IkamvaYouth: Building youth resilience in Atlantis, South Africa

This case study examines the IkamvaYouth programme in Atlantis, South Africa, a non-profit initiative designed to build resilience among disadvantaged high school students through academic support, career guidance, and peer-to-peer networking. The programme aims to bridge the gap between education and employment, specifically preparing youth for opportunities within the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) greentech hub.

• South Africa faces significant youth unemployment, with a national youth unemployment rate of 39%, which is over 10% higher than the national average. Education levels strongly correlate with employment status; in 2018, over 50% of unemployed individuals had less than a matric qualification, while only 2% were graduates.
• The IkamvaYouth programme builds youth resilience through three primary mechanisms: empowering individuals via education and training support, fostering confidence and networks through peer-to-peer support, and establishing a broader community support network involving parents, teachers, mentors, and government departments.
• The Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ), designated in June 2018 as a greentech manufacturing hub, is intended to reduce poverty and create jobs by prioritising the Atlantis community for employment and SMME opportunities, necessitating a proactive focus on youth skills development.
• In 2017, the IkamvaYouth Atlantis branch achieved a 94% matric pass rate, significantly higher than the pass rates of its feeder schools (Atlantis High School at 71%, Proteus Technical High School at 71%, and Robinvale High School at 87%). Of the 2017 Atlantis cohort, 74% accessed placements, with 53% entering vocational training or upgrading results, 15% in learnerships or employment, and 6% in tertiary education.
• Nationally, IkamvaYouth's 2017 Grade 12 cohort saw 85% of students pass matric and 60% access post-school placements (tertiary education, vocational training, learnerships, and employment), representing an 82% increase compared to the 2016 cohort.
• The programme in Atlantis faced significant operational challenges, including poor internet connectivity and limited lab availability. Learner and tutor retention were severely impacted by safety risks caused by gang violence, high travel costs, and the distances tutors had to travel.
• To adapt to local challenges in Atlantis, the programme experimented with online tutoring platforms and shifting to longer Saturday sessions to attract more tutors. However, 2018 results suggested that face-to-face interaction remains a critical component of the programme's success.

APA

GreenCape (2019). IkamvaYouth: Building youth resilience in Atlantis, South Africa. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20190417-GreenCape-Resilience-Report-Skills-FA-Interactive-3.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. IkamvaYouth: Building youth resilience in Atlantis, South Africa. 2019. https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20190417-GreenCape-Resilience-Report-Skills-FA-Interactive-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=IkamvaYouth: Building youth resilience in Atlantis, South Africa |date=2019 |url=https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20190417-GreenCape-Resilience-Report-Skills-FA-Interactive-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2019ikamvayouth, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{IkamvaYouth: Building youth resilience in Atlantis, South Africa}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2019}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/20190417-GreenCape-Resilience-Report-Skills-FA-Interactive-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }