This article sheds some light on the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in promoting youth development in selected communities in KwaZulu-Natal. The study targeted the youth in four selected community technology centres in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Through a survey, 207 youth were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. In addition, data were tabulated and presented using tables, frequencies and percentiles. The study was informed by the diffusion of innovations theory. The results indicate that a variety of ICTs are available in the telecentres to provide the youth with much-needed access to information and improved communication. The study recommends that there should be sufficient and coherent government policies regulating the training of the youth to effectively use these ICTs. Government should ensure that adequate ICT training is offered to the youth. In addition, there is a need to gradually include ICT training in the school curricula at all levels, including primary education.
{"title":"Community Technology Centres as Bridges to Foster Social and Digital Equality amongst the Youth in South Africa","authors":"Blessing Mbatha","doi":"10.25159/2663-6549/9842","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/9842","url":null,"abstract":"This article sheds some light on the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in promoting youth development in selected communities in KwaZulu-Natal. The study targeted the youth in four selected community technology centres in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Through a survey, 207 youth were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. In addition, data were tabulated and presented using tables, frequencies and percentiles. The study was informed by the diffusion of innovations theory. The results indicate that a variety of ICTs are available in the telecentres to provide the youth with much-needed access to information and improved communication. The study recommends that there should be sufficient and coherent government policies regulating the training of the youth to effectively use these ICTs. Government should ensure that adequate ICT training is offered to the youth. In addition, there is a need to gradually include ICT training in the school curricula at all levels, including primary education.","PeriodicalId":159147,"journal":{"name":"Commonwealth Youth and Development","volume":"146 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135993052","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-10DOI: 10.25159/2663-6549/12602
France Kgobe, Mohamed Saheed Bayat, Abdulrazak Karriem
The main objective of this article is to evaluate the implementation of public participation in service delivery planning in the democratic age. Over the past few years, there has been a shift in the responsibility of service delivery planning from a centralised (national) level of government to a more decentralised (municipal) level. Contemporary perspectives on planning suggest that the responsibility is no longer regarded as a hierarchical process, but rather as a collaborative process that involves the active participation of citizens as key stakeholders. The notion of public participation is regarded as a crucial factor in the democratisation of service delivery. This is a desktop study, also known as a conceptual study, that is based on collaborative planning theory and democratic decision-making theory to develop ideas and arguments. The article highlights the importance of public participation in service planning, emphasising its significance despite the intricate structures, obstacles, and substantial administrative challenges involved. The assessment is conducted to determine the viability of implementing practical strategies that can effectively support a sustainable service delivery process. The findings of the article indicate that the involvement of the public in integrated development planning (IDP) processes is of utmost importance in ensuring the long-term viability of service delivery. This study posits that it is imperative to assess the continued applicability of the integrated development planning tool in effectively addressing developmental obstacles in rural regions of South Africa. In addition, it is recommended that future studies prioritise the assessment of whether the practice of creating the service delivery budget implementation plan separately from the (IDP) process is not conducive to the emergence of service delivery protests. This would involve investigating the potential misalignment between these two factors across multiple municipalities.
