Development Talk

Dance for All: An invitation to help make dreams come true!

 

June 29, 2011

Dancers showcase their skills. Photo: Nondumiso Ntsengentsu

Many South Africans have dreams, desires and interests that they are unable to pursue, due to the limited availability of information in their community. Faced with this challenge, they often lose hope and begin to believe drugs and alcohol abuse as well as violence and crime are the only things that help them to feel fulfilled. With increased focus on personal development and access to information it would be possible for community organizations to help community members fulfill their dreams and avoid the pitfalls of substance abuse and violence in their own lives.

Dance for all, an Athlone based Outreach Programme, looked at the challenges facing community members and came up with a solution. They aimed to offer children in historically deprived communities with an opportunity for enjoyment, upliftment and promotion of self – esteem through the medium of dance, as well as training for young people who hope to become professional dancers. This has lead to the development of a unique, indigenous dance company that embodies creativity and culture. They also offer these classes at other service points in the surrounding townships of Gugulethu, Nyanga, Khayelitsha and Langa.

Eight dance teachers from the United States (US) are expected to come and share their dancing skills with participants.  The list of visiting teachers includes founder of the LEAP programme at St Mary’s College Claire Sheridan, a regular visitor to Dance for All, Kristine Elliot, Geren Scribner, Lucy Van Cleef, Olivia Ramsay, David Tamaki, Annie Colbeck and Alejandro Piris Nino. They will work with students over the next two weeks designing and producing an on-site dance that includes movement classes, repertory and choreographic workshops.

Anyone who is interested in this amazing dance experience is exclusively invited to two performances offered by this initiative from Friday 08 July at 16:30 or Saturday, 9 July at 11:30 in their Dance for All studios in Athlone.

The entrance fee of R25.00 for an adult and one of R15.00 for kids will help you to get inspired and assist you in finding your new hobby.

We can all rise above our current situations and become what we want to be in lives!!!

Filed under: Access to Information,Awareness,children,civil society,community,CREATIVE CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT WORKS,development,DEVELOPMENT WORKS,History,Hope,initiative,inspiration,media,spatial poverty,Training,youth — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:19 pm

HIV and AIDS: We all have to Conquer!

 

December 10, 2010

Everyone has a responsibility to support people living with HIV and AIDS. Photo: Development Works via Flickr

Everyone has a responsibility to support people living with HIV and AIDS. Photo: Development Works via Flickr

Currently there are more than 33 million people in the world living with HIV and AIDS, according to avert.org. This website also reports that 605,480 people died of HIV and AIDS related causes in South Africa in 2006 (although this is sometimes difficult to calculate). Many people have relatives, friends, and partners who have died of HIV and AIDS.

In the past few years a lot has been done by governments, health organisations and researchers to develop medication and preventative measures for this incurable disease. But this is also a disease that requires personal responsibility from those affected by it. (more…)

Filed under: access to health care,CREATIVE CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT WORKS,development,DEVELOPMENT WORKS,healing,healthcare,HIV/AIDS,Hope,Research,South Africa,women — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 1:38 pm

Gugulethu youth benefit from Sports Development Programmes

 

July 14, 2010

With their boot on a soccer ball, Gugulethu youth feel on top of the world. Photo: 1happysnapper via Flickr

With their boot on a soccer ball, Gugulethu youth feel on top of the world. Photo: 1happysnapper via Flickr

Every child has a dream of becoming something in life, but an impoverished background or lack of resources in their community could make it impossible to fulfill those dreams. Faced with these challenges, they sometimes lose hope to an extent that they believe drugs and alcohol abuse, crime and violence are the only things left for them.

How do they face these challenges?

Youth staying in Gugulethu experience these challenges, but they can see light at the end of the tunnel, because of sports development programmes in the area.

What were they doing during the Soccer World Cup?

The youth were very active during this 2010 FIFA World Cup. They played against youth from other areas that face similar problems, such as Mitchell’s Plain and Manenberg. The medal a player receives after a match is one of the reasons that they keep on going to soccer fields every day.

How do they benefit from sport development?

These youths believe there are many opportunities to improve their lot through football, and make their dreams a reality. Anam Mxokozeli, one of the Gugulethu soccer stars went to Ajax Cape Town for trials. He was delighted to have that opportunity and he believes that one day he will play for big soccer teams.

