loveLife

Image source: www.lovelife.org.za.

Introduction


LoveLife is a national South African youth programme focusing on youth development, particularly in the areas of sexual and reproductive health.

Background


Lovelife was established in 1999 with the primary aim of reducing HIV and AIDS among young people in South Africa. Since then, loveLife has transitioned to promoting a broader range of youth health initiatives, and currently emphasizes youth empowerment and skills development. Source The programme primarily targets young people between the ages of 10 – 24 years, although a number of its activities extend to young adults up to the age of 35.

LoveLife’s approach to youth development involves a combination of peer education, community mobilization, and the use of multimedia health promotion campaigns to promote healthy behavior and positive lifestyles. The programme provides a range of services and programs to young people, including sexual health clinics, counseling services, and life skills training.

The programme has a strong focus on empowering young women and girls, and promoting gender equality. LoveLife recognizes that young women in South Africa are particularly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and other health risks, and works to provide them with the knowledge and resources they need to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

Current programmes


groundBREAKERS – Launched in 2001, the youth leadership peer-to-peer programme is loveLife’s keystone programme. Through the programme, young people (referred to as groundBREAKERS) aged from 18 to 25, are trained and equipped with skills and resources needed to lead and implement community development projects addressing youth issues such as HIV prevention, gender-based violence, and youth unemployment. GroundBREAKERS are recruited from the communities in which the activities must be implemented, and are paid a stipend.

Healthy Lifestyles – The programme focuses on a range of health-related issues for South African youth, including sexual and reproductive health, nutrition, substance abuse and physical activity.

Active Lifestyles – The programme provides young people in South Africa with opportunities to engage in physical activity, including sports and recreational programs, community events. The programme seeks to promote health and physical activity as a way to reduce non-communicable disease (NCD) vulnerability later in life.

Psychosocial Support Programme – The programme provides young people with emotional support and guidance, including free counseling, therapy, and peer support. The programme includes the Purple Couch YouTube show.

The Boy Child Initiative – The initiative specifically addresses the needs and challenges facing young boys and men in South Africa, and in particular to counter the “normalization” of violence towards and among young boys and men. The initiative achieves this through promoting positive masculinity, resilience training, and empowering young men to make positive life choices.

Programme Measurement and Design Unit (PMD) –  Lovelife’s PMD unit is involved in designing, implementing, and monitoring loveLife’s programmes to ensure that they achieve their intended outcomes. This includes developing program logic models, identifying appropriate indicators, and collecting data to measure the impact of the programs.

Notable youth campaigns


The Purple Couch (2020 – current)

The Purple Couch is a YouTube talk show featuring interviews and conversations with young people about a variety of topics, including health and wellness, relationships, sexual health, HIV prevention, and mental health.

As of March 2023, there have been 28 episodes, with the first episode airing on 15 June 2020.

The Purple Couch episode #28

LoveLife UNCUT magazine (2000 – 2015)

LoveLife’s UNCUT was a youth lifestyle magazine aiming to provide information and inspiration to young people on a variety of topics, including fashion, music, relationships, health, and education. UNCUT had a total of 97 issues, with the final issue being published in December 2015.

Front cover of UNCUT issue #97 Source

S’camto groundBREAKERS TV show (2004)

LoveLife’s S’camto groundBREAKERS was a 13-part reality TV show that aired in South Africa in 2004. The TV show followed the lives of 7 young people (called S’camto groundBREAKERS) as they each travelled to different locations across the world to peruse community and creative projects.  S’camto groundBREAKERS aimed to educate young people about various social issues, including HIV and AIDS prevention, substance abuse, and gender-based violence.

The loveLife loveTrain (2002 – 2012)

The loveLife loveTrain was a mobile outreach programme which included a travelling train that visited different communities throughout South Africa. The train was equipped with a range of facilities and services, including mobile clinics, HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, multimedia entertainment, a recording studio, and educational materials.

During the programme’s 10 year lifespan, the train reached over 3 million young people in South Africa.

The loveLife train Source

The loveLife Games

LoveLife’s Games was a national inter-school sports and debate competition, which included competitions in athletics, soccer, netball, volleyball, chess, and traditional games. The events were open to young people from different communities throughout South Africa, and aimed to promote physical activity, healthy competition among young people, while also raising awareness about HIV and AIDS prevention. Lovelife still continues many such sporting events through its Active Lifestyles programme.

loveLife Y-Centres


LoveLife operates 18 community-based youth centres (known as “Y-Centres”) across South Africa. The Y-Centres aim to provide a safe and supportive space for young people to access health information, services, and education. Source Additionally, loveLife operated 182 sports clubs across South Africa.

loveLife on radio


Radio remains a major distribution channel for loveLife messaging. As of 2020, loveLife had partnerships with five South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) radio stations, as well as 20 community radio stations. Source

“At the heart of loveLife’s Programming are its groundBREAKERs who are at the forefront of loveLife, driving face-to-face interactions with their peers and within communities. These are young people between the ages of 18 – 24, who go through a series of Training Programmes to equip them to become peer motivators, change agents and mobilisers within their own communities or the communities they serve.”

Doreen Kosi, New loveLife Trust Chairperson [Source: loveLife]

Implementation and funding


The loveLife programme is implemented by New loveLife Trust, a South African non-profit youth organization. New loveLife Trust collaborates closely with various South African non-government organizations and the South African government.

Lovelife is funded by the South African Department of Health and the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture. Additional sponsors include ACWA Power, Anglo American, Kurisani Youth Development Trust, Otraco Southern Africa, Volkswaged Group South Africa, Sishen Iron Ore Corporation, Terre Des Hommes Schweiz, Old Mutual Foundation, United Nations Population Fund, and UNICEF.

Results


  • In 2021, loveLife saw 440,306 young people participants in its programmes in Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape and Western Cape. Source
  • As of 2021, loveLife has 600 active groundBREAKERS. Source
  • A 2015 household survey revealed increases in HIV knowledge and reductions in risky behaviour among young people exposed to the loveLife campaign. Source
  • In 2020, loveLife’s radio promotions reach an estimated combined audience of 7,230,500 people in South Africa. Source
  • As of 2021, loveLife has over 78,564 Facebook followers, 15,592 twitter followers, and 4,685 Instagram followers. Source

Collateral examples


Social media example banner 1
Social media example banner 3
Social media example banner 5
Lovelife outdoor banner example Source
Social media example banner 2
Social media example banner 4
Social media example banner 6
UNCUT Magazine poster example

Social media channels


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