Recreational space and identities of young people in Dobsonville, Soweto

Abstract

This study explores how recreational spaces shape the identities of adolescents in Dobsonville, Soweto, a historically marginalised township in South Africa. Drawing on narrative psychology and theories of space and identity, the research situates adolescence as a critical period of self-construction, where identity emerges through interactions with physical, social, and imagined environments. Despite the enduring legacy of apartheid spatial planning and the persistent underinvestment in township infrastructure, young people actively navigate, repurpose, and reimagine recreational spaces to build meaning, belonging, and aspiration. Using a qualitative narrative approach, data was generated with members of the Youth of the South (YOTS) programme through storytelling, drawing activities, and narrative focus group discussions. Narrative portraits of seven participants reveal both the structural barriers and the creative strategies through which adolescents negotiate their identities. Thematic analysis highlights six key dynamics: gendered spaces; space denied and space reimagined; memory, nostalgia, and the shrinking childhood; aspiration as resistance; digital space, imagination, and unequal access; and moral navigation and everyday ethics of place. Findings suggest that recreational spaces are not merely sites of leisure but are foundational to psychological well-being, social connection, and future-making. When such spaces are absent, unsafe, or exclusionary, young people’s opportunities for identity formation are constrained, often forcing them to seek belonging in unsafe or commercialised environments. Conversely, even minimal or improvised recreational opportunities become powerful arenas of resilience and agency. This study contributes to scholarship on youth, space, and identity by foregrounding the voices of adolescents in Dobsonville and emphasising their agency in reshaping spatial narratives. Policy implications include the urgent need to invest in inclusive, youth-friendly recreational infrastructure that addresses gendered and socio-economic inequalities. By recognising young people as co-creators of space, communities and policymakers can foster environments that nurture resilience, belonging, and hope. Keywords: adolescence, youth identity, recreational spaces, Soweto, Dobsonville, spatial inequality, intersectionality, gender, class, race, narrative inquiry, identity formation, belonging, agency, resilience, aspiration, digital spaces, moral navigation, social capital, spatial justice, post-apartheid South Africa