12 youth leaders from around South Africa were selected to participate in the Laureus YES programme, including 2 from PPI-SA
PeacePlayers International is dedicated to empowering young people and developing them into peacebuilding leaders in their community. Last year, PPI-SA took part in a project run by our partner, Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, the Laureus Youth Empowerment through Sport (YES) programme. Here is a story of PPI-SA’s experience in the program:
From June 25 to July 6, PPI-SA staff played a big role in a new pilot project run by partner Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The Laureus Youth Empowerment through Sport (YES) programme is a 6-month pilot project aimed at empowering young people to use sport as a tool to promote positive change in their lives and communities. The first phase of the program was held just outside of Durban, at the beautiful Shongweni Dam.
Youth leaders from all over South Africa applied and 12 were selected to take part in the program. PPI-SA staff members Nasiphi Khafu (area coordinator) and Andile Msomi (city coach) were two of the 12 selected participants and spent two weeks at Shongweni, where they took part in accredited trainings such as IT assessment and introduction, mentorship, facilitation, entrepreneurship, sports project management and finance, and crime prevention through sport (including community cohesion).
Participants took part in a wide array of accredited trainings during their two weeks in Shongweni
“The YES programme was 1000 steps towards the progression of my personal development,” Andile beamed.
In phase two of the program, participants will take what they have learned and put it into practice, planning and executing a minimum of four two-hour activities in their communities and keeping an online blog about their experience. The final phase of the program includes a trip to Gansbaai, Cape Town.
In addition to Nasiphi and and Andile’s participation, PPI-SA was asked to administer two workshops for all participants, which were prepared, implemented, and taught by PPI-SA life-skills coordinators Ntobeko Ngcamu and Thobani Khumalo. The first was a facilitation workshop focused on the skills needed to effectively facilitate any type of lesson to a group of people. Participants later got a chance to practice what they learned by teaming with the Indigo Youth Movement to facilitate life-skills sessions in the Valley of 1000 Hillls.
“I loved watching the [participants] implement what they had learned into successful facilitation sessions,” Ntobeko said. “We received lots of positive feedback.”
The second workshop dealt with conflict resolution and was based on the Arbinger Institute’s The Anatomy of Peace.
(From L to R) PPI-SA staff members Nasiphi Khafu, Thobani Khumalo, Ntobeko Ngcamu, and Andile Msomi at a PPI-led workshop during the YES programme
“I loved presenting the conflict resolution piece because people were really able to relate and respond to the presentation with examples from their own lives,” Thobani expressed. “You could feel a real connection being made which solidified the content being taught.”
The workshops were not only valuable to the participants, but to the presenters as well.
“I’ve never dealt with a group of people from so many different backgrounds,” said Thobani. “It was a great opportunity for me to work with such a diverse group, and it was motivating to meet people from other areas who preach the same gospel that we do.”
