Global Affairs: South Africa (wk #1)

In response to an article "Soweto after-school club keeps learners from drugs"

27 March, by Itumeleng Baepane, News24

http://www.news24.com/Video/SouthAfrica/News/protea-glen-club-helps-unleash-potential-in-young-people-20170327

Protea Glen in Soweto, Johannesburg, is seeing kids kept off the streets and enriching their education and wellness through The Boys and Girls Club, after-school programme.

This after-school programme is giving the children and youth of Protea Glen a chance to improve their academics, and explore their talents and interests through sports and cultural activities.

One of the clubs goals is to keep their young people away from substance abuse, like Nyaope, since they know it is a big deal in their area. And some of the programmes have industry leaders visit and share stories of their career paths and experience. some of these programmes also take time to discuss personal challenges that some of the students might be facing.

The club manager, Emma Ramokgadi says;

“Our job is to unleash their potential and see where they can fit in”.

She states in her interview that she realizes not all the children are good at academics and that there is a variety of non-academic opportunities because within each child there is a gift.

Emma Ramokgadi says the after-school programme also has parent's involvement and feedback.

Parents are noticing improvement in their child’s academics and where they were not coping before, now they are able to cope.

She also says that improved confidence in public speaking has been one of the positive results from this program.

The programme is for ages 6-14 (or grades R through to grade 7), and uses incentives like trips to a camp at the end of the year to help motivate the youth to do their homework and reading throughout the year, and to do better than they previously have been doing in school.

"The club impacts on academics, it also impacts on healthy lifestyles and character and leadership skills." says Ramokgadi.

The club's teen attendance is growing and this year there is 89 teens who are attending the programme.

This is really great news, its encouraging and it seems to be showing good fruit for its labour. When it comes to substance abuse and addictions, the best way to fix the problem is to keep people from using the drugs in the first place, and this Boys and Girls Club programme seems to be a huge step in the right direction. I would like to know however, if this programme with this same model exists in other communities, and if they are having the same positive results. If they do not exist, I would like to know how the Club gets is funds and volunteers/workers, so a discussion can be made to see how this model can be multiplied in more communities that are in desperate need of such a programme.