Stage 5: Terminating interview session: This stage was an indication that the interview had come to an end, this is where the researcher made an indication by using phrases such as “in
4.2. DATA FINDINGS
4.2.1 The demographic profile of semi-structured one-on-one interview participants This section presents data findings from semi-structured interviews starting with information
4.2.2.4. Theme 4: Significant challenges facing post-school youth identified for the study in Tembisa Township
94 evident in the participants where they expressed satisfaction and fulfilment in the current career training in spite of the strains they experienced in the environment. The presence of academic resilience enables a person to look for an opportunity to grow and to achieve their aspirations and goals (Sawyer & Burton, 2012:54).
4.2.2.4. Theme 4: Significant challenges facing post-school youth identified for the study in
95 P8 said it was an impossible dream to expect further education as the aunt and uncle would have not afforded to pay for further education, while P7 expressed that poor financing of schools had negative impact on the performance.
P8 and P2 raised poor performance at school as a challenge in post school youth which came as a result of poor education leading to poor result disabling youth from entry into university. P2 in his response indicated that ngiqedile eskoleni maa’m mara, my grades are bad: I finished school though my grades for grade 12 are bad. P8 agreed with an indication that I came to the TVET College because I couldn’t go to university with these grades even if I had a sponsor.
P1 and P2 highlighted poverty which lead to unemployment as a major challenge. P1 shared that we lack sisokola even nangokudla, kunzima: we even struggle for food. P2 also expressed we run out of food at home.
In the township, youth are labelled negatively as being disruptive, which is a challenge for persistent youth who try hard. P2 indicated that as young people in Tembisa, we are all labelled as disruptive, but the truth is that not all of us youth are disruptive. This was expressed as a challenge as the post school youth in the study were negatively affected by the gangs mis- behaviours because they did not identify with their behaviour. There is a lot of negative perception on youth in Tembisa. P4 expressed this and said people in Tembisa think youth will all have babies, do nyaope this nonsense drug, do crime and that will be the end of us youth.
They are not acknowledging that some of us run away from these things.
P6 indicated that a challenge that comes as a result of excessive boredom for youth is a lot of
‘jollying’ which is engagement in adult sexual activities leading to high numbers in teenage pregnancy and alcohol consumption. P1 further indicated peer pressure as a challenge for youth.
P1 was worried that the cousin succumbed to peer-pressure and was always making time to hang and roam around the community doing nothing productive. P8 shared that neighbours were always worried that youth would have children pre maturely and drop out of school. This is a norm for youth in the community.
P1 shared a challenge that substance abuse was a problem in the community. P1 indicated that I am always worried that the older cousin drank a lot, did not prioritise schooling instead spent time in hangout spots with a gang in the township.
96 Extended family members who were grandparents and uncles due to the absence of biological parents raised most of the youth participants in Tembisa and this presented with a challenge. P1 indicated that my grandmother through the old age grant assists me, as she does not have a job, while P8 indicated that both parents died due to HIV and AIDS and I stay with my uncle and his wife.
P7 identified political nepotism as being a challenge in accessing opportunities. He stated many youths are not employed as they are not politicians to know someone who can provide a job opportunity.
Interpretation of theme 4
There are many challenges in Tembisa. These include teenage pregnancy, unemployment, bullying, crime, rape, underdevelopment, lack, HIV and AIDS. Through these challenges, youth have adopted coping strategies to achieve in their academic work. Academic resilience was important to the youth who held dreams for a better future. Participant 2 and Participant 7 were prompted by the hardships and challenges in their households to work hard. They demonstrated eagerness towards their studies. The conditions were not conducive to study and there was a poor infrastructure and lack of food. Due to under-resourced schools and education, many learners do not do well to be eligible for university scholarships. This hinders economic and environmental progress. Most families in Tembisa are financially incapable of assisting their children and youth in their education. There are issues with sponsorship in a form of scholarships for learners to progress in their education. There is overcrowding in some families and this remains a challenge to individualised attention and support. Unemployment remains high and frustrates growth, development and academic success. Insufficient support put a lot of strain on most participants in the study.