{"title":"Evaluating the Implementation of Public Participation in Service Delivery Planning in the Democratic Age: A Case of South African Municipalities","authors":"France Kgobe, Mohamed Saheed Bayat, Abdulrazak Karriem","doi":"10.25159/2663-6549/12602","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/12602","url":null,"abstract":"The main objective of this article is to evaluate the implementation of public participation in service delivery planning in the democratic age. Over the past few years, there has been a shift in the responsibility of service delivery planning from a centralised (national) level of government to a more decentralised (municipal) level. Contemporary perspectives on planning suggest that the responsibility is no longer regarded as a hierarchical process, but rather as a collaborative process that involves the active participation of citizens as key stakeholders. The notion of public participation is regarded as a crucial factor in the democratisation of service delivery. This is a desktop study, also known as a conceptual study, that is based on collaborative planning theory and democratic decision-making theory to develop ideas and arguments. The article highlights the importance of public participation in service planning, emphasising its significance despite the intricate structures, obstacles, and substantial administrative challenges involved. The assessment is conducted to determine the viability of implementing practical strategies that can effectively support a sustainable service delivery process. The findings of the article indicate that the involvement of the public in integrated development planning (IDP) processes is of utmost importance in ensuring the long-term viability of service delivery. This study posits that it is imperative to assess the continued applicability of the integrated development planning tool in effectively addressing developmental obstacles in rural regions of South Africa. In addition, it is recommended that future studies prioritise the assessment of whether the practice of creating the service delivery budget implementation plan separately from the (IDP) process is not conducive to the emergence of service delivery protests. This would involve investigating the potential misalignment between these two factors across multiple municipalities.","PeriodicalId":159147,"journal":{"name":"Commonwealth Youth and Development","volume":"52 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136359643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-10DOI: 10.25159/2663-6549/13498
Zethembe Mseleku, Thokozani Sukati
This paper explores the contribution of youth entrepreneurship to poverty reduction in households of Umjindi Trust Village, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. This paper deems youth entrepreneurship as one of the strategies contributing to household poverty reduction in rural areas. This research adopted a qualitative approach to explore the contribution of youth entrepreneurship to household poverty reduction. Thus, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with youth entrepreneurs to elicit data. In addition, focus group discussions, consisting of family members of youth entrepreneurs, were conducted to supplement data from interviews. The results suggest that youth entrepreneurship is a survival strategy in Umjindi Trust Village’s job-scarce environment. It is evident that youth entrepreneurship strategy positively contributes to poverty reduction at household level, mainly through job creation for youth entrepreneurs themselves and community members. However, the potential of youth entrepreneurship is undermined by several challenges, including lack of start-up funding, unfavourable government regulations, lack of skills, and poor marketing. Therefore, this paper recommends the active participation of youth centres and organisations in decentralised entrepreneurial training and entrepreneurship support to promote youth entrepreneurship in remote areas.
{"title":"Youth Entrepreneurship as a Strategy for Household Poverty Reduction in Umjindi Trust Village, Mpumalanga Province","authors":"Zethembe Mseleku, Thokozani Sukati","doi":"10.25159/2663-6549/13498","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/13498","url":null,"abstract":"This paper explores the contribution of youth entrepreneurship to poverty reduction in households of Umjindi Trust Village, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. This paper deems youth entrepreneurship as one of the strategies contributing to household poverty reduction in rural areas. This research adopted a qualitative approach to explore the contribution of youth entrepreneurship to household poverty reduction. Thus, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with youth entrepreneurs to elicit data. In addition, focus group discussions, consisting of family members of youth entrepreneurs, were conducted to supplement data from interviews. The results suggest that youth entrepreneurship is a survival strategy in Umjindi Trust Village’s job-scarce environment. It is evident that youth entrepreneurship strategy positively contributes to poverty reduction at household level, mainly through job creation for youth entrepreneurs themselves and community members. However, the potential of youth entrepreneurship is undermined by several challenges, including lack of start-up funding, unfavourable government regulations, lack of skills, and poor marketing. Therefore, this paper recommends the active participation of youth centres and organisations in decentralised entrepreneurial training and entrepreneurship support to promote youth entrepreneurship in remote areas.","PeriodicalId":159147,"journal":{"name":"Commonwealth Youth and Development","volume":"90 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136360097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Millions of children worldwide have become orphaned for many reasons such as war, famine, displacement, disease, and poverty. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has drastically altered the world children live in. It has led to many children becoming orphans worldwide. An orphan, according to the World Vision, is a child younger than 18 years who has lost either one biological, foster or adoptive parent or both biological, foster or adoptive parents. The Sunday Mail of 12 November 2017 carried a story in which the United Nations International Children’s Fund reported that 17.8 million children worldwide have lost both parents (double orphan), with 153 million having lost one parent (single orphan). The United Nations International Children’s Fund, furthermore, reported that in Zimbabwe there were close to 2 million orphans, with an estimated 3 900 orphans being raised in orphanages. The social roles, rights and privileges of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS have ultimately become disrupted particularly in child-headed households. Guided by the media reflection hypothesis coupled with a qualitative content approach, this article critically examines Everyone’s Child, a Zimbabwean feature film directed by Tsitsi Dangarembga in 1996, to discuss some of the social impacts of HIV/AIDS on the orphaned girl child in Zimbabwe. Films play an important role in society. They act as reflectors or mirrors of society; therefore, this article argues that the film Everyone’s Child reflects back to society which challenges are faced by children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in child-headed families in Zimbabwe. The absence of biological parents therefore makes the life of orphans stressful and affects their well-being negatively.
