Abstract
Abstract : This research project was undertaken in the context of Pillars Two and Three of the National Framework for Local Economic Development 2013-2018. The youth unemployment rate in South Africa is rampant at 52,2 per cent. LED practitioners are therefore of the opinion that youth development is important and could be achieved through youth empowerment programmes. These programmes are aimed at improving the employability of the youth in South Africa, for example, through the provision of fit for purpose life coping skills in order to access economic opportunities. Once an empowerment project is envisaged, it is of utmost importance that the identified youth are involved in all project stages; from the conceptualisation stage right up to the implementation stage. Youth involvement should be encouraged and maximised in LED projects in order to yield better results in terms of the effectiveness, efficiency and the sustainability of the projects. This research project focused on understanding the perceived impact of a life coping skills training programme on the empowerment of a group of unemployed youth from a section of Khayelitsha at a micro-level. Both pre- and post-intervention surveys were conducted. According to the findings of this research project, there seems to be an improvement in the perceptions of the youth in terms of their self-image postintervention. They also gained the belief that they are able to cope with challenges which seemed to restrict them from being economically active.
M.Com. (Local Economic Development)