At the time of South Africa’s transition to democracy, hopes were high for the cohort of children born at that particular moment in history. Today, more than two decades into democracy, this group of children is ’coming of age’. Despite the many promises of a better life for all, racial, class and gender inequalities continue to shape these young people’s lives, dreams and opportunities.
In its endeavours to meaningfully engage with the key challenges facing South Africa, the youth focus of SALDRU is a response to the need for evidence-based interventions that aim to empower youth and to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty. SALDRU therefore undertakes concerted efforts to bring together research, policy and practice in collaborative moments of knowledge exchange and creation.
Download our youth policy brief, The State of Youth Wellbeing in South Africa (PDF).
You might also be interested in the Youth Explorer, an interactive tool that draws on census data to provide a range of information, down to ward level, on young people aged 15-24 throughout South Africa.
Click on the links below for more information about our youth projects:

Leave No Youth Behind: A Basic Package of Support for Young People in South Africa

Systematic Overview of Youth Unemployment

Yazi Youth Information Portal

2015 Youth-focused Child Gauge

Youth Policy Dialogues

Women, transport and employment in Africa