{"title":"Through Filmic Lenses: The Social Impact of HIV/AIDS on the Orphaned Girl Child in Zimbabwe","authors":"Maurice Taonezvi Vambe, Washington Mushore","doi":"10.25159/2663-6549/9292","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/9292","url":null,"abstract":"Millions of children worldwide have become orphaned for many reasons such as war, famine, displacement, disease, and poverty. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has drastically altered the world children live in. It has led to many children becoming orphans worldwide. An orphan, according to the World Vision, is a child younger than 18 years who has lost either one biological, foster or adoptive parent or both biological, foster or adoptive parents. The Sunday Mail of 12 November 2017 carried a story in which the United Nations International Children’s Fund reported that 17.8 million children worldwide have lost both parents (double orphan), with 153 million having lost one parent (single orphan). The United Nations International Children’s Fund, furthermore, reported that in Zimbabwe there were close to 2 million orphans, with an estimated 3 900 orphans being raised in orphanages. The social roles, rights and privileges of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS have ultimately become disrupted particularly in child-headed households. Guided by the media reflection hypothesis coupled with a qualitative content approach, this article critically examines Everyone’s Child, a Zimbabwean feature film directed by Tsitsi Dangarembga in 1996, to discuss some of the social impacts of HIV/AIDS on the orphaned girl child in Zimbabwe. Films play an important role in society. They act as reflectors or mirrors of society; therefore, this article argues that the film Everyone’s Child reflects back to society which challenges are faced by children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in child-headed families in Zimbabwe. The absence of biological parents therefore makes the life of orphans stressful and affects their well-being negatively.","PeriodicalId":159147,"journal":{"name":"Commonwealth Youth and Development","volume":"19 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136359642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-21DOI: 10.25159/2663-6549/11496
Patros Dlamini, B. Mbatha
This paper sought to explore the dissemination of Covid-19-related information through websites in tertiary institutions in KwaZulu-Natal. The paper adopted a qualitative content analysis research method to collect Covid-19-related data from universities’ websites. The paper sought to identify patterns in recorded communication, thus it systematically collected data from a set of texts. The paper targeted all the universities in KwaZulu-Natal, namely: the University of Zululand, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Mangosuthu University of Technology, and Durban University of Technology. Therefore, a census sampling was adopted to include all of them. The paper found that universities used their websites as pioneers for disseminating Covid-19-related information resources to their communities. The information posted on the universities’ websites was used to educate staff and students about how to prevent themselves from contracting the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the paper noted that universities were playing a crucial role in protecting students and staff members, and slowing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic by encouraging vaccinations within the institutions. Therefore, the paper concluded that universities were strategically positioned to help the country in the fight against the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic by increasing vaccine uptake among students and staff members, providing relevant and crucial information about Covid-19 vaccination, promoting vaccine trust and confidence, and establishing supportive policies and practices that made getting vaccinated as easy and convenient as possible.
