Cape Town, 24 March 2025 — In the heart of the Western Cape, where drug abuse and youth violence devastate communities, a new kind of solution is being tested—one that merges the powerv of artificial intelligence (AI) with the human elements of storytelling and dialogue.

From Monday, 24 March to Thursday, 27 March, Silukhanyo Primary School in Strand will host “Voices for Change: Empowering Youth Through Dialogue,” a dynamic four-day programme led by Khulisa Social Solutions.” This initiative offers 200 Grade 7 students the chance to address the social ills they face—substance abuse, bullying, gender-based violence, and crime—through interactive learning, artistic expression, and AI-assisted dialogue analysis.

In a province confronted with a troubling surge in substance abuse—especially among children vulnerable to inexpensive and readily available drugs like tik and nyaope—Khulisa’s intervention introduces both urgency and innovation. The programme seeks to empower young people to voice their concerns, share their experiences, and collaboratively develop the solutions necessary to foster safer, more resilient communities.

“We’re not only listening to children—we’re learning from them,” says Lesley Ann van Selm, Khulisa’s founder and MD. “By combining trauma-informed facilitation with AI-assisted feedback loops, we can detect patterns, amplify unheard voices, and provide schools and communities with data-driven strategies to prevent further harm.”

The programme team is comprised of master trainer Africa Monyai, three trained facilitators, and research psychologist intern and well-being therapist Primrose Tshinavha. Each of them is supported by AI-powered Tablets, transcription software, and emotional tone analysis tools that capture, track, and analyse youth engagement in real time.

Each day, 50 learners will take part in facilitated dialogue circles and creative workshops centred on the themes of bullying, substance abuse, gender-based violence, and youth crime. Through poetry, visual storytelling, role play, and group problem-solving, learners will examine the underlying causes of these issues and devise solutions from their own perspectives. The integration of AI elevates this beyond mere conversation—it transforms it into a living, breathing database of youth voices.

Programme highlights include Dialogue Circles and Creative Expression sessions, where learners share personal experiences related to drugs, bullying, gender-based violence (GBV), and crime. They utilise visual arts, poetry, storytelling, and role play to explore emotions and potential solutions. AI tools capture insights in real time for programme enhancement.
Khulisa believes that technology should not replace human connections; instead, it should enhance them. By utilising AI to capture and analyse dialogue, the programme can track emotional responses among hundreds of young people in real time, identify patterns of distress or hope, provide instant feedback for facilitators to adjust their methods, and document success stories and unique experiences that might otherwise go unnoticed.

The anticipated outcomes of the programme include improved emotional resilience, greater peer empathy, and enhanced leadership skills among learners; youth-led proposals for actionable anti-drug and anti-bullying campaigns; school-wide insights obtained from AI pattern analysis; and a replicable model that can be scaled up for other schools and communities facing similar challenges.

Khulisa Social Solutions is a leading South African NPO that champions data-informed strategies for social cohesion through inclusive programming, dialogue circles, and civic engagement. With this AI-powered programme, Khulisa redefines the concept of listening to youth—not merely with our ears, but with actionable insights.