( CNN ) -- It 's a nerve-wracking week for the 20 young journalists of South Africa 's newest youth magazine . It 's nearly deadline day and the Cape Town office is a buzz of activity as the finishing touches are made to the first magazine aimed at the mainstream youth of South Africa . But it 's also a publication that 's been made entirely by the same people it 's targeting . `` It 's not just them writing articles and then a professional team taking that and making it pretty , '' said founder of Live Magazine South Africa , Gavin Weale . `` Live SA has been commissioned by young people , subedited , designed and illustrated . We even have young people working on the circulation , distribution and marketing , '' he added . But along with producing 48-pages of news , views and entertainment the project is bringing together young people from a range of different backgrounds and races . The results are breaking boundaries and giving many of the youngsters an opportunity to realize their full potential , the founders say . One of the writers , Ntomboxolo Nana , has aspirations of one day working as a professional journalist . Just a few years ago she was a member of a gang and spent time in prison . `` She has tried to apply for college but is struggling to get in to school so we are giving her a platform to get in to school . We hope that the experience she gets here will push her into journalism , '' explains Live Project Co-ordinator , Nkuli Mlangeni . Mlangeni says the magazine is also providing young people with a platform to speak out about issues that are affecting them . `` It 's a place for them to communicate to other young people in their age group about the political situation , education system and discuss what culture they are interested in , '' she said . She adds that a lot of the media in South African is run by an older generation . `` They did n't have places to do this before , there are blogs and social networking but internet is still not accessible to everyone so this is a good medium as the magazine will be distributed for free , '' she continued . Nana is currently writing a story about an issue that the younger generation have been protesting about in the area . A child was beaten up at a school in Khayelitsha on the principal 's orders . Nana 's piece about violence in schools hopes to give a voice to some of the concerns the younger generation have had with the incident . Another writer is working on a 'dummies guide ' to the ANC youth leader , Julius Malema . There will also be articles reviewing products and advice and tips for school-leavers and young entrepreneurs . Kenyan youth find their superhero . Live magazine originated in the UK and after a decade in business and a circulation of 30,000 the success of the quarterly publication prompted Weale to bring the concept to South Africa . Weale secured funding for the project from the Shuttleworth Foundation , a social innovation agency set up by Mark Shuttleworth , a famous South African entrepreneur . But the hope is for the magazine to become the authentic voice of South African youth and be entirely self-sustainable within one to two years . The reporters are aged 18-25 and come from a range of different circumstances . Weale says the editor comes from one of the most dangerous townships in Cape Town and is working alongside youngsters who have had more privileged upbringings . The organization is also working with 'remote ' contributors in surrounding townships through regular workshops . However , despite the youngsters different backgrounds , the professional mentors that guide and train the youngsters report that a common theme unites them . `` All the kids wanted to address the segregation in Cape Town , they all wanted to talk about that and use the magazine as a platform to discuss it , '' said Mlangeni . Another mentor , photographer Chris Saunders , has been honing the youngster 's camera skills . He says it 's been incredible hearing how everyone has interacted with each other . `` The conversations they 've had while they are working in the same room have broken a lot of boundaries , '' he said . `` There is still a rift between many communities and people are still separated by language and cultures and this has really been a bridge to that , '' he continued . `` They sit in a room and talk about their different cultures and problems . It 's been a learning curve for us as well . '' The first issue of Live SA will hit the streets in mid-November across the Western Cape and Gauteng . But Live has future ambitions to take the concept to other parts of Africa . `` There are millions of young people out there who are hungry for this kind of opportunity , so it ca n't happen too fast ! '' Weale said .
Live Magazine South Africa is written for and produced by young people in Cape Town . The first issue will be published mid - November . The 48-pages of news , views and entertainment aims to give a voice to the younger generation . The reporters are aged 18 - 25 and come from a range of different circumstances .