Drawing on strengths: images of ecological contributions to male street youth resilience Macalane Malindi (PhD) Linda Theron (D.Ed.)
PRESENTATION OUTLINE • Clarification of concepts; • Background; • Problem statement; • Aim of the study; • Study design; • Study design; • Findings • Conclusion
CLARIFICATION OF CONCEPTS Street Street Street Street youth youth youth youth : homeless or neglected child; occasionally return home; reside in safe houses; who go to rubbish dumps in search of food
• Resilience Resilience Resilience Resilience is broadly understood to mean ‘positive adaptation in the face of adversity’ (Schoon & Bynner, 2003, p. 21) • Resilience is a process and an outcome, synonymous with ‘doing well’ in contexts synonymous with ‘doing well’ in contexts that predict the opposite.
BACKGROUND • South Africa is yet to win the war against poverty and underdevelopment; • Multitudes of at-risk/vulnerable children migrate to the streets; • They are labelled street children, a term • They are labelled street children, a term laden with derogation; • They survive in hostile environments beset with risks; • A heterogeneous group of young people;
• Street youth are regarded as ‘at-risk’ children who are not resilient; however • Some studies suggest that they can be resilient within the context of streetism (Donald & Swart-Kruger, 1994; Evans, 2002; Kombarakaran, 2004; Malindi, 2009; Malindi & Theron, 2010; Theron & Malindi, 2010; • Popular data collection strategies (questionnaires and interviews) were limited with street youth; • This motivated our study, using symbolic drawings
PROBLEM STATEMENT Can Can Can Can symbolic symbolic symbolic drawings symbolic drawings drawings drawings be be useful be be useful useful useful in in in exploring in exploring exploring exploring the resilience of street youth? the resilience of street youth? the resilience of street youth? the resilience of street youth?
AIM OF THE STUDY To explore the resilience of street youth by means of a phenomenological study using symbolic drawings and narratives (Guillemin, 2004) in order to generate rich and youth-centred evidence. and youth-centred evidence.
STUDY DESIGN • Qualitative; • Sampling was purposeful • Size: 20 male street youth living in a shelter; • Ages: 10-18 • Duration of stay on streets: 4-19 months • Data collection procedure: symbolic drawings;
EXAMPLE OF DRAWING BRIEF “Think about what helps you to cope well with your life. Draw something in the space below that will show or illustrate what helps you to cope well with your life. Remember, how well you draw is not important.” draw is not important.” “Explain what your symbol is saying about what helps you to cope well with your life. Write 3–4 sentences, or ask the researcher to write them for you.”
DATA ANALYSIS • The participants helped us interpret the data by writing the narratives; • Individual inductive analysis • We held a vigorous consensus discussion;
FINDINGS • Inductive analysis of drawings and narratives yielded six themes namely: – self-reliance, – reliance on others, – reliance on others, – respect for school and education, – safe spaces, – adherence to religion, and – recreation
Self-reliance: “If someone beat me or hurt me… I think to beat him, but I use my mind: I didn’t beat him …. And my mind help me to ask if I need something, and my mind help me to think good things.” Participant 16.
Figure 8.1. by Participant 16.
Respect for school and education Respect for school and education Respect for school and education Respect for school and education “School helps me to gain knowledge. I learn about life. School opens my mind and I avoid crime. mind and I avoid crime. School teaches me how to live like other people who support themselves.” Participant 12 Participant 12 Participant 12 Participant 12
Figure 8.2: Participant 11.
Safe spaces Safe spaces Safe spaces Safe spaces “ Having a place to sleep makes me feel safe. I have food and receive care.” Participant 5 Participant 5
Figure 8.3: Participant 6.
Recreation Recreation Recreation Recreation “If anyone upsets me I go out to play football, because while I am playing no one can upset me. I can continue being happy.” continue being happy.” (Participant 15); ----------------------------- “When I am facing difficult times, I like playing football to make myself forget” (Participant 19). (Participant 19). (Participant 19). (Participant 19).
Figure 8.4: Participant 10
CONCLUSIONS: METHODOLOGICAL • We enabled them to show what nurtures their resilience through child-centred means (Guillemin, 2004) = irrefutable evidence; • Illustrated the value of engaging vulnerable young people in participatory studies young people in participatory studies (Guillemin, 2004); • Our participatory approach encouraged non-‘adultist’ data (Ennew, 2003)
CONCLUSIONS: THEORETICAL • Findings provide an answer to what enables male street youth to do well despite the challenges they face: – Resilience of these street youth is anchored in ordinary ordinary ordinary ordinary ordinary ordinary ordinary ordinary structures of structures structures structures structures structures structures structures of of of of of of of regular regular everyday regular regular regular regular regular regular everyday everyday everyday everyday everyday everyday everyday life life life life life life life life (Masten, 2001) e.g. self self- self self self self self self self self self self self self self- self - - - - - - - -reliance - - - - - -reliance reliance reliance , other reliance , other reliance reliance reliance reliance reliance reliance reliance reliance reliance reliance reliance other other other other other other- other other other other other other other other- - - - - - -reliance - - -reliance - - - - - reliance reliance reliance reliance reliance reliance reliance reliance reliance reliance , access to safe reliance reliance reliance , access to safe reliance safe spaces safe safe safe safe spaces safe safe safe safe safe safe safe safe safe spaces spaces spaces and to spaces spaces spaces spaces spaces and to spaces spaces spaces spaces spaces spaces schools schools schools , schools religion religion religion religion , and opportunities opportunities opportunities opportunities to to to to play play (typically schools schools schools schools religion religion religion religion opportunities opportunities opportunities opportunities to to to to play play soccer). • Additional pathways to resilience emerged: – the capacity for hope hope hope hope – belief in benevolent strangers benevolent strangers benevolent strangers benevolent strangers – positive collective identity collective identity collective identity collective identity
MUCHAS GRACIAS THANK YOU VERY MUCH
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