IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/alresp/v22y2025i3p319-333.html

A critical action learning approach to developing the capabilities of NEET youth in South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Nosipho Nxumalo
  • Lesley Wood

Abstract

South Africa faces a severe youth unemployment crisis, particularly among those aged 16-25, with NEET (not in education, employment, or training) youth at high risk of mental health challenges and social exclusion. Despite their lack of formal qualifications, these young people possess personal assets that can foster resilience. This study explores how critical action learning (CAL) can help NEET youth develop their collective capability by engaging them in after-school programmes (ASP), which not only benefit adolescents, but also enhance the self-confidence, agency, and social networks of NEET youth themselves. Using participatory action learning and action research (PALAR) with arts-based methods, the study engaged 14 young women in two cycles: first, to reflect on barriers and personal assets, and second, to design and implement after school programmes (ASP). The findings show that participation in an action learning group (ALG) fostered trust, emotional openness, and self-belief, demonstrating the potential of CAL in empowering marginalised youth.

Suggested Citation

  • Nosipho Nxumalo & Lesley Wood, 2025. "A critical action learning approach to developing the capabilities of NEET youth in South Africa," Action Learning: Research and Practice, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3), pages 319-333, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:alresp:v:22:y:2025:i:3:p:319-333
    DOI: 10.1080/14767333.2025.2563844
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/14767333.2025.2563844
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/14767333.2025.2563844?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:alresp:v:22:y:2025:i:3:p:319-333. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/CALR20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.