Role of their coaches

The coaches are not only training these young boys, they are also guiding and supporting with them with social problems. They teach them how to react to difficult circumstances and also help them with their school work.

Even thought the FIFA World Cup has come to an end, Creative Consulting & Development Works hopes that the youth now has an even greater interest in soccer and that it will continue to have a positive effect on their lives.

Filed under: 2010 World Cup,children,civil society,community,CREATIVE CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT WORKS,development,DEVELOPMENT WORKS,education,Hope,Inequality,inspiration,poverty,South Africa,sport,violence,youth — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 9:16 am

Hope and Steet Soccer for People Living on the Streets

 

June 22, 2010

Martin Africa, the captain of South Africa's homeless street soccer team

Martin Africa, the captain of South Africa's homeless street soccer team

“Hope is the most important thing in life. If you give up on hope, you might as well die.”

These are the words of Martin Africa, the captain of South Africa’s homeless street soccer team that represented our country at the Homeless World Cup last year.

The Homeless World Cup was started in 2003 and has brought 4-a-side street soccer to an international stage. In each competing country, players are drawn from grassroots soccer initiatives that engage destitute people who would otherwise be involved in gangsterism, drugs and crime. A prerequisite for these players to represent their countries at the World Cup is that they have to get off the streets.

So, even though players are homeless when they are recruited into these teams, they have a little place to stay and perhaps a small source of income by the time they represent their country in front of the world. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for these people, something they will always remember, that shows them what is possible.

A documentary film about the South African team’s journey to the previous Homeless World Cup in Australia, entitled Streetball, was produced by From Us With Love. It was shown at, among other events, the 17th Annual New York African Film Festival, the Arizona Black Film Showcase, the Africa World Documentary Film Festival in Bermuda and Festival Cinema Africano, Asia ed America Latina in Italy.

Watch the trailer of the video below and as Bafana Bafana take on France today in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, remember to always keep hope alive!

Streetball – Trailer from Demetrius Wren on Vimeo.

Filed under: 2010 World Cup,CREATIVE CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT WORKS,development,DEVELOPMENT WORKS,Employment,Film,Homeless,Hope,initiative,inspiration,marginalised,poverty,sport,Videos — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 11:49 am

Increase the priority of sport in schools

 

June 30, 2009

Children from Hout Bay are kept off the streets with soccer, in the Stars in their Eyes project.

Children from Hout Bay are kept off the streets with soccer, in the Stars in their Eyes project.

Ironically, even though South Africa will be hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup in less than a year, physical education is deprioritised in schools across the country. The benefits of sport for one’s well-being are disregarded.

This was the opinion of guests at a colloquium hosted by the Social Transformation Programme  of the Department of the Premier, on Thursday the 25 June. The goal of the colloquium was to address the issue of how sport could contribute to social transformation.       

 The colloquium consisted firstly of a panelist discussion, where key stakeholders and academics working within the arena of sport and transformation put forward their views on sport as a mechanism for social transformation. Both the achievements and challenges at a policy level and grassroots level were raised.

Following the panelist discussion the floor was opened to the guests for comments. The floor’s diverse composition made for an insightful discussion. An interesting point to arise from the discussion is the fact that physical education is no longer included in the South African school curriculum.

Sport has many benefits and should be practised in schools.

Sport has many benefits and should be practised in schools.

Luckily, with South Africa’s responsibility as host of the 2010 Fifa World Cup, sport has been pushed up the priority list, for example with the Stars in their Eyes project that aims to uplift children in priority areas through soccer. However, sport needs to be prioritised even more. South Africa’s hosting of the 2010 Fifa World Cup should be used to put sport back into schools.

 While doing an evaluation of the Stars in their Eyes project, Development Works explored the many benefits that sport has for children. It does not only keep them physically healthy, but also keeps them from the streets, gangs and drugs, builds their self-esteem and teaches them to work hard within a team. This is very necessary.

Filed under: 2010 World Cup,children,colloquium,DEVELOPMENT WORKS,education,Policy,social transformation,sport,youth — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — @ 12:38 pm