“Soul Buddyz Clubs are for Children, about Children and by Children”: Youth Empowerment through Edutainment

Abstract

This article analyses a brochure of the Soul Buddyz club, which elaborates the core focus of the organisation, the duties of the Soul Buddyz clubs as well as success stories of actual club members and leaders. The literature review expands on health promotion through edutainment, social behavioural change communication theories, namely the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA)/Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Empowerment Theory, and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). A qualitative semiotic analysis was conducted of the brochure, Children Taking the Lead, to establish the meaning-making and use of edutainment via health promotion. The findings indicate how the brochure makes use of a variety of visuals to create meaning, as illustrated throughout the text. Health literacy is core when communicating health promotional messages to the youth. The Soul Buddyz clubs have established a welcoming, secure environment for the youth by creating opportunities such as learning about life skills and health aspects, among other social ills affecting children within rural and urban areas.