10 Years of Equipping Changemakers in Stellenbosch

We are excited to team up with Dorothea Special School to empower more children through healing centered sport. Their aim is to safeguard and equip changemakers with special needs, and to build a healthier more inclusive community. Our very own Lorenzo Claassen lives next door to the school, and delivers weekly futsal sessions at Dorothea for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as well as children with Severe Intellectual Disability (SID).

“Before my current role at training4changeS I worked at Dorothea, so some of the kids already know me,” Lorenzo says. “It is nice to be back, to see the smiles on the kid’s faces and the excitement when I arrive there. I saw the need at the school; there is not a lot of people coming in to help so I just want to be there and use my experience to help in the sport capacity.”

His fun-filled sessions help children build cognitive, sensory, motor and emotional skills. Being on the pitch together also helps the children develop their social skills. “The perception exists that learners on the ASD Spectrum, do not socialize easily across the board, but with this initiative of traing4changeS those boundaries are demolished,” says Mike Mouries, Departmental Head at Dorothea. “Now kids are making friends with each other and getting new opportunities, they are all one big futsal family.”

“The difference that we are making through futsal is important,” Lorenzo adds. “The main thing we can do is help to break barriers. We also want to raise awareness to encourage other people to get involved helping at special needs schools.”

This exciting collaboration is supported by Liga Paulista de Futsal from Sao Paulo, Brazil who also runs their own futsal initiatives for young people with special needs. “training4changeS is a great positive example,” says Liga Paulista Coordinator Daniel Graça. “We love their work. Helping children with special needs through futsal is very important for us.”

We are excited to welcome Ben Kabengele to the training4changeS Academy coaching team! Actually, we’re welcoming Ben back to t4c. In 2020 and 2021 he volunteered with us during his time in East Mountain’s residential leadership development program. Back then, Ben worked with our boys helping out in our Sifunda Saam academic support sessions where his energy and enthusiasm really made learning fun. He has been working incredibly hard over the last 3 years to obtain a Diploma in Sport and Exercise from Exercise Teachers Academy, but he continued to follow our progress and connect with our coaches as often as possible.
 
“One of the reasons that I wanted to work at t4c,” Ben says, “is that I’ve seen the impact t4c makes in kids’ lives helping them not just in football but with life skills and their heart to care for the kids. Most football is about winning, but t4c goes beyond football to care for the kids and help them pass the limits of what they know.”
 
Born in DRC and raised in South Africa, Ben is passionate about team sports – particularly soccer. “The best part of team sports is the environment where you have to learn, get to know everybody and learn to work as a team, the challenge of trusting your team and working together. I enjoy learning from and with other people through sport, and my mind is open to keep learning more,” he says.
 
“I know what I have, and I know that I have much more to learn,” Ben adds. “What I love about t4c is there are opportunities to learn new things, try new things, and even if we make mistakes we keep learning and growing. My first few weeks on the team have exceeded my expectations. I didn’t expect to learn new skills like First Aid. I’m also learning a lot from reading J.P Nerbun’s The Culture System, and I’m learning new ways to connect with people already.”
 
Ben will officially be working as the coach of our new U11 boys’ team; he is an ideal mentor for our young changemakers, and he is eager to serve in any way possible. “During my time at t4c, I hope to impact kids in a positive way,” Ben remarks. “Through my coaching I want to help kids to learn new things and teach them life skills. I want my story and my character to impact the kids, and I want to help them cherish their unique story so they can be themselves, and not just compare themselves to other people.”