Exploring digital archive system to develop digitally resilient youths in marginalised communities in South Africa

Promoting digital skills among the youth in marginalised communities can boost their digital resilience, facilitate effective participation in the knowledge economy and foster positive development. However, in developing countries, government and other stakeholders are confronted by several challenges that hamper such projects. These include poor digital infrastructure, a lack of digital capacity, high levels of digital illiteracy, limited access to local digital content, and widespread apathy and mistrust amongst marginalised communities. This article explores the use of a digital archive system to develop digital skills among the youth in the marginalised Kenneth Gardens community in South Africa. A series of training workshops was conducted over a period of 12 months with a pilot group of youths to develop their digital skills. The Kirkpatrick model provided the conceptual framework to evaluate the level of skills acquired. The data were subjected to qualitative analysis and the results show that the use of a digital archive system has significant potential to develop digitally resilient youth.