Abstract:
Vulnerable youth and youth with disabilities are at great risk of not having their rights met.
In addition, they face challenges with regard to empowerment and participation in their own lives.
Youth development programmes frequently focus primarily on the individual skills of the youth.
However, reviews have indicated that for youth to be able to drive change, additional opportunities
at community and broader society levels are required. This project sought to evaluate the changes
facilitated by the Changing the Story—Leadership Development Programme as implemented in the
Youth Accountability and Deaf Inclusion in South Africa project, for both vulnerable and Deaf youth.
A longitudinal Q-sort methodology was used to measure the youths’ changes in perceptions. The
results provided evidence of significant change following the programme, including increases in perceptions of empowerment within the community. Furthermore, although vulnerable and Deaf youth
began the programme with differing perceptions of self, community and society, these perceptions
were more aligned after completion of the programme. The results and challenges experienced using
a longitudinal Q-sort methodology are presented and discussed. Recommendations and limitations
are also highlighted.
