Open Access

Almut Schultheiß

• Twenty-one years ago, South Africa finally abolished its inhuman system of Apartheid, which was based on strict racial segregation and discriminating inequality amongst population groups. The country opened up for the first national elections for each South African inhabitant of age entitled to vote. Hence, proceedings as a sovereign, democratic and prosperous state, envisioning a non-racist and non-sexist society as desired in the South African Constitution are underway. Nevertheless, South Africa still faces many hindrances on its way to create a societal democratic model where diversity is valued, accepted, and embraced as a positive potential, and not considered as a threat. Many committed South Africans coming from civil society, business and government, are keen to proceed with no lack of thoroughly compiled ideas and programs. Especially regarding young people, as their part of population is extremely high, a broad variety of concepts exist. The challenge comes with implementation. This thesis would like to contribute to the discussion around Citizenship Education in South Africa. In the South African context, it offers an innovative intervention, called Managing Diversity Youth Event, for and with young people aiming at triggering Open-Mindedness and making ready for Active Citizenry. It also looks at whether at all young people are willing to being faced with others from heterogenic background. To evaluate the intervention, quantitative and qualitative researches have been conducted since 2010 to obtain valuable findings that can contribute to assess, adapt, and improve the Event concept. At the beginning of 2009 a diverse panel of socially engaged South Africans presented the so-called “Dinokeng Scenarios”. In a nutshell, the panel has offered three courses of events to South Africans to choose from when imaging Year 2020: Walk Apart, Walk Behind, and Walk Together. According to the panel, “Walking Together” offers the most promising opportunities towards a transparent, fully operational, and sustainable democracy. If “Walking together” is the way to go, the dialogue and exchange with and among people of heterogenic background need to be realized and promoted. A network of committed South African youth organizations implemented the Managing Diversity Youth Events BOPHA SIYAKHONA 2010 AND BEYOND, SHEBA BOKAMOSO 2012, and SHEBA BOKAMOSO 2014 with about 250 participants of heterogenic background, most of them young women and men aged between 13 and 22 years from different South African provinces. Participants were exposed to others by being mixed into newly created soccer teams and workshop groups. Regardless of the specific assessment of Managing Diversity Youth Events, South Africa’s diversity needs to be addressed in the one or other way. Since the specific South African setting as a “Rainbow Nation” is pure fact. Many more ideas and concepts are welcome, and are supposed to be wholeheartedly championed for earnest realization.