{"title":"Websites as Pioneers for Covid-19 Information Dissemination in Higher Education: The Case of Tertiary Institutions in KwaZulu-Natal","authors":"Patros Dlamini, B. Mbatha","doi":"10.25159/2663-6549/11496","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/11496","url":null,"abstract":"This paper sought to explore the dissemination of Covid-19-related information through websites in tertiary institutions in KwaZulu-Natal. The paper adopted a qualitative content analysis research method to collect Covid-19-related data from universities’ websites. The paper sought to identify patterns in recorded communication, thus it systematically collected data from a set of texts. The paper targeted all the universities in KwaZulu-Natal, namely: the University of Zululand, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Mangosuthu University of Technology, and Durban University of Technology. Therefore, a census sampling was adopted to include all of them. The paper found that universities used their websites as pioneers for disseminating Covid-19-related information resources to their communities. The information posted on the universities’ websites was used to educate staff and students about how to prevent themselves from contracting the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the paper noted that universities were playing a crucial role in protecting students and staff members, and slowing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic by encouraging vaccinations within the institutions. Therefore, the paper concluded that universities were strategically positioned to help the country in the fight against the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic by increasing vaccine uptake among students and staff members, providing relevant and crucial information about Covid-19 vaccination, promoting vaccine trust and confidence, and establishing supportive policies and practices that made getting vaccinated as easy and convenient as possible.","PeriodicalId":159147,"journal":{"name":"Commonwealth Youth and Development","volume":"116 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124594033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-21DOI: 10.25159/2663-6549/12346
I. Rukasha, Unsa Begum Essop, Takunda Maurice Vambe
The Covid-19 pandemic has had an incredible impact, ravaging the lives of millions of people worldwide. The pandemic inflicted unprecedented strain on healthcare systems worldwide due to the disproportionate demand for resources compared to supply. In the shadows of Covid-19, serious ethical issues arose due to decisions pertaining access to hospital units, beds and oxygen allocation, withdrawal of intensive care, resource allocation, vaccination accessibility and distribution. The question that arose was how to balance ethical considerations with sensitive issues surrounding ethics during pandemics. This paper undertook a systemic review of the literature covering ethics by using national, regional and international reports. Understanding ethical dilemmas of the Covid-19 pandemic is critical in responding to future pandemics. Recommendations are given to suggest future research directions in the sensitive area of disease management and ethical considerations.
{"title":"Ethics in the Shadow of Covid-19","authors":"I. Rukasha, Unsa Begum Essop, Takunda Maurice Vambe","doi":"10.25159/2663-6549/12346","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/12346","url":null,"abstract":"The Covid-19 pandemic has had an incredible impact, ravaging the lives of millions of people worldwide. The pandemic inflicted unprecedented strain on healthcare systems worldwide due to the disproportionate demand for resources compared to supply. In the shadows of Covid-19, serious ethical issues arose due to decisions pertaining access to hospital units, beds and oxygen allocation, withdrawal of intensive care, resource allocation, vaccination accessibility and distribution. The question that arose was how to balance ethical considerations with sensitive issues surrounding ethics during pandemics. This paper undertook a systemic review of the literature covering ethics by using national, regional and international reports. Understanding ethical dilemmas of the Covid-19 pandemic is critical in responding to future pandemics. Recommendations are given to suggest future research directions in the sensitive area of disease management and ethical considerations.","PeriodicalId":159147,"journal":{"name":"Commonwealth Youth and Development","volume":"37 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124720297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-21DOI: 10.25159/2663-6549/11969
Madidimalo Richard Moila
Good governance and good leadership as stimuli for quality and sustainable service delivery have become serious concerns in the way municipalities in South Africa are managed and led. Whilst this article employs the City of Johannesburg as a case study, it also uses social contract theory to evaluate good governance and good leadership as stimuli for quality service delivery. The researcher conducted structured face-to-face interviews and reviewed documents to collect data. To obtain primary material, elected, bureaucratic, municipal trade union and community leaders, as well as residents, were interviewed. Secondary data was obtained by reviewing relevant documents on good governance and good leadership. The study found that municipal leaders defied and undermined the rule of law and displayed uncaring, unethical and dishonest leadership qualities, thereby failing to deliver quality and sustainable services to residents. Instead of using the authority ceded to them in the form of a social contract to facilitate accountable and good leadership, municipal leaders used it to undermine good governance that could have otherwise yielded the accountability and ethical conduct expected of them by the residents whom they represent in the council. In confirming the appropriateness of the application of social contract theory here, the results showed that municipal leaders did not live up to the ideals of, and failed to conform to, qualities of good governance and good leadership, as they did not consult, listen to, or maintain relationships with the local people on a regular basis, and in so doing, undermined their own ability to enhance democracy at the local level. Eventually, municipal leaders did not mobilise or influence community members to become involved in the planning and implementation of budgeted projects and programmes to meet local needs. The significance of this study lies in its analysis of good governance and good leadership as stimuli for quality and sustainable service delivery in municipalities, while generating information and guidelines on how municipal leaders can practise good governance and good leadership to implement quality and sustainable service delivery.
