IkamvaYouth: Building youth resilience in Atlantis, South Africa

The document examines the IkamvaYouth programme in Atlantis, South Africa, which provides tutoring, mentoring, and career guidance to Grade 8-12 learners. It highlights the link between low education levels and high unemployment, noting that over 50% of unemployed people in 2018 had less than a matric qualification. The programme aims to create a skills pipeline for the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ), a greentech manufacturing hub. In 2017, 94% of IkamvaYouth students in Atlantis passed their matric exams, compared to lower rates at feeder schools. However, the programme faces significant local challenges, including gang violence and poor internet connectivity, which hinder tutor recruitment and learner retention.

• There is a strong correlation between education levels and unemployment in South Africa; in 2018, more than 50% of unemployed individuals had not completed their matric qualification, while only 2% of the unemployed were graduates.
• The Atlantis Special Economic Zone (ASEZ), designated in June 2018 as a greentech manufacturing hub, is intended to reduce poverty and create jobs, but its success depends on proactive skills development for local youth.
• IkamvaYouth builds youth resilience through a three-pronged approach: providing education and training support, utilizing peer-to-peer support to build confidence, and establishing a broad community network of stakeholders including parents, teachers, and donors.
• In 2017, the Atlantis branch of IkamvaYouth achieved a 94% matric pass rate, with 74% of students eligible for tertiary education and 74% accessing some form of placement (vocational training, learnerships, employment, or tertiary education).
• The programme in Atlantis faces severe operational hurdles, specifically gang violence and high travel costs, which lead to low tutor availability and a high 'kick out rate' for learners.
• Infrastructure deficits in Atlantis, including poor internet connectivity and conflicting schedules for computer lab access, have hindered the delivery of the computer literacy curriculum.
• To adapt to local challenges, the programme experimented with online tutoring platforms and shifting sessions to Saturdays, but found that face-to-face interaction remains a critical component for learner motivation.

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} }