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‘Born Free’ Dreams: South African Township Youth Discuss Their Hopes for a Better Life in Future

Author

Listed:
  • Valerie Møller

    (Rhodes University)

  • Benjamin J. Roberts

    (Rhodes University
    Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC))

  • Dalindyebo Zani

    (Rhodes University)

Abstract

The advent of democracy in 1994 promised South Africans a ‘better life for all’ and the so-called ‘born free’ generation hoped for better education and job opportunities than those of their parents and grandparents, who had lived under apartheid. In focus group discussions, township youth living in a small university town in the country’s poorest Eastern Cape Province had the opportunity to express what hopes they had for their future in the post-Covid-19 era and confirmed the important role of hope in their lives as a useful tool that motivated them to aspire to fulfil their dreams. In response to select items from the Snyder hope scales, youth discussed their life goals, optimism, agency, and pathway thinking to realise their dreams. Youth recognised hope could be both harmful as well as useful. The discussions provided an opportunity for youth to share and compare with others their experiences of disappointment and failure, of times when they had felt hopeless, with the worst cases of hopelessness resulting in alcohol and substance abuse, which was reportedly widespread among township youth. Family, neighbours and significant others provided support and advice that assisted youth to recover from hopelessness, and to find new direction in life. Results from this qualitative study point to the importance of providing township youth with a platform to share their experiences of hopelessness. Policy and practical interventions are needed to support and guide hopeless youth to regain their mental health, well-being, and hope for the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Valerie Møller & Benjamin J. Roberts & Dalindyebo Zani, 2024. "‘Born Free’ Dreams: South African Township Youth Discuss Their Hopes for a Better Life in Future," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 19(4), pages 1681-1709, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:19:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1007_s11482-024-10303-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s11482-024-10303-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Helga Dickow & Valerie Møller, 2002. "South Africa's `Rainbow People', National Pride and Optimism: A Trend Study," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 175-202, August.
    2. Mari Harris, 1997. "Monitoring Optimism in South Africa," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 279-304, July.
    3. Valerie Møller & Benjamin J. Roberts, 2017. "South African Hopes and Fears Twenty Years into Democracy: A Replication of Hadley Cantril’s Pattern of Human Concerns," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 39-69, January.
    4. Emma Pleeging & Job Exel & Martijn Burger, 2022. "Characterizing Hope: An Interdisciplinary Overview of the Characteristics of Hope," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(3), pages 1681-1723, June.
    5. Valerie Møller & Benjamin J. Roberts & Dalindyebo Zani, 2018. "The National Wellbeing Index in the IsiXhosa Translation: Focus Group Discussions on How South Africans View the Quality of Their Society," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 135(1), pages 167-193, January.
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