{"title":"Good Governance and Leadership as Stimuli for Quality Service Delivery: The Case of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality","authors":"Madidimalo Richard Moila","doi":"10.25159/2663-6549/11969","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/11969","url":null,"abstract":"Good governance and good leadership as stimuli for quality and sustainable service delivery have become serious concerns in the way municipalities in South Africa are managed and led. Whilst this article employs the City of Johannesburg as a case study, it also uses social contract theory to evaluate good governance and good leadership as stimuli for quality service delivery. The researcher conducted structured face-to-face interviews and reviewed documents to collect data. To obtain primary material, elected, bureaucratic, municipal trade union and community leaders, as well as residents, were interviewed. Secondary data was obtained by reviewing relevant documents on good governance and good leadership. The study found that municipal leaders defied and undermined the rule of law and displayed uncaring, unethical and dishonest leadership qualities, thereby failing to deliver quality and sustainable services to residents. Instead of using the authority ceded to them in the form of a social contract to facilitate accountable and good leadership, municipal leaders used it to undermine good governance that could have otherwise yielded the accountability and ethical conduct expected of them by the residents whom they represent in the council. In confirming the appropriateness of the application of social contract theory here, the results showed that municipal leaders did not live up to the ideals of, and failed to conform to, qualities of good governance and good leadership, as they did not consult, listen to, or maintain relationships with the local people on a regular basis, and in so doing, undermined their own ability to enhance democracy at the local level. Eventually, municipal leaders did not mobilise or influence community members to become involved in the planning and implementation of budgeted projects and programmes to meet local needs. The significance of this study lies in its analysis of good governance and good leadership as stimuli for quality and sustainable service delivery in municipalities, while generating information and guidelines on how municipal leaders can practise good governance and good leadership to implement quality and sustainable service delivery.","PeriodicalId":159147,"journal":{"name":"Commonwealth Youth and Development","volume":"52 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123688084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-21DOI: 10.25159/2663-6549/12283
Mashudu Mashiloane
The shortage of healthcare workers across the globe is not a new phenomenon. Several debates have highlighted the significance of providing adequate health services, including sufficient healthcare workers to serve the populace, especially the less privileged. Severe shortages of healthcare workers have hampered countries from achieving Sustainable Development Goals such as goal three, which is: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” This paper, drawn from current research, used an archival design (Ventresca and Mohr 2002) that focuses on secondary data analysis. The findings project that healthcare workers are experiencing a higher workload because of a shortage of human resources, psychological distress, lack of incentives, and poor management. As a result, the majority of healthcare workers are migrating due to push and pull factors. The country must develop retention strategies that include incentives such as rural allowances and continuous capacity-building programmes for the health sectors.
