According to a 2020 study by the United Nations, young people have been the most vulnerable due to the disruptions that the pandemic has caused.
Young people face the reality of being left behind in education and economic opportunities. Their development into adulthood as well as with their wellbeing will be hindered.
We may be aware of the escalating external factors that threaten our young people, however, another reality that we will soon have to face is the impact it has had on their overall wellbeing.
The state of the wellbeing of our young people is concerning as it will have a devastating impact on their dignity and life value.
For Neo Chabane, the founder of wellness organisation What’s In My Jar?, wellness ought to be prioritised as it is interlinked with many other parts of our being.
“I view it as having a good understanding of your needs and meeting them as best as you can, working with what you have. It includes taking care of self, self-sustenance and maintenance,” she says.
Through What’s In My Jar?, young people are able to engage, share experiences and solutions, while also affirming themselves and one another as they deal with life’s challenges. The organisation provides a platform for youngsters to dissect a variety of issues, many of which affect their physical, emotional and spiritual wellness.
“The youth face many issues like unemployment and access to quality health services, social standards and expectations, overindulgence and social media lifestyle. We either can’t afford it or don’t have access to it in our time of need. The social image of having it all together and numbing the stress or pain through things and living life through the standard of social media.”
Young men are far more likely to experience the most difficulty mentally and emotionally due to the loss of employment opportunity and feel stagnant in their development. “Young men are taught to believe that being stoic and emotionally strong are signs of strength. This includes financial stability.”
According to Johannesburg-based educational psychologist and psychotherapist Malan van der Walt, when it comes to emotional health, young men are taught in visible and invisible ways that being emotionally honest is a sign of weakness. “Boys and men often learn this behaviour from the adults in their lives who are uncomfortable with their strong or difficult feelings.”
Van der Walt believes that the problems facing young men put them at greater risk of causing harm to themselves and others. “Young men are at much greater risk for suicide, injury and having a shorter lifespan than other groups. This is more times often due to unnoticed and untreated depression, and dangerous risk-taking behaviour.”
Apart from seeking professional assistance, Van der Walt advises young people to make use of the opportunities to better understand themselves and choose behaviours that maintain and increase their wellness.
“Finding healthier outlets for physical activity such as sports and others in their lives, taking an interest in who they are and what they are experiencing, in non-judgmental and supportive way, will help to increase their wellness...
” says Van der Walt.
While the pursuit for one’s greatest expression of self is part of the journey of personal growth, which we all must individually take, Chabane also believes that receiving assistance and advice from people or organisations can make the journey better.
“I would consider the pursuit of wellness to be a combination of solitary work and group effort. The process of the individual will have an influence on the social group and vice-versa, both feeding off into each other, and I think it's best to allow that to happen... as both experiences can be beneficial for the individual and the group, in my personal experience.
"This is what What’s In My Jar? supports and encourages to share our wellness collectively to live better, quality lives.”
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