Reducing violence through the seed of greatness youth programme in Empangeni

Abstract

Youth violence is a major issue all over the world. The prevalence and patterns of youth violence are also common in South Africa, where young people are regularly exposed to violence in their families, schools, and communities. Youth violence can lead to numerous health consequences, including increased rates of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, suicide, anxiety and premature death. Young people who are exposed to violence at such a young age are more likely to become involved in violent cycles, both as repeat victims and as potential perpetrators of violence, or develop other antisocial behaviour. Given the extent of youth violence, unless drastic intervention strategies succeed in breaking the cycles of violence, levels of violence are only likely to rise over time. This study aimed to uncover, understand, and respond to experiences of violence that exist amongst the youth of Empangeni in Northern KZN, by raising awareness of peacebuilding approaches and emphasising how youth involvement in peacebuilding programmes can provide lasting solutions. This study focused on youth from The Seed of Greatness Youth Programme, a youth organization based in the Empangeni area, and adopted a Participatory Action Research approach to engage youth affected by the problem of violence in building a peaceful community. The qualitative research approach was utilised to obtain detailed and rich data. The data was collected through face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions. The information collected was audio recorded and then transcribed. After transcribing, the data was analysed and themes and sub-themes were derived from the collected information. The study reveals that the most prevalent forms of violence youth are experiencing in Empangeni are physical violence and gender-based violence. The main causes of violence were found to be substance abuse, peer influence, ongoing exposure to violence and a lack of economic opportunities. Findings also highlighted the perceptions of the effects of violence which were found to be PTSD and depression, development of coping strategies among victims, vigilantism and desensitisation to violence. Furthermore, in collaboration with the participants, a training workshop aimed at reducing key factors linked to violence was designed, implemented and evaluated. The Participatory Action Research method proved to be an extremely effective approach for this study. The process allowed the youth of Empangeni to be key role players in the research and to participate in all the stages of the research process with the purpose of creating social change. This involvement made youth feel valued which, in turn, yielded positive results as their involvement and participation in the project increased. The insight and experience acquired through the participatory action research process was valuable for both the researcher and youth in that both learned from each other through the sharing of knowledge in the research process