Training partnership sparks boys' dreams

GEORGE NEWS - A partnership between the Western Cape Department of Social Development (DSD) and Africa Skills training college has opened up the amazing opportunity for 13 children from the Outeniekwa Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC) to enrol for courses at the centre.

The partnership became a reality after DSD Minister Jaco Londt visited the Africa Skills' facilities in the middle of last year and realised the potential it had for training children from Outeniekwa CYCC.

These children are either awaiting trial, have been convicted of an offence, or have been placed in the care of the centre because of behavioural challenges. The partnership will mean that the children who grab the opportunity will get a head start in working towards a more hopeful future.

At the launch function held at Africa Skills on Thursday 16 January, Londt said, "I knew there was a way for the department to join hands with Africa Skills, for the benefit of the many young people we serve.

"Child and youth care workers and social workers will support the students, so that they can get the psychosocial support necessary to deal with any challenges that may arise during their studies, as is the procedure with other residents at DSD CYCCs. An occupational therapist at Outeniekwa will take the lead with this programme, to ensure job-readiness."

'Future fathers and husbands in training'

Leana Goosen, DSD chief director of the seven secure care centres in the Western Cape, said in her speech that this is the first step to a hopeful future for the 13 who have chosen to participate towards creating an independent life, a goal which is also supported through the programmes at Outeniekwa.

She reminded them that they are future fathers and husbands in training that the country desperately needs. This is a pilot programme that the DSD would like to deploy across all its secure care centres in the province.

Londt said the partnership is aimed at breaking the cycle of social ills that plague many of the children at Outeniekwa, such as poverty, unemployment and crime. "This is a chance for them to carve out a new path that may lead them out of the circumstances that brought them to the CYCC in the first place.

"Education and skills development go hand in hand with job creation. That is the goal, to make these young people employable, so they may create a better future for themselves and their families. It is the start of a journey of hope and dignity for them, and we want to say thank you to Africa Skills for joining hands with us."

Minister Londt chatting with some of the boys who have put their hand up for training courses at Africa Skills.

One of the boys, who cannot be named to protect his identity, is the first in his family to get an opportunity like this. "So, I won't take it for granted," he says. "This will have a big impact on my future. I'm the oldest of three brothers, so it will also have a huge impact on them."

Another boy said he has seen a lot at the Africa Skills campus that will help him change his future. "When I was outside [of Outeniekwa] I didn't get the chance to change. Here I can learn a skill that will help me find a job so I can stand on my own two feet."

Your past doesn't determine your future

In a heartfelt message to the children, Africa Skills MD Elsie Harmse emphasised that one's past does not need to determine one's future.

"The past is in the past. Tell yourself 'I'm going to use my past as my testimony to tell others what my future will be'. Take this opportunity - your second chance - and make it work for you," she said.

Chatting at the launch, from left: Jermain Fredericks (DSD social worker supervisor), Barbara Nicholas (head of Outeniekwa CYCC), Imelda April (DSD acting regional director) and Lindiwe Luyeye (child and youth care supervisor in George).