Education South Africa Project #48902

Empowering Winterveldt, South African Youth

by Bokamoso Life Centre

Project Report | Apr 4, 2023
Bokamoso Life Centre. First Quarter Report 2023

By Kenneth Jay Giunta | Project Leader

Bokamoso Supplemental Food Program

BOKAMOSO LIFE CENTRE

Winterfeldt, South Africa

QUARTERLY REPORT

January-March 2023

JANUARY, 2023:

2023 Registration for new students:

Registration for the Bokamoso Life Centre’s Youth Development Program got off to a great start from the moment it opened on January 1st through to the day it closed on the 31^st. Enrollment reached a record 130 students, more than double the final number of students registered in 2022. The Centre continues to receive queries from interested prospective students.

FEBRUARY 2023:

During the month of February, the focus of the Center is on the induction of new students who are taken through the process of understanding the culture, programs and goals of the Bokamoso Life Centre, and the central role that it plays in its community of Winterveldt.

The following Programs are currently offered at the Centre:

Computer Training: Computer training is offered to both full-time registered students as well as to walk-in students, whenever space is available.
Security Training: Security training is offered to Bokamoso full-time students
Life skills: This program is a pre-requisite for all students in order to graduate from the Centre’s other programs.
Performing Arts: Programs offered in Performing Arts, include instruction and performances in music, dance, poetry, drama and acting.
Health and Safety: Health and Safety programs focus on a range of issues from sexual health, to personal identity and physical and emotional abuse.
Scholarship:The Scholarship program offers career guidance and worksite visits as well as applications for access to financial support for post-secondary and/or vocational training.

For more information, please visit the website for the Bokamoso Life Centre at www.bokamosoyouth.org.

MARCH 2023 (and Ongoing):

Community Outreach and Mobilization: As a community-based organization located in an under-served community with a variety of needs, the Bokamoso Life Centre makes concerted and regular efforts to engage with community members about its many programs that support community youth. These efforts have led directly to the steady increase in the unprecedented levels of student interest in the Centre and enrollment in its programs.

Food aid for the most needy students: For many Bokamoso Life Centre youth, the meals that they receive while participating during the Centre’s daily programs are often their only meals of the day. The Life Centre has begun a program offering supplemental parcels of food for its most needy students to do its part to help alleviate hunger that has become so prevalent in our community. This critically important program is made possible through a grant received this year from Old Mutual Fund. This grant also helps support kitchen and garden equipment, seeds and seedlings at the Life Centre.

Scholarship:

Scholarship funds are available to the youth who successfully complete the Youth Development Program. These scholarships provide full, not partial funding for tuition, transportation, books and materials. The staff guide the youth in choosing the best path for their talents and dreams including academic and vocational training. Funds are granted on an as-needed basis and are available for the length of the academic or vocational program, into which qualified and eligible youth are accepted. The youth are also assisted with applications for bursaries and other funding in South Africa.

For 2022-2023, academic scholarships have been awarded to 21 Bokamoso youth totaling 278,000 Rand (approximately $16,000). Again, scholarships cover the cost of tuition, transportation, books and materials. 12 additional students have submitted applications for scholarships that remain under review. Seven additional youth received scholarships to cover their transportation costs only, totalling 29,000 Rand (approximately $1,600).

Graduation:

Of note: Not mentioned in our last quarterly report was the Centre’s Graduation Ceremony. Alumni often return to the Centre for continued career guidance and to apply for scholarships for post-secondary education and/or vocational training opportunities. Congratulations to our graduates!

Bokamoso Life Centre Performing Arts

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Dec 8, 2022
Bokamoso Life Center Report: August-November 2022

By Ken Giunta | Project Leader

Barak Obama African Youth Leadership visit

Bokamoso Life Centre Quarterly Report: August-November 2022

Institutional Collaboration

Since the Centre’s last quarterly report, posted in August 2022, the Centre has continued to establish partnerships with other like-minded institutions to expand its programming and services for youth.

AUGUST 2022:

Heineken Stars

On the 22 August 2022, Bokamoso received a donation from Heineken Stars. The Centre was nominated by a community leader known as Senate, to receive a grant from Heineken Stars through its annual philanthropic program for Centre's or programs assisting youth.

University of South Africa (UNISA)

Representatives from UNISA visited the Centre to lead a workshop for Bokamoso Youth on script writing and short story development training.

SEPTEMBER 2022:

Tshwane North College for Careers

Representatives from Tshwane North College visited the Centre to engage with Bokamoso youth about their career options and choices as well as information about financial aid

Bokamoso Life Centre Community Outreach

The Bokamoso Life Centre regularly reaches out to the community in order to survey programs that community members would like the Centre to offer and how they rate the current services of the Centre. This outreach is undertaken in partnership with Katekane Community Projects and Metro police to help promote the importance of community centres like Bokamoso.

Bokamoso Life Centre Vintage Clothing/Kofifi Style Show

At this event, Bokamoso youth are challenged to dress in vintage clothing designed by them to reflect clothing from an earlier time. Students compete for “best dressed”. This event also provides students who are interested in fashion design an opportunity to showcase their designs and unique styles.

Robotics Presentation

University students and inventors came to the Centre to showcase, introduce and to encourage interest among Bokamoso youth in robotics and industrial design. Bokamoso students are encouraged to participate in this program to broaden their creativity and to enhance their knowledge and future interest in this burgeoning field.

