main contribution.</p>

<p>This study provides educators with an opportunity to share their commitments and biases, their beliefs about what these learners need and what, as educators, they have to offer them. The study focuses specifically on what curriculum educators believe should be offered to the youth in these centres. It is important to note that the focus of the thesis is on the educational debates and challenges within SYCECs, and not on the overall goals and role to be played by these institutions in rehabilitating youth. This piece of work acknowledges the systemic issues that impact on learning and development of youth, but foregrounds what learners in SYCECs should be taught and why. This is its main contribution.</p>

Since 1994 all education policy documents that have emerged in South Africa have stressed the principles of social justice and inclusion by foregrounding issues of equity, redress, quality education for all, equality of opportunity, and nondiscrimination. This study examined inclusionary and exclusionary attitudes and practices at a School of Industry for Girls in South Africa. The research was conducted in the qualitative research paradigm, and took the form of a small-scale ethnographic case study. The data collection techniques included observations and used observations, document analysis, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that learners experience various barriers to learning and participation that are clearly embedded in the ethos, curriculum and cultures of the school. Various discriminatory attitudes and practices play themselves out and reflect an intersection of racism, gender discrimination and ableism. The study points towards the need for management and staff in collaboration with learners to interrogate and work towards minimising these exclusionary attitudes and practices prevalent at the school. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2001.

This study identifies effective practices in the design of alternative education programs; and more specifically, programs that support the positive social engagement and healthy development of adolescents who have left the public education system and are labeled as marginalized or street involved. Effective practices were identified theoretically through a critic of current educational practices within the North-American public system and through the application of an integral systems theory framework of human development that identifies patterns of relationships between seemingly divergent perspectives in order to achieve the broadest breath of understanding through the inclusion of the truths held within each. A case study of a program that applied these practices within a community agricultural context was then analyzed to test their relevancy in the field. Through an analysis applying qualitative descriptive methodologies the following practices were identified as being effective in supporting positive engagement: 1) an experiential curriculum geared towards developing employable skills, 2) program activities that directly contributed to the local community, 3) the provision of a wage for program participants 4) adults facilitating the program trained in providing supportive caring relationships, 5) program peer groups being composed of youth and young adults of mixed ages and socio-economic backgrounds with marginalized youth being a minority, 6) a social co-operative organizational structure to administer the program. Limitations of the study were the small number of youth sampled as a result of the nature of the structure of the program in the case study. / Graduate

Thesis (MTech (Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011 / This study explores the possibilities of using design interventions in mitigating crime. The study employs the Design Against Crime (DAC) philosophy in dealing with crime, which provides a holistic perspective regarding crimeand related issues.High crime levels in South Africa necessitate alternative approaches to dealing with crime, as it is becoming evident that the old strategies that have been utilised are not providing the desired effects.The focus is on the emergence of crime amongst youth at risk, living in communities-in-tension and more specifically,the Bridgetown community near Cape Town. Communities which constitute the lower socio-economic income level, usually suffer the most with regards to crime. The effects of crime negatively influence the development of the community, allowing the cycle of poverty and crime to continue. If the cycle of crime can be broken in these communities, development may take place which will strengthen them in a number of ways, including their standing in society. In order to gain a better understanding of the crime situation in South Africa, the study investigates the country‘s crime history and its widespread effects on society today. The research also looks at other factors such as personal and environmental settings that inform an individual‘s decision to commit crime. Delinquency and its results are also explored. The theoretical lens used in the study is that of Socially Responsible Design (SRD), with DAC as a subsection.SRDlooks at providing solutions to societal problems from a holistic point of view. The study uses a qualitative approach which focuses on people in real life situations,allowing the researcher to gain insight into what motivates people in their specific circumstances. The participants involved in the study are members of the Bridgetown community, youth from that community and theReconstructed Living Labs (RLabs) team, who were previously involved in crime. The researcher sought the views of experts in the field with regards to crime alleviation in communities such as Bridgetown. This research study concludes that opportunities exist forholistic and multi-faceted deployment of DAC strategies in that community to ameliorate crime, when these strategies targetyouth at risk.

