My thesis addresses the many issues that today’s youth face and aims to rethink the youth centre as a place that combines youth culture and architecture to create a space that not only provides adequate recreational and vocational opportunities but which is also representative of youth. Theoretically, I focus on notions around finding identity within the city, whilst questioning the stigmatisms around various youth subcultures. I look in more depth at how certain youth appropriate space within the city and by analyzing their process of appropriation, whilst noting the significance the stages of appropriation have in the pursuit for one’s identity, parallels are drawn from various theorists. Particular reference to theories by Iain Borden, Jeffrey Hou, Andy Bennett, Dick Hebdige and others, explore the notions around the insurgent use of public space, youth culture, street culture, and the meaning of style and expression among youth. Through research into various subcultures of youth and activities that youth are actively involved in in and around the city, it aims to explore the youth centre as a programmatic model for reaching young people in South Africa. By appropriating the language and influences of youth as key design ingredients, it aims to create an architectural intervention, called The 3rd Place Youth Centre, in Newtown North, through which youth can reconnect to their surroundings thus giving youngsters a much-needed sense of place and identity within their ever-changing city.

Thesis (M.Arch. (Professional))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, 2016. / Drug abuse, particularly among younger generations, is an issue of increasing concern in South Africa. According to recent reports on global substance abuse, South Africa was named as having some of the highest rates of youth drug use in the world. This not only has dire impacts for local communities and their youth, but has led to increasing crime rates and unemployment in these communities. One such community, plagued with youth drug abuse and addiction, is Westbury, a former coloured township in Western Johannesburg. Westbury has, in turn, been selected as the focus area for this thesis due to prevailing struggles with youth drug addiction, high rates of drug-related crime and a community outcry for a solution. This thesis aims to investigate a means of alleviating degrees of drug use, and other risky youth behaviours, by introducing an architectural intervention. This intervention – defined as a Youth Centre and Safe House – will attempt to address the search for identity and meaning within the liminal state of adolescence, and the often risky behaviours that arise as a result, by providing a sense of ‘place’ and belonging for the ailing youth. With the main focus group being at-risk adolescents, and in order to create an architecture that speaks of the liminal state of adolescence, threshold and ‘the space between’ become important design concepts. This thesis attempts to investigate the movement between distinct spaces, the experience of transition, and the physical and psychological effects thereof. The resultant design proposes an architecture of liminality, where soft, implied thresholds and a celebration of ‘the space between’ become the manner in which the liminal subject can negotiate the built environment and establish a sense of ‘place’ within it. / EM2017

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The study aims to explore and describe the Youth Care learner's relational interaction with her educators in order to establish what could enhance this relationship with her educators. The specific focus is on the female Youth Care learners' experiences of this relationship and how they impact on the learners' sense of well-being within a particular Youth Care Centre. The participants for this study consisted of eight female learners from the Youth Care Centre. The research methods which were used are semi-structured interviews with each participant. I also conducted focus groups with educators which resulted in confirmation of data. The analysis of the interview guides' data provided themes which are discussed according to certain categories that emerged in the data produced during the interviews. The study shows that various factors such as lack of empathy, trust, respect and understanding impact on the educator-learner relationship within a Youth Care Centre. These factors directly impact on Youth Care learners' well-being. The study shows that the presence of these factors could be used to decrease the number of Youth Care learners who have sad or hopeless feelings. The Youth Care learners also made suggestions on how this relationship with their educators could be enhanced. Thus, it can be concluded that Youth Care educators who possess superior competency in the different realms of emotional skills have many advantages that lead to mutually satisfying and responsible interpersonal relationships. This research therefore calls for a greater focus on the development of the emotional skills of Youth Care educators, which could lead to better interactions with their learners. I conclude by suggesting that further studies be conducted to assess the emotional skills of Youth Care educators and to determine in which realm they need improvement. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die ondersoek is daarop gemik om die aard van die jeugsorgleerder se verhouding met haar opvoeders te eksploreer en te beskryf met die doel om vas te stel wat gedoen kan word ten einde hierdie verhouding te verbeter. Die spesifieke fokus is op hoe jeugsorgleerders hierdie verhoudinge ervaar en die uitwerking daarvan op die leerders se verhouding met en gehegtheid aan hulle opvoeders in 'n besondere Jeugsorgsentrum. Die deelnemers aan die studie was agt vroulike leerders van die Jeugsorgsentrum. Die navorsingsmetodiek het bestaan uit semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude wat op elke deelnemer toegepas is. Opvoeders was ook by fokusgroep besprekings betrokke, wat gelei het tot bevestiging van my data. Data-analise van die vraelyste het die navorser voorsien van temas wat bespreek is volgens kategorieë wat na vore gekom het tydens die proses van dataversameling gedurende die individuele onderhoude. Die ondersoek toon dat 'n verskeidenheid faktore soos gebrek aan empatie, vertroue, respek en begrip 'n beduidende invloed op opvoeder - leerder verhoudinge binne 'n Jeugsorgsentrum uitoefen. Hierdie faktore het 'n direkte invloed op jeugsorgleerders se welsyn. Die ondersoek toon dat die aanwesigheid van hierdie faktore aangewend kan word om die aantal leerders te verminder wat gevoelens van hartseer of hopeloosheid ervaar. Die jeugsorgleerders het ook voorstelle gemaak wat gedoen kan word om hierdie verhoudinge te verbeter. Daar kan dus afgelei word dat dit voordelig is vir opvoeders van Jeugsorgsentrums om oor superieure emosionele vaardighede te beskik, omdat dit wedersyds bevredigende en verantwoordelike interpersoonlike verhoudings tot gevolg het. Hierdie navorsing vra dus vir 'n groter fokus op die ontwikkeling van die emosionele vaardighede van opvoeders, wat kan bydra tot verbeterde verhoudings met hulle leerders. Ten slotte wil ek verdere navorsing op hierdie terrein aanbeveel ten einde die emosionele vaardighede van die opvoeders te bepaal en om vas te stel op watter gebied hulle kan verbeter.