121@VMA Update, July, 2007

The frst half of 2007 has been a really great period of building some solid, foundational stuff for 121@VMA. The past few months we’ve been able to test and refine our detention program, develop our facilitator base and try out some new ideas.

We made the decision at the beginning of this year not to adopt a whole lot of new projects, but rather to focus on the projects at hand and do them really well. Our main focus has been our Constructive Detention program which we’ve been running at Pretoria North High School since about this time last year. We’ve tried and tested various approaches and programs over the past year and are now starting to feel that we have a handle on what works and what doesn’t. We’ve had some really great facilitators come on board, such as Tyler, who is out from the States for a year, and Maryke, who seems to have a natural knack for keeping teenagers in line! Initially, the amount of learners coming to detention was staggeringly high, but those numbers have dropped again towards the end of the term. The reason for this is still not clear. Learners seem to respond well to our small group approach and we’ve been surprised at how openly and honestly they’ve shared about their lives. We’ve tried to keep the material at a stretching and demanding level, as it is after all detention! Learners have worksheets and activities to complete, apart from participating in group discussions and following power point teachings.

We’ve found that certain learners keep returning to detention, and for these learners we’ve developed a program to run concurrently with the normal detention program, called Red Alert. Learners on red Alert are normally learners that the school is considering suspending for repeated offenses. The Red Alert program runs for three weeks (on a Monday), and would include only a handful of learners who work intensively through a program with facilitators. The Red Alert program starts with an in-depth psychological analysis of a learner, and the program is then developed around identified needs identified during the analysis. The feedback from the school with regards Red Alert has been extremely positive and we look forward to more opportunities to work this deeply with learners who have so many needs.

We’re in the process of fleshing our detention program out further through our Peer Facilitation program. Here, senior learners who have previously sat detention will be trained to become assistant facilitators. These learners will be mentored by 121 facilitators throughout the process. The hope is that through becoming facilitators, these learners would internalize our life skills material on a deeper level, and become role models in the school context. These learners would normally not have conventional leadership opportunities in the school system, and this would be an opportunity to develop their potential in a way that might not otherwise happen. The Peer Facilitation program will also free up 121 facilitators to run the detention program in other schools.

On the side, 121 has had a hand to play in networking between various organizations to get a project at a Day Care centre in Soshanguve off the ground. Students from the Student Christian Organization (SCO) at the technikon in Soshanguve have been going to Siyafunda Day Care centre every Saturday to impart life skills to children from child-headed households or children otherwise affected by HIV and Aids. Although 121 has not become directly involved, we continue to offer support in terms of training, life skills material and coordinating between organizations and funders. This has been a very successful project, both for the technikon students, who have been stretched by their roles, and the children, who have had love, fun and wisdom imparted into their lives.

At this stage, 121 has been tremendously blessed through the generous financial gifts from corporate sponsors and several individuals. For the first time, we can confidently say that we are in a secure financial position. However, we still have the need to broaden our support base so that we don’t become overly dependent on one or two sources. Please pray for this. Please also pray for our facilitators, who often need to deal with some difficult teen issues. Pray for the teens we work with, that the seeds we plant will take root and grow into good fruit. Pray for the organization, as we continue to feel our way forward. Thank you for your continued support and interest in our ministry.

May God bless you!
Cori, for the 121 team.