Education South Africa Project #15130

Lifeskills for 8 children in South Africa - Pilot

A microproject by Keep The Dream196

Lifeskills for 8 children in South Africa - Pilot

Project Report | Jul 22, 2025
Camp Feedback - Skills Development

By Louise | Managing Director

CPR Practice

Avuxeni, Minjane? Umfekile minjane!

Part of the allure of camp is that we get to take the children through an in-depth process of skills training and development. There are many different skills that we take the kids through but I am going to highlight a couple here today.

We implemented Leadership Development Course Level 1 & Level 2, this is where the children get to work together as small groups, learning about group dynamics, communication, teamwork, and complete various activities. The activities include hiking, map reading, building a shelter, and many other fun tasks.

It is wonderful to watch the children grow and develop and become confident as leaders. Often the naughtiest child is the best leader, however also some of the quietest children step forward and command respect. The transition is great to observe.

One activity that the children love is learning first aid. Its not all theory it is practical as well. In the video attached below, Benji and Kallie show you how they have been taught to treat an emergency requiring CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation). I have also included in the photos, the learning outcomes of the training before a skill is mastered and a badge earnt.

We utilize cascade training to ensure the older children teach the younger children, you cant teach what you don’t know is our philosophy, so we ensure the older children know their skills and are able to teach effectively. We build on each level of training until the children can instruct other young people to complete their learning objectives. It is a fabulous way to train.

As you can see, from the level and depth of the learning outcomes, what we do is very challenging however regarding first aid, it can be life saving so we cannot cut corners.

I hope you enjoy the video’s you are welcome to leave messages on YouTube.

Thank you for making this possible

Blessings

Louise

Learning Requirements for First Aid

Learning Requirements for First Aid part 2

Links:

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Jul 23, 2025
Camp Feedback - Girls Sex and Sexuality

By Louise | Managing Director

Avuxeni, Minjane? Umfekile minjane!

I cant believe it, after months of preparation, the camp is over. The build up is always exciting, attending camp is always a challenge because of the cold, some years more so than others! Either that or I am just getting old, and that cant be!!!!

Now that it is over, and we have had a break, we are starting to plan our next camp in October and the excitement is building again. This time it will be in the warmer months which is fabulous. Not that the kids care, they just love getting away and learning new things and experiencing new adventures.

I shared last week about BOYS2MEN training and how well that went. I would love to share about the girls Sex and Sexuality Training however, it was considered as sacred women’s business, I was not allowed to listen in, I was not allowed to take photos or hear any of the comments. So sadly, I have nothing to show you, however over 30 girls did attend. What grieved my heart was that some of the girls from our partner organizations are sexually active which goes against what we stand for. This was discussed at length, unpacked, and examined. This is so desperately sad, and underlines how important the work we do is.

We have not had a teenager pregnant since 2018.

This is amazing and a testimony to the work we do, however sometimes it feels like we are fighting a losing battle with culture, expectations, peer pressure especially with our partners. Because of financial restraints we cannot visit our partners as frequently and reinforce the scout laws and promise. The recent girls training reflects the change of attitude we have identified. Some of the girls are dating, dating translates to having sex. In this culture that is the only reason to date. It is very sad, relationships are not developed, friendships with the opposite sex are not encouraged, sex is the only language of relationships.

The work we do is so important. Thank you for helping us to continue with this quite extra ordinary impact. The financial support you give enables us to change culture, change perceptions, change the future. At camp we realised how important working with both boys and girls is, how developing friendships and respect for each other is paramount.

Thank you for making such a difference. Thank you for seeing the impact and being willing to step up and hold hands with us, to produce this change.

Louise

Links:

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Jul 16, 2025
Camp Feedback - Boys2Men

By Louise | Managing Director

What is a real man!

What a wonderful camp, it was great, in the end I still don’t know how many kids we had but for at least 3days we have 103kids, kids would come and go depending on circumstances and the different training we were offering at different times, ie girls or boys specific training.

We were able to hold a BOYS2MEN training and kids loved it, they have started to question their beliefs, ideas and values regarding fatherhood and what is a real man. So many of their ideas are shaped by media, sports stars, experience from the male role models in their lives. The relief they felt when they were told it is okay to not be sure about what they are doing, or they need to be tough and fight all the time was a real “Ah HA!” moment for them.

Understanding that a good father, whether he has work or not, can still be a good father. A good father provides non-tangibles as well, such as love, direction, counsel, guidance. It is not a transactional relationship, which most kids experience, when the father is present in the family. The role of a father was unpacked and examined.

The 3 activities that illustrate understanding about a fathers role are:

Taking off your shoes and putting it in a circle then taking, two different shoes in their place. This signifies other peoples ideas about what is fatherhood and manhood. Ideas that are not correct, wrong knowledge or perceptions perpetrated by for example, the media. A successful man is seen as a soccer star, with lots of money, lot of girls around him, and a beautiful car, sporting the best jewellery. Very unrealistic.
Taking of your shoes and then putting them on the wrong feet. This signifies having the right understanding about fatherhood and manhood but the wrong application. This is where the boy understands the role of the man but applies the knowledge wrongly. For example, a father is to discipline their children through beatings and abuse, then the application is wrong.
Finaly, putting on the correct shoes, in the correct way, signifies the correct information applied in the appropriate way. This is where the family will be able to grow and develop on their journey to maturity and wholeness.

I have included some video links below to show the enthusiasm by which the boys participated. It was a very deep training, with lots of “Ah HA’s!”.

Afterwards, we listened to the boys regarding the shift in their understanding. The realisation that most of them as individuals and as peers had the wrong concepts and that as leaders or prospective leaders of their small groups in our Children’s Program could practice their new understanding by helping the younger children grow by providing support, encouragement, direction and counsel. They felt far more confident about their future roles as men in today society.

I hope you enjoy watching the videos. This training was supported by you! We have not got formal funding for this program, but your gift helped provide this training for the boys. Don’t fret, we also provided a similar training for the girls as well so that a new generation of youth will have the skills and positive peer pressure to take up their role in the future with the knowledge and thoughtfulness rather these roles “just” happening.

You are changing the face of the future, not just for these children but also for their children. THANK YOU

Blessings

Louise

Links:

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