Discussion of theme 4
There were various circumstances in Tembisa Township that presented challenges for Post School youth. Goldstein and Brooks (2012:3) and Rakabe (2016:24) view resilience as the ability to withstand challenges, hold on to a dream and make use of available structures to enable a sense of belonging with the community, friends and family. Participant 1 and 8 demonstrated what Brendtro and Shahbazian (2004:75) termed as having a sense of identity where the individual experiences a sense of belonging into a structure be it the school, family and
97 friendship, which is an attribute of resilience at a family and community level. Conditions that are experienced by the youth in disadvantaged communities are always unfavourable, says Dass- Brailsford (2005: 574). These conditions influence the safety and security of individuals in a negative way (Williams, 2011). They instil helplessness and hopelessness to the possibility of doing well in the future. This was evident in the experiences of the youth where they were exposed to bullying, drugs and rape. Resilience was demonstrated as the youth did not withdrew from the primary school support system of teachers who contributed to their academic success (Ungar et al. 2014:66).
Poor resourcing and the lack of financial resources cause an individual to be vulnerable.
Aberdeen Getting it Right (2012: 52) state this in the resilience matrix as unfavourable and a trigger for an individual to demonstrate if they are resilient. Some of the post-school youth in Tembisa did not cope with the financial strains in the community and resorted to negative mechanisms. Persistence and determination according to (Charney, 2004:19) were attributes of resilience demonstrated by some participants. The informal work undertaken demonstrated the presence of goal-orientation, willingness to succeed in order to express appreciation to their support system
Many youth have given up on their hope for the future and this was always a challenge for academic resilient youth to push through the hopelessness. The township life presents overwhelming pressures including peer pressure, poverty and unemployment leading to severe lack of food, proper shelter, and means for academic work (Rakabe, 2016:34; Normand, 2007;
Dass-Brailsford, 2005: 574). Participant 2 and Participant 7 indicated that many youth in Tembisa Township have given up on their future. They stay at home, idle about and end up engaging in harmful activities. Academic resilience guide an individual to make means to complete all tasks without giving up and to ask for help and align with those that share the same vision. Normand (2007:73) and Theron and Theron (2014:297) state that the youth in townships drop out of school mostly due to the inability to cope with their challenging circumstances. The challenges faced by students are not only limited to environmental conditions of a lack of proper recreational activities but vary from lack of proper housing, sanitation, infrastructure and food amongst many challenges (Dass-Brailsford, 2005: 574; Normand, 2007:77; Theron & Theron,
98 2014: 297). Finances to live a reasonable life remain a challenge in Tembisa Township, due to high rates of unemployment. In the interviews, there were indications that gave the impression that in the township, there is survival of those who are fit, and those who resort to quick solutions employed by gangs and crime. The families of some youth who participated in the study did not have positive views of the post school youth and their living conditions. These were expressed as the youth shared their experiences.
Further, Tembisa Township experienced overwhelming teenage pregnancy rate (Theron &
Theron, 2014: 297; Normand, 2007:67). The community derails young people on the journey towards achieving academic success due to pressure. This pressure forces the youth who are not resilient to engage in unhealthy survival and coping mechanisms. A resilient teenage parent in the study demonstrated willingness to try for a better future (Goldstein & Brooks, 2012:3). They learn from their mistakes and those of others around them (Charney, 2004:41; Salis, Owen &
Fisher, 2008: 465). The youth expressed a challenge of poor resources and lack of funding towards their education. This is a challenge with many townships including Tembisa. People make means to survive with small businesses which Rakabe (2016:1) says are less productive due to the businesses falling within the non-retail Traditional Informal Enterprises TIES category which is the opposite of the more productive Modernising Informal Enterprises (MIEs) classification. The business activities in Tembisa do not grow to prosper within families and the communities as they resonate within the Traditional Informal Sector (TIS). There are many challenges that are found in the ecological system that influence either positively or negatively on the ability of an individual to cope (Salis, Owen & Fisher, 2008: 465). The youth continue to face challenges (National Youth Policy 2015:25) in Tembisa Township due to the unfavourable economic status (Rakabe, 2016:24). The challenges present as positive triggers or stressors, which put strain on development and academic achievement (Bracco, Piccinno & Dorigatti, 2013:16; Aberdeen Getting it Right, 2012: 49). The participants in the study shared the reality of inadequacy in finances which negatively influenced academic achievement. Learners in Tembisa Township struggle to cope and as a result, drop out of school due to insufficient means to provide for their educational needs. Every developing learner has a basic need to feel a sense of belonging (Brendtro, Brokenleg & Bockern, 2013:67) in order to experience mastery and academic success. Understanding the challenges in context and how they influence development
99 is important to contribute towards recommendations for interventions that can help towards academic achievement.