UNLOCKING YOUTH POTENTIAL: JA’S MINDSET DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP
South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis remains one of the most pressing socio-economic challenges of our time. While many interventions focus on providing skills and resources, the deeper, often underestimated barrier lies within: mindset.
Junior Achievement (JA) South Africa believes that unlocking a shift in mindset is central to addressing youth unemployment. All JA South Africa programmes are built on this belief, aiming to cultivate confidence, initiative, and a sense of possibility in young people. The Entrepreneurial Mindset Development Programme (EMDP) takes this commitment even further, offering a focused, research-based intervention designed to deepen and enhance the mindset shift already being nurtured through JA’s existing initiatives.
JA South Africa in partnership research practitioner Dr Sara Bux, is currently piloting the Entrepreneurial Mindset Development Programme (EMDP). The partnership with a researcher-practitioner Dr Sara Bux whose PhD study focused on JA South Africa’s entrepreneurship education programmes.
The EMDP is a unique, standalone research-based intervention: its design, pedagogy and theory of change will complement and amplify the impact of JA’s existing programmes — with the ultimate goal of fostering sustainable entrepreneurial intention and action among South African youth.
Why Mindset Matters – Far Beyond Entrepreneurship
Through decades of work in youth development the research found that knowledge alone is not enough to catalyse action. Young people, especially those from historically marginalised communities, face invisible yet powerful psychological barriers:
Lack of self-awareness
Lack of self-confidence
Lack of self-belief
Limited locus of control (the belief that they can shape their own futures)
Insufficient support for achievement motivation
These internal obstacles can deter even the most capable youth from pursuing entrepreneurship as a viable path. But their impact runs even deeper.
These mindset barriers often lead to a dangerous cycle of self-limiting beliefs — young people begin to believe that they cannot be more than where they come from. This belief not only stifles their entrepreneurial potential, but also curtails their ability to excel academically, thrive socially and emotionally, and step into leadership roles in their schools and communities.
In short, many young people internalise the limitations imposed by their environments. They self-fulfil a narrative of exclusion and underachievement — not because of a lack of talent or capacity, but because they have never been shown a different lens through which to view themselves.
In line with the JA’s vision, this is the mindset that the EMDP seeks to challenge and change.
A Data-Driven, Impact-Oriented Approach
The EMDP is structured into three integrated components:
Diagnostic Assessment – Establishes a baseline measure of entrepreneurial mindset indicators.
Mindset Intervention – A targeted, research-informed programme designed to shift key psychological traits and unlock potential.
Post-Diagnostic Assessment – Measures the movement and impact of the intervention.
This methodology gives us a clear, data-driven view of where youth are before and after the intervention. The program tracks mindset shifts in real-time and understands how these shifts correlate with behavioural changes — both in entrepreneurial activity and broader life outcomes.
Complementing JA Programmes for Greater Impact
The working hypothesis is bold: when combined with the practical and experiential learning offered by JA South Africa’s core programmes, the EMDP creates a multiplier effect — not only increasing entrepreneurial intent but also empowering youth to realise their full potential as learners, leaders and changemakers.
Together, these programmes form a holistic development journey — one that provides both the tools and the belief systems necessary for young people to thrive.
Beyond the Programme: Building Mentorship and Ecosystem Support
We understand that mindset shifts, while critical, require sustained support. That is why our longer-term vision for the EMDP includes:
Establishing Mentorship Networks
Creating community-based support systems
Embedding ongoing learning opportunities and personal development
These elements are essential to ensuring that the initial spark ignited by the EMDP and JA South Africa programmes becomes a lasting flame — one that fuels not only entrepreneurial ventures but also self-actualisation in all spheres of life.
A Call to Action: Partnering for Impact
Junior Achievement is committed to pioneering innovative, evidence-based solutions to youth development. The EMDP is not just a new programme — it is a transformational tool. It is designed to dismantle the silent, internalised barriers that keep South Africa’s youth from becoming everything they are capable of being.
We invite funders, partners, and ecosystem builders to join us on this journey. By investing in mindset development, we are not just preparing youth for entrepreneurship — we are equipping them to lead, to grow, and to break generational cycles of limitation.
Let’s build a South Africa where every young person believes they can — and does.
“The entrepreneurial mindset includes the elements of curiosity, resilience, flexibility, risk-taking and vision. Thus, you can build the mental agility needed to navigate uncertainty and achieve your goals. This state of mind precedes entrepreneurial intention and action which lead to entrepreneurial behaviour which results in entrepreneurial start-ups and the growth of such prospective sustainable ventures. A classical mistake is made by many people that is of the conviction that all individuals can become entrepreneurs. In this model it is proven beyond any doubt that if the predictive variable is not in place such behaviour will not be the result. It further explains why there is such a high failure rate in the world of entrepreneurship in South Africa, says Professor Jurie van Vuuren, University of Pretoria.
In the above model Dr Bux proved for the first time in South Africa that this behaviour can be predicted with high levels of validity and reliability with very sophisticated analysis techniques. Therefore, if this model is used in any intervention the suitable candidates can be identified and correctly developed that will lead to higher levels of success and an investment with a higher ROI than present interventions.