Teenage years are typically defined by change — moving from being a child to becoming an adult. At the same time, teens are forming a sense of who they are and where they fit in the world. This is important because when they understand themselves, they make better choices and feel confident and connected. This process is often thought of as an entirely personal journey. Instead, teenagers build their sense of who they are — made up of purpose, belonging, self-worth and agency — through the people and systems around them. This includes their family, friends, community and the services available to them.

When those support systems are missing, teens may struggle and turn to risky or harmful behaviour when things get hard. When those systems are strong, teens do better — they’re more confident, hopeful and resilient. And that doesn’t just help them; it helps their families and communities too.

Here’s the problem in South Africa: no single department is responsible for supporting teen identity, and although civil society has stepped in to provide adolescent-focused services and programmes in communities, they’re not comprehensive enough to reach everyone. What we need is a national response informed by an adolescent wellbeing framework.

In this episode, we talk to Shirley Eadie from the Hold My Hand Accelerator about why teen identity is a public policy issue.

The Learning Lunch podcast features three types of episodes: Deep Dives; Nourish & Flourish; and Best Bites.

Each podcast/learning lunch session is structured as follows:
The Main Meal - A ±30-minute podcast
The Takeaways - Instructions for a ±30-minute group reflection based on what you listened to.

To learn more about the work that we do, go to www.dgmt.co.za