Hold My Hand has published a new free guide, Supporting Teen Identity Development: A Guide for Adults. Written in plain language, it helps parents, caregivers, teachers and mentors have insight into what teenagers are going through and how to support them through these years.
The guide covers areas of adolescent development, from brain development and peer pressure to mental health and social media – and includes practical tools and conversational prompts adults can use straight away.
Adolescents make up more than 17% of South Africa’s population. Too old for early childhood services but too young to vote, this group has often been left out of the country’s development planning. Yet, adolescence is one of the most important windows of opportunity; it is during these years that teens build their identities, develop resilience, connectedness and a sense of purpose – or fall into risk. It’s also a time when people have strong convictions and are willing to act on them – as witnessed in the Soweto Uprising of 1976.
The transition to adulthood is hard enough on its own. In South Africa, teenagers carry that weight alongside poverty, violence, social media pressure, HIV, school dropout, gangsterism and a future that currently doesn’t provide many opportunities. In these conditions, a strong sense of identity is not a nice-to-have, it is what keeps teens grounded.
Teenagers who feel seen, supported and connected are more likely to develop positive identities make safer choices, stay in school and build toward positive futures.
“Hold My Hand created the guide to give adults the tools to show up for the teenagers in their lives. Teens don’t need the adults in their lives to have all the answers – they just need adults to be present, willing to listen and learn,” says Shirely Eadie, lead: Teen Identity at Hold My Hand.
Building teenagers’ sense of identity, agency and connectedness is one of the 10 priorities of the National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children (NSAAC). The NSAAC is a Presidency-led initiative calling on the government, civil society, the private sector and families to mobilise and act together for South Africa’s children and teenagers – and this guide supports this core NSAAC priority.
The guide is available for free download. It can be read section by section and returned to as teenagers grow and change.
The topic of teen identity will also be unpacked during a teen webinar, “The Power to Be(come): why adolescent identity matters in South Africa” on Wednesday, 24 June at 15h00 on Zoom. Grounded in the NSAAC and drawing on new Human Sciences Research Council insights, the conversation will explore what builds purpose, belonging and agency in teens, and what gets in the way.
Register here to join, or email info@holdmyhand.org.za for more information.
