Introduction / Rationale: Societies demarcate how young people build their lives, with young womxn from marginalising contexts facing significant barriers. There are young womxn who, despite these enduring challenges, have made their lives differently.
Objectives: A South African study explored how womxn in marginalising contexts navigated pathways towards social inclusion through opportunities.
Methods / Approach: A qualitative, multiple case study was utilised and three womxn were selected as cases, namely – Nomlanga, Mayan and Karlee. A narrative inquiry and arts based methods was used to generate data.
Results / Practice Implications: The way these womxn moved towards social inclusion, was through the processes of making-a-life – a political praxis that was routed within the knotting of lifelines, referred to as ‘the meshwork’. The meshwork created the social fabric where opportunities presented and were negotiated. It was the collective practical sense of the meshwork, across diverse social fields, that was significant in positioning the young womxn more powerfully.
Conclusion / Significance to the Occupational Therapy Profession: The nature of the meshwork provides insights for reorienting interventions with young people, focusing on their enmeshment, which is more likely to contribute to social inclusion.