Magister Educationis - MEd / This study provides educators with an opportunity to share their commitments and biases, their beliefs about what these learners need and what, as educators, they have to offer them. The study focuses specifically on what curriculum educators believe should be offered to the youth in these centres. It is important to note that the focus of the thesis is on the educational debates and challenges within SYCECs, and not on the overall goals and role to be played by these institutions in rehabilitating youth. This piece of work acknowledges the systemic issues that impact on learning and development of youth, but foregrounds what learners in SYCECs should be taught and why. This is its main contribution. / South Africa

This diploma thesis is focused on measurement of effectiveness of the one to one peer coeval mentoring programme "Ve dvou se to lépe táhne" that was designated for youth at risk. The main goal of the thesis is to choose an appropriate way how to measure programme effectiveness and verify the possibility to integrate it with the methodology of the programme. In the introduction of the theoretical part of thesis there are given the definitions of adolescence and changes related with this age, circumstances that threaten youth at risk and the list of programmes, available in the Czech Republic, for youth at risk. Moreover there is introduced the program "Ve dvou se to lépe táhne" and possibilities for evaluation of the programme in particular from the impact on clients point of view. Practical part gives information about the chosen evaluation method and its modification corresponding with particularities of the programme, further describes the implementation stage of the method and finally a pilot version of the modified method on the basis of created questionnaires is assessed.

Adventure-based programmes are one of the most exciting and effective intervention strategies that can influence youth-at-risk to make the right choices, guiding their development while simultaneously exposing them to positive values modeled by excellent people. Although adventure-based programmes are not a recent phenomenon in South Africa, very few research studies have been undertaken regarding this phenomenon. The aim of this research was to explore and describe the nature, requirements and limitations of adventure-based programmes to youth-at-risk. The main goal of the research was to develop guidelines for intervention through adventure-based programmes for youth-at-risk, based on a literature study and empirical research that was undertaken. Adolescents are becoming increasingly involved in high-risk behaviour, compromising their health, future and lives. Multi-professional interventions are necessary to address the issues and problems children and youth experience. Adventure-based programmes offers a solution and many skills necessary for successful living appear to be inherent to adventure-based learning: self-esteem, communication, problem-solving, group living, responsibility, spirituality, confidence. Facilitating adventure-based experiences to youth-at-risk is no simple task and the outdoor leader needs to be trained to deal with many forms of anti-social and other negative behaviour that could include aggression, disobedience, hyperactivity smoking, etc. It is clear from the research results that adventure-based programmes encompasses much more than simply offering activities in the outdoors to participants. Adventure-based activities can only be optimized to the level of an educational tool through purposeful planning, debriefing, follow up and evaluation. Many different terms are used to describe essentially similar outdoor programmes: adventure education, environmental education, experiential education, wilderness therapy, organized camping, outdoor education. Social workers, because of their broad, value based approaches and extensive training, is well equipped, if not best equipped of all professions, to play an active role in the development of adventure-based programmes to youth-at-risk; be it in developing and offering programmes, training staff to work with youth-at-risk or as staff member during an adventure-based programme. Adventure-based programmes as model of experiential education, offers the social worker an alternative intervention strategy to achieve psycho-social and competency outcomes with youth-at-risk. / Thesis (MA (Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / The main objective of the research is to analyze critically how the curriculum at a Community College in the Western Cape prepares young adults for the world of work in the fields of Travel and Tourism and Small Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME) and develops their capabilities to become functioning members in society. I was guided by concepts such as knowledge and skills necessary to enhance employability as well as people‟s wellbeing and capability development. The data was gathered through interviews and analysis of national and institutional policy documents. The analysis of documents helped me to understand the curriculum‟s orientation to the world of work and its responsiveness to personal and social needs of young adults. The interview data helped me to reflect on the main research question, “What are the perspectives of academic staff, industry/sector representatives and young adults themselves on the knowledge and skills needed in the curriculum to prepare young adults for the world of work?” My research shows that the curriculum of the ABET Level 4 programme has become more vocationally oriented. It prepares students for the world of work in a general way; but there are some limitations. There is no practical work experience or work exposure as in the curricula of programmes at TVET colleges and universities. The research also found that the formal curriculum in combination with the extra-curricular activities had benefits for students in terms of personal development and equipping them to function better in their social environments. However, offering these activities depends on efforts made by lecturers over and above their normal duties and on donations from various sources. Extending or sustaining this combination of activities requires adequate staffing and resources. Finally the research highlighted various barriers students encountered and suggested that many of these barriers arise from structural constraints in the world of work and society. The research suggests that it is necessary but not sufficient to focus on the employability of young people and to equip them with knowledge and skills to prepare them for the world of work; it is also necessary to look beyond employability and consider the wellbeing of students (Powell, 2012; Jackson, 2005; Baatjes and Baatjes, 2008; Ngcwangu, 2019; Motala and Pampallis, 2007). Therefore my research suggests that education should not have a narrow focus and that the curriculum should integrate vocational and general education (Young, 1999). Furthermore, there should be a holistic approach in the curriculum which responds to multiple objectives including preparation for work and for functioning effectively in other areas of one‟s life. This implies that the curriculum should prepare students for the world of work AND take into account their well-being, dreams and aspirations for a better life.