Your voice, your choice: a dialogue-driven civic education intervention with youth in Umlazi, South Africa

Abstract

This chapter argues that despite living in a democratic South Africa, young people’s barrier to civic participation continues to be a major source of what Amartya Sen calls “unfreedom.” This condition comes from barriers to access, corruption in individuals, and the failure of services, all of which potentially lead to avolition. “Your Voice, Your Choice” was a youth-targeted intervention aimed at empowering young people’s active participation and engagement in civil society. The intervention used dialogue and innovative participatory methodologies to capture young people’s understanding of the political landscape of South Africa, including how they envision changing it. This chapter unpacks the transformative potential of dialogue in the Your Voice, Your Choice (YVYC) intervention as an alternative to bolstering social and economic opportunities for young people in the face of unfreedoms.