Posted by Priscilla Macy on May 17, 2010
Written by GSGC member Kartr Johnson
“What’s behind the wall?” This question surfaced throughout our visit to Cape Town. It represented many things, but in particular the realization that opportunity and hope may lie beneath the surface of any picture, regardless of the outward impression. We were continually amazed by the resiliency, entrepreneurship and cooperation of the people we encountered in South Africa, and nowhere were these traits more evident than Jikelaza.
At Jikelaza children are taught to dance, but look behind the wall and you’ll find dance being effectively used as a vehicle to teach responsibility, respect, acceptance, and above all hope. The base idea is that if children come to Jikelaza after school to learn to dance they aren’t on the streets, but much more is happening.
The staff and instructors at Jikelaza are keenly aware of the challenges children in the townships are facing and the goal is to educate and support the children to help them avoid the pitfalls. Young women benefit from the program in particular, as the staff addresses teen-pregnancy and low self-esteem issues, which many young women in the community fall prey to. Staying in school is a requirement to attend Jikelaza. Workshops and performances expose the children to people and places they would never otherwise come in contact with, and broaden their perspective of life in the process. The school is also beginning to bring formerly disparate communities together by bringing their children together.
So much is being taught at Jikelaza that one might leave forgetting about the dancing, which is as creative and full of life as the staff and students. Graduates of the school have gone on to professional dance companies and to university. Some have returned to teach at the school, helping Jikelaza’s efforts to break a cycle of despair for children in the community. We left the school inspired and impressed by the idea, the progress being made, and the people we met.
Posted by Priscilla Macy on April 1, 2009
For 2009, the GSGC has expanded to include Jikeleza in Capetown, South Africa.
Overview:
Jikeleza utilizes music and dance to improve the quality of life of children and youth from impoverished communities. Most of these kids come from the “informal settlements” within townships outside of Cape Town and some of the children come from living on the streets. In 2002, the founder, Edmund Thwaites, would drive through one of the townships with a drum and rounded up kids from the streets and the surrounding schools and started using creative arts to attract the children as a positive distraction from the crime and drugs around them.
Six years later, Jikeleza reaches 200 children and exposes them to African contemporary dancing, classical ballet, marimba band, drumming, Spanish dance and Hip Hop. Jikeleza has a pool of highly qualified teachers and choreographers who share their passion and skill with the project. Over the years they have managed to develop and ensure job creation for their five trainee teachers.
When the project started, the children were aged between 5 and 10 years old. Due to the success of the project those recruits have stayed with the program and the 10 year olds are 16 years old now and the 5 year olds are turning 12. Hence the reason for the Workshop/Camp idea. Jikeleza has professional counselors on board who monitor behavioral patterns of the children and they find that there is a strong need to expose them to small doses of these types of workshops/camps, which serves to educate, empower and develop them on different subjects:
* Personal Hygiene
* Substance Abuse
* Violence against Women
* Values & Morals
* Relationships with friends of the Opposite Gender
* Teenage pregnancy
* HIV/Aids Awareness
* Nutrition
* Grooming
* Personal Safety
* Life Skills: Communication, Interpersonal Skills, Coping and Self Managing Skills
Our grant of $4,000 will make it possible for 200 girls to go to a YWCA camp. 4x/year, 50 girls each. For most of the girls, this will be there first time to travel outside of their home area. That experience alone with be special. We will be providing funding for the accommodations at the YWCA camp, transport and food/refreshment. Jikeleza is coordinating the professional counselors who will be conducting the workshops. They will also be including some fun and team building during the weekend.
