Youth Month – Western Cape DSD supporting at-risk youth

During the month of June, Youth Month, we recognize the invaluable contribution of countless young people who bravely fought for freedom and equality.

“Today, many South African youth are preoccupied with a fight of a different kind: socio-economic challenges such as poor educational outcomes and limited employment opportunities in the context of social harms such as harsh parenting, toxic peer pressure, exposure to, and experience of Gender-Based Violence, substance abuse, crime and violence,” says Western Cape Minister of Social Development, Sharna Fernandez.

The Western Cape Department of Social Development (WCDSD) funds and supports various youth development programmes, especially for high-risk youth.

The Department subsidizes 27 NGOs to work in communities where there are youth not in employment, education and/or training (NEET). These organisations have provided skills development training to 14 566 beneficiaries in the 2022-23 financial year.

“On Youth Day, I will be in George, where over 1000 youth from different parts of the Eden Karoo region will converge for a Youth Day Expo. My hope is that this event will inspire the young attendees to dream big, network, learn about exciting educational and job opportunities, and to fully utilize the available support services from the department and NGOs,” adds Minister Fernandez.

On an intervention level, the department provides a range of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) services, including prevention, early intervention, treatment, and aftercare services to ensure the effective reintegration of clients into their communities of origin and the society at large.

The WCDSD supports school-based crime prevention programmes in urban and rural hotspot areas like Khayelitsha, Kraaifontein, Nyanga, Gugulethu, Delft, Mfuleni, Harare, Bishop Lavis, Phillipi, Phillipi East, Mitchells Plain and Beaufort West. Topics such as life skills, mentoring, anti-bullying, substance use disorder, personal anger and stress management were offered to address risky behaviour of learners in high-risk communities. 11 197 children across the province accessed and benefited from these programmes during the 2022/2023 financial year.

The Department also has two own youth treatment centres for boys and girls up to the age of 18 years at Kraaifontein Treatment Centre and Lindelani Child and Youth Care Centre for both court - and voluntary admissions.   We also have agreements with 3 NPO partners to provide in-patient treatment services with 730 children receiving services within the last year.

For more information about the Department’s services, please call our toll-free number 0800 220 250 or visit your nearest Department of Social Development local office. You can also visit https://www.westerncape.gov.za/dept/social-development