What young people told us. What we’re doing about it, together
As part of ongoing support for young people in the province, the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness (WCDHW) on Friday, 7 August 2026, launched the new Just Me journal at Mondale High School in Mitchells Plain. The journal gives young people a practical resource to use in their everyday lives, while helping them recognise when they may need support and where to find it.
The journal was co-created with young people and included insights gained through the Planet Youth survey to ensure it felt relevant and useful to teenagers.
Planet Youth is an internationally recognised, evidence-based prevention model that reduces substance use and other risky behaviours among young people by strengthening the protective factors around them – in their homes, schools, and communities.
Taking what they told us, the WCDHW is using it to shape the next step in our journey to help young people start well and live well.
This tool comes in response to feedback from nearly 50 000 young people across the Western Cape, who told us about their lives: what made them feel supported, the challenges they faced, the people they turn to, the pressures they experienced and the communities they’re from.
On the day, learners from schools shared their thoughts.
“This journal gives so many contact numbers and places to go to assist the next person. I find this journal very for the next person... the young person who has this journal has the necessary information to help his friends... or someone going through a hard time,” shared Tafelsig High School matriculant Mulalo Joshua Bongwe.
Mulalo, who aspires to study law and is the chairperson of his school’s student council, also shared that he knows many young people who could benefit from the journal. He said he liked the journal’s layout, design and overall presentation.
Another learner, Christy Nel, said the journal stood out to her because it could help young people express their thoughts and feelings, better understand themselves and build the confidence to speak about what they are going through.
“What stood out the most for me is that this journal can actually help us grow and share our thoughts and feelings on whatever circumstances we were going through. This can really help youth, as there are many who prefer to experience things alone due to bullying and peer pressure... So, this will really be a help to get them to know themselves better, and maybe it can help them hatch out of their shell. They will feel like, ‘I can do this, I can go out in public and speak to people, and there is nothing to be ashamed about.’”
The journal is one part of the Department’s broader work to help young people start well and live well. It adds another layer to existing support, including Youth Zones, which provide youth-friendly health and psychosocial support at local clinics. The department also launched the Masithethe Positive Parenting Series, which provides practical parenting support to families.
Planet Youth Survey: We asked. Young people answered.
Between April and June 2025, at least 50 000 Grade 8 and 9 learners from 123 schools took part in the Western Cape’s Planet Youth survey, led by the Department of Health and Wellness.
Young people from communities across the Cape Metro, including Atlantis, Athlone, Langa, Philippi, Gugulethu, Hanover Park, Kraaifontein, Nyanga and Mitchells Plain, as well as communities on the West Coast and in the Garden Route, shared their experiences.
This work has brought together partners in government, schools, researchers, NGOs, youth organisations and safety partners to look at issues that affect young people’s lives, from substance use and mental and emotional wellbeing to relationships, family support, school life, social media, violence and opportunities to get involved in positive activities.
The journal is the next step in that journey, taking what young people told us and bringing it back to them in a way that is practical, easy to use and relevant to their lives.
Just Me: A journal that continues conversations
The journal covers topics that young people told us matter in their lives, including the communities they live in, how they spend their free time, substance use, relationships with friends and family, their experiences at school, violence and their mental and emotional wellbeing.
It includes information, statistics, activities and questions that encourage young people to reflect about their experiences, recognise their strengths, understand the people and environments around them and consider the choices that can shape their future.
The journal is a tool that helps continue conversations. A young person might use it on their own. A teacher might use it to start a discussion in a classroom. A facilitator might use it during a youth group session. Or it might simply give a young person a reason to talk to a parent, friend or trusted adult about something they have been carrying on their own.
The hope is that it creates more opportunities for young people to talk, reflect and connect with the people and services that can support them.
Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness, Mireille Wenger, said: “Planet Youth started with listening to young people. The Just Me journal is a direct response to what learners told us and will support them to reflect on their experiences, better understand themselves and start important conversations with the people they trust. Most importantly, it reminds every young person that their voice matters, their experiences matter and they do not have to navigate life’s challenges alone.”
Prevention starts with everyday actions
The journal forms part of the Western Cape’s broader approach to preventing violence and promoting healthier communities.
Prevention is not only about what happens after something has gone wrong. It is also about the everyday things that can help young people feel supported and connected – having people they can trust, feeling like they belong at school and in their communities, having positive ways to spend their time and knowing where to turn when they need help.
Violence Prevention Unit Director, Nicky Van der Walt, said: “Prevention starts long before a young person reaches a point of crisis. It starts with the relationships they have, the spaces where they spend their time and whether they have people around them who they can trust and talk to. Planet Youth helped us hear directly from young people about what they are experiencing. This journal is one way of taking what they told us and turning it into something practical – something that can help young people reflect on their lives and start conversations with the people around them.”
The journal will be distributed through schools and youth development programmes. It will be accompanied by a short facilitation manual to guide coaches, teaching assistants and youth development workers to hold structured conversations informed by the journal. The journal is not meant to be used as a stand-alone product but is intended to be integrated into existing programmes.
The WCDHW will continue to listen to young people’s experiences and feedback as they use the journal. What young people share will help inform future prevention work and ensure that their voices remain part of the decisions that affect them.
Young people took the time to tell us about their lives and their communities. This journal is one way of showing them that we heard them.
As one learner shared, the journal can give young people a way to express how they feel and serves as an encouragement to them: “This can help youth and teenagers to express how they feel... this journal is encouraging.”
*If you are a young person who needs support, please visit your nearest clinic. We’re here to support you.
For parenting tips, watch the Masithethe series here: https://youtu.be/n2Ybyf4l7uU?si=JS3oerOfxBQHSCyD
ENDS.
For media enquiries, contact:
Shimoney Regter
Communication
Emergency and Clinical Services Support (ECSS)
Shimoney.Regter@westerncape.gov.za
Robyn Thomson
Media Liaison Officer for Minister Mireille Wenger