Abstract
The issue of a continued increase in the number of young people who fall into the Not in Education, Employment, and Training (NEET) category is a global concern, as well as in the African and South African context. The objective of this study was to investigate the youth beneficiaries’ experiences of youth coaches in the Basic Package of Support Programme (BPS). This programme is aimed at providing holistic services to improve the wellbeing and employability of young people. The Positive Youth Development framework guided this study. The study employed an interpretive paradigm and qualitative research methods to gain insight into youth beneficiaries’ experiences of youth coaches in the BPS Programme. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 youth beneficiaries of the BPS Orange Farm Site, Gauteng Province. The age range of the participants is 19 to 24 years. I employed a thematic data analysis to analyse data. The study's results indicated numerous benefits of the youth-coach relationship for the youth beneficiaries in their personal lives, and in their educational and career development. Challenges of the youth-coach relationship, which included limited time were brought to light in the study’s results. The significantly positive impact of the BPS youth coaches in the lives of the youth beneficiaries is noted and highlights the potential of youth coaching to vulnerable youth.