Bokamoso Life Centre, Gender Awareness Project

As part of the Bokamoso Life Centre’s program to counter discrimination against gender roles, male students were asked to come to the Centre dressed as girls and our young women as boys, in an effort to help support the movement and encourage discussion against gender-based violence (GBV) and to support the LGBTQ+ Community

Bokamoso Life Centre, Heritage Day Event

Bokamoso Students dressed in different traditional attire to celebrate and display different traditions in South Africa, and their respective family roots as part of their Heritage Day celebration.

Stakeholders Community Outreach Program, South African State Theatre

The South African State Theatre CEO Mr Aubrey Sekhabi and several colleagues held a workshop at the Bokamoso Life Center to promote a theatre program “Community in the Arts”. This program was developed to support and encourage talent in our communities. The Bokamoso Life Centre was represented by two of its performing arts leaders Mr. Sphiwe Vincent Malusi and Mr. Tshwarelo Frans Sekhula.

Visit by Barak Obama African Youth Leadership Program, International Youth Parliament, Ward 29 and the South African Sociological Association (SASA)

The Centre hosted representatives from the Barack Obama Young Leaders Program, Thoko Nhlumayo Secretary of the International Youth Parliament, counselors of the Ward 29 Soshanguve, and sister Grace from SASA to encourage leadership and citizenship engagement among Bokamoso youth.

OCTOBER 2022:

Preparations for Cultural Exchange Program 2023, Ongoing

Beginning in October, 12 Bokamoso Youth are preparing for their anticipated one-month trip to the United States. This 18-year old program, is designed to introduce the Bokamoso Life Centre to audiences in the Greater Washington D.C. area. Bokamoso youth live with American families, attend classes at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland and promote South African culture through song, dance and theatrical performances at local churches and community organizations. This will be the first exchange visit since COVID-19 prevented travel In 2021-2022.

Promoting LGBTQ Rights

The Bokamoso life Centre team was invited to participate in the colour walk to support the LGBTQI+ community, to learn and understand more about the community and ways that the Life Centre can become a better ally in helping to protect LGBTQ rights. Bokamoso youth were also invited to perform musical items.

Tshwane North College

Tshwane North College (Rosslyn Campus) invited the Bokamoso Life Centres arts team to come and showcase their talent and to form a partnership going forward between TNC Campus, the Bokamoso Life Centre and Nissan Rosslyn.

DECEMBER 2022:

World AIDS Day Celebration

Bokamoso Youth were invited to participate in the World AIDS day event at the Rearabilwe Centre at Garankuwa.

South African Heritage Day, 2022

Bokamoso Life Centre, Robotics

Bokamoso Community Outreach, September 2022

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Aug 11, 2022
Quarterly Report: August 2022

By Ken Giunta | Project Leader

BOKAMOSO LIFE CENTRE

April-July 2022 REPORT

APRIL 2022

The Bokamoso Life Centre organized a theatre-focused field trip excursion for Bokamoso Youth, interested in learning about lighting, technical and audience development. This program was led and developed by professional facilitators in concert with the Life Centre’s Arts Director to introduce students to theatre lighting and sound techniques. Students were also able to witness a performance with and without an audience, to witness how a show can strategically capture audience interest and attention throughout a performance.

MAY 2022

The Sechaba Research Centre visited the Bokamoso Life Centre where they conducted workshops for Bokamoso Youth about infectious diseases (e.g. COVID-19, HIV-AIDS, and STIs) and how to protect themselves from contracting such diseases as well as what to do and who to contact for help should they become infected or affected. Meals were provided

The South African Department of Social Development (Johannesburg Office) also conducted a workshop for Bokamoso Youth about reproductive health.

JUNE 2022

In June, the Centre was visited by the South African Department of Social Development (DSD-Pretoria Office). The purpose of this visit was to inform Bokamoso Youth about the dangers of substance abuse and human trafficking. DSD representatives also provided snacks for the youth attending these sessions.

Also in June, the Bokamoso Life Centre hosted a Career Expo Day, which is an annual event designed to inform Bokamoso Youth about career opportunities, choices and paths to career development. Several institutions of post-secondary educational institutions as well as those that offer vocational training participated in this workshop, including Pretoria University, Tshwane University of Technology, Tshwane South College, and Jozzman Security Services and Training.

On June 16, the Bokamoso Life Centre hosted an event on National Youth Day in South Africa. This is the day that the country reflects on the massacre of school children during the Soweto uprising in 1976. It was a day that began as a peaceful demonstration by students against Apartheid education practices.

JULY 2022

At present, a significant percentage of the funding for the programs at the Bokamoso Life Centre, are raised in the United States from individuals and church congregations in the Greater Washington D.C. area, where the Centre’s traditional U.S. based funding partners are located. Many of these U.S.-based donors are local church congregations and individuals affiliated with the Life Centre’s longstanding partner, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland. Historically, these funds are raised through ticketed events where Bokamoso Youth perform traditional South African songs and dances, during their annual cultural exchange program to the United States. Since the advent of COVID-19 and restrictions on international travel from South Africa, the Bokamoso Life Centre has had to adapt and be creative in its outreach to its U.S-based partners, while also diversifying its funding outreach to sources globally and in South Africa.

On July 17, the Bokamoso Life Centre participated in a live broadcast to Westminster Baptist Church in Maryland, where the youth provided live singing and dance performances, presented personal testimonials of their life journeys and experiences, and led the Westminster congregation in readings and in prayer.

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