{"title":"Analysis of the Shortage of Nurses in Limpopo Province, South Africa: A Case of Lebowakgomo Clinic","authors":"Mashudu Mashiloane","doi":"10.25159/2663-6549/12283","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/12283","url":null,"abstract":"The shortage of healthcare workers across the globe is not a new phenomenon. Several debates have highlighted the significance of providing adequate health services, including sufficient healthcare workers to serve the populace, especially the less privileged. Severe shortages of healthcare workers have hampered countries from achieving Sustainable Development Goals such as goal three, which is: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” This paper, drawn from current research, used an archival design (Ventresca and Mohr 2002) that focuses on secondary data analysis. The findings project that healthcare workers are experiencing a higher workload because of a shortage of human resources, psychological distress, lack of incentives, and poor management. As a result, the majority of healthcare workers are migrating due to push and pull factors. The country must develop retention strategies that include incentives such as rural allowances and continuous capacity-building programmes for the health sectors.","PeriodicalId":159147,"journal":{"name":"Commonwealth Youth and Development","volume":"81 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122636002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-21DOI: 10.25159/2663-6549/11445
Thulani Andrew Chauke
Volunteering plays an important role in enabling young people to harness their social skills—social skills that enhance youth capability and, subsequently, connect them with the community in a dignified manner. This paper aims to understand to what extent the volunteer programme promotes positive youth development in the context of Covid-19 among those youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET). A qualitative research method was used to guide the collection and analysis of the data. The study was conducted in the Western Cape, where data were collected from a sample of 30 NEET youth and analysed through discourse analysis. The study found that a volunteer programme contributes positively to the development of NEET youth by helping them to become active citizens and to develop a sense of self-worth. The study recommends that youth workers and adult educators should encourage and support the entry of NEET youth participation in a volunteer programme in order for them to gain valuable skills that are needed in the digital age, such as communication and social skills.
{"title":"Promoting Positive Youth Development through the Volunteer Programme in the Case of NEET Youth","authors":"Thulani Andrew Chauke","doi":"10.25159/2663-6549/11445","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6549/11445","url":null,"abstract":"Volunteering plays an important role in enabling young people to harness their social skills—social skills that enhance youth capability and, subsequently, connect them with the community in a dignified manner. This paper aims to understand to what extent the volunteer programme promotes positive youth development in the context of Covid-19 among those youth not in employment, education, or training (NEET). A qualitative research method was used to guide the collection and analysis of the data. The study was conducted in the Western Cape, where data were collected from a sample of 30 NEET youth and analysed through discourse analysis. The study found that a volunteer programme contributes positively to the development of NEET youth by helping them to become active citizens and to develop a sense of self-worth. The study recommends that youth workers and adult educators should encourage and support the entry of NEET youth participation in a volunteer programme in order for them to gain valuable skills that are needed in the digital age, such as communication and social skills.","PeriodicalId":159147,"journal":{"name":"Commonwealth Youth and Development","volume":"7 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129453376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-07-21DOI: 10.25159/2663-6549/12528
Duncan Piasecki, Janice K. Moodley
Youth is a broad developmental age-range, marked by contextual and behavioural risk factors. Marginalised youth cohorts may be additionally at risk. International studies indicate that “furries,” briefly defined by their interest in anthropomorphic animals, may be one such cohort. However, little is currently known about furries in the South African context. Using the social identity approach as a theoretical underpinning, this article draws on research that formed part of a broader master’s dissertation mixed-methods study. Firstly, using quantitative analysis, this article presents the demographic prototype of furries collected from 98 furries by means of the “ZA Fuzzbutts SFW” group chat on Telegram and the “ZA Furries” online forum. This demographic profile provides the first empirical data to map a prototypical profile of the South African furry. Secondly, the article uses qualitative data to explore the risks of bullying and discrimination that this predominately youth cohort is subjected to, with specific focus on the occurrence of bias-based bullying. The study found that the prototypical South African furry is a 25-year-old white, non-heterosexual male who has completed high school, has at least some tertiary education, and is employed. Furries in South Africa also appeared to be bullied more in high school than their peers. While evidence showed that discrimination against furries exists in South Africa, it did not appear to be a primary factor in bullying.
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