The influx of youth abusing substances is a major problem. The effect of substance
abuse may have far-reaching consequences for defining the vulnerability of the
offending group as well as for contributing to the disaster risk faced by the community
as a whole. The effects of substance abuse on young people have the potential to
contribute to an increased vulnerability of this group. It becomes the responsibility of
the family and community to bear the burden of its drug-afflicted members and the
implications of their addiction. The study was conducted in Bekkersdal, which is a
community that has a significant problem with youth abusing substances. The degree
to which their abuse affects families and the broader community in terms of
increasing risk has not been examined. The dissertation aims to evaluate the effect of
substance abuse among the youth on the risk profile of the Bekkersdal community.
According to Disaster Risk Reduction, one of the important activities of the state is to
increase capacity of communities and households to minimize the risk that may occur
and also most importantly, monitoring the likelihood of and the state of alertness to
disasters that may occur. A qualitative, explorative research design was employed
and data gathered using structured interviews involving 30 adults namely School
Principals, Teachers, Community Social workers, Community Leaders, Religious
Leaders, Disaster managers and a Nurse from the area.
The interviews were analysed by means of themes. The research indicated that
substance-abusing youth create conditions which undermine human, physical and
social capital and hence contribute to instability in the livelihood-based system. It was
also evident to this research that it encourages the importance of engaging
community members in discussions about aspects that concern them which is an
empowerment process in itself. As they become more involved, they also have hope
that things will work better for them by actively rebuilding their own lives and
communities. All the information gathered revealed the link between the negative
impacts of substance abuse and its risk profile in the Bekkersdal community. / M Development and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/14883 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Kekana, Mabeba Gladys |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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