After School Programme

Our After School Programme is an arm of our Mass Participation Programme (MPP). The After School Programme is street outreach based, focusing on out-of-school youth and young adults in high-risk areas such as informal or semi-formal settlements, and adolescents at their most vulnerable ages as they face social and health challenges.

The After School Programme is structured on a one year curriculum composed of 15 different modules. The aim is to use innovative and creative techniques and activities to address various social and health topics, focusing on the development of positive attitudes, which will contribute to the building of a responsible youth.

Although for most of the participants, the programme will benefit them for one year (the duration of the curriculum) we have put in place systems to ensure sustainability beyond our direct involvement. Moreover, our strategy includes a ‘Project Pyramid’, aimed at opening and offering as many opportunities as possible for children to reach their full potential. The pyramid's various levels are as follows:

1) Mass Participation: participants can enjoy after-school sports and education activities, based on an annual curriculum with social and health related modules. Participants who get 80% or more on the curriculum evaluation get their school fee paid for the following year (max. R300).

2) Scholarships: Participants showing the most potential in academic and sports activities are subsequently eligible for a scholarship at the School of Sporting Excellence in the New Brighton township.

3) Further Education: The pyramid may take those who show most dedication and potential even higher, through scholarships to attend Pearson High School, one of the best academic and sports schools in Port Elizabeth, and an active partner to the programme.

4) Elite Development: The last step of the pyramid is potential bursaries to attend elite, third party educational institutions. This phase of the programme is managed by Pearson High School.

Our approach is to create sustainable change by motivating the participants to become opinion leaders in their social network of peers and siblings. Research supports the strong influence of positive peer relations, with peer-led groups resulting in significant improvement in knowledge compared to teacher-led groups. The impact of our youth develop programmes hence goes beyond its immediate beneficiaries and positively influences peers and siblings not directly involved. The initiative is a prototype, which will inspire further growth points and replications of such after-school activities focusing on similar outcome measures. Our youth develop programmes also aligns itself with government and corporate interests in strengthening leadership skills and in strengthening the capacity of communities through sustainable social change. The programme also supports the efforts aimed at attaining the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Finally, our established international volunteer programme (which you can get involved with) enables a tremendous cross-cultural learning experience for the children. We are now able to deliver structured coaching sessions and essential health education through partnerships with expert organisations and individuals. If you love sport and want to coach sports in the South African community, while being backed by qualified local coaches, then get in touch.

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