The Hidden Resilience of Street Youth

Abstract

The phenomenon of resilience among street children as a group of at-risk youth goes unnoticed, since they are not typically regarded as resilient. Street children are mostly categorised as vulnerable youth who need care and support, and this deficit view ignores the assets and resources that enable them towards resilience. Nevertheless, street children are remarkably resilient. Using a qualitative approach (semi-structured and focus group interviews), we explore the hidden resilience of 20 street youths in the Free State and Gauteng. The findings transform the popular conceptualisation of street youth as vulnerable and, instead, paint a picture of young people who negotiate resilient trajectories, strengthened in part by personal resources (that are typically unconventional), bonds to their peer groups, and religiosity, to cope resiliency with the multiple challenges of streetism.

Narratives of resilience among learners in a rural primary school in Swaziland

“…Studies (e.g. Malindi and Theron 2010;Malindi 2014;Noltemeyer and Bush 2013;Ungar 2008) suggest that childhood resilience is reliant on both the child's individual characteristics and the support offered by his or her community in fostering wellbeing. Resilient qualities in children include qualities such as humour, boldness and agency (Malindi and Theron 2010).…”

“…Malindi and Theron 2010;Malindi 2014;Noltemeyer and Bush 2013;Ungar 2008) suggest that childhood resilience is reliant on both the child's individual characteristics and the support offered by his or her community in fostering wellbeing. Resilient qualities in children include qualities such as humour, boldness and agency (Malindi and Theron 2010). For the vulnerable children resilience, therefore, involves the ability to exercise the human capital of agency to navigate and negotiate their way towards educational success supported by their social context (Malindi 2014).…”

“…Each vulnerable child in the study seemed to have had a unique resilient personality upon which to draw to navigate daily struggles in order to cope with their life challenges. Such was the only recourse these children had to facilitate educational success (Malindi and Theron 2010) in the absence of structural and institutional support mechanisms available to alleviate their plight.…”

Educational psychology and resilience in developing contexts: A rejoinder to Toland and Carrigan (2011)

“…Equally, by accentuating the influence of an ecology, atypical routes to resilience are more readily understandable. For example, Donald, Wallis and Cockburn's (1997) reporting of resilient ex-street children resisting authoritarian adult regulation, and Malindi and Theron's (2010) reporting of begging as pivotal to street children's positive growth, might at first glance seem inappropriate protective resources. Nevertheless, when the contexts of these street youth are factored in, these behaviours can be interpreted as active agency which, in particular, facilitated street youth fortitude in their social ecology.…”

“…In addition, some of these young women negotiated for support from teachers and/or friends. Malindi and Theron (2010) reported that resilient street youth approached social workers, adults at shelters, and other street youth for food, clothing, support and guidance and their actions were reciprocated by these people. Theron et al (2011) filmed a male participant walking to his cousin's house in a bid to get food and advice.…”