Outreach Foundation Newsletter 6

Newsletter 6 March 2019

Easter Kids Week

The first Kids Week of 2019 started
with a bang with more than 500 kids
from various places participating.

The children engaged in various
activities such as dance and drama,
and also in skills development
programmes such as computer literacy
and leadership development skills.

As part of the activities during kids week, the children had to create a
collage from old magazines. The aim was to reflect on how they would
like to see their future, and to show who their role models are.

I joined Outreach Foundation in 2012 with
the aim of improving the lives of the less
fortunate, and to motivate those who had
given up.

I know what it is like to be less fortunate
and to have limited help.

It took me about two to three months to
decide whether or not I wanted to become a
leader under the leadership of the youth
center, because of the responsibilities
involved.

But since I made the decision to become a
leader, I have never looked back, except to
see the positive impact I have made.

Being a leader at Outreach Foundation has
helped me develop my and other's

Self esteem;
Communication skills;
Presentation skills;
Teamwork skills;
Decision making;
Creativity;
Humility; and
much more.

Volunteering is something which I will never take for granted because it gives me a sense of pride and
identity.

Thank you to Outreach Foundation for giving me the platform to volunteer, develop, and refine new
skills.

Best regards
Jessy Tshilumba

Survey

We recently conducted a skill survey to track how our participants are doing.

The study was based on an average number of intakes for 2018 (80
participants).

The results were interesting as it showed that 50% of the respondents were
employed, while 20% were unemployed. Below is a screenshot from the tool we
used, SurveyMonkey.

Comments from the Computer
Centre's students

Question: How has the Outreach Foundation Computer Centre benefited you?
Answer: A s it is now, I got a job using my knowledge gained from Outreach

Foundation - Anna N. Mahlangu (54)

Answer: In a positive way, I am able to do lots of things myself instead of paying lots
of money at the internet cafe - Minah Mohudi (30)

Answer: I have gained skills and knowledge and also a certificate which will help me
get a better job because I can now use a computer - Crecious Themba
Mathebula (28)

Answer: It was a great journey as it made me understand more about the computer,
plus it helped me see life from a different angle - Blessing Dhlamini (18)

Answer: I'm now able to search for jobs for myself without asking for any help from
anyone - Victoria S. Nyoni (35)

Answer: I gained more knowledge. I couldn't even open or switch on the computer
before! - Ignator Mathe (35)

The Outreach Foundation Computer Centre has a new partnership with Alliance
Française where five of our participants will attend a bridging course on Coding
and programming with the aim of enrolling them in coding and web development
institutions in 2020.

This will be a once a month workshop that is fully administered by Alliance
Française.

The first workshop was on Saturday 23 March 2019.

15th Inner-City High Schools Drama
Festival

We are so fortunate that in the year we celebrate 15 years of our Inner-City High Schools Drama Festival,
we get to partner with the Drama for Life Theatre Company (DFL), and GALA.

On the 23rd of February we launched this partnership with a series of three workshops for facilitators, who
will work in over 23 schools. Our theme for 2019 is 'engaging gender and sexuality'

The workshops were facilitated by GALA and the Drama for Life company members. GALA has also offered
to run a workshop with our adjudicators around our theme.

The DFL company members will also mentor the facilitators throughout the year to create a devised work in
collaboration with the learners.

GALA facilitated a “Gender and Sexual Diversity Training” to increase the overall understanding and
awareness of gender and sexual diversity and to provide much-needed information to prevent further
discrimination and prejudice from occurring in school spaces.

They aim to focus on language and information around this subject that is often misunderstood or
misinterpreted.

The facilitation of this training also aims to provide all with the information, resources and ideas to
effectively foster a more inclusive working and learning environment that challenges discrimination against
gender and sexually diverse people and approaches sexual and gender diversity through a human rights
approach.

This educational initiative aims to address the various issues faced by LGBTIQ individuals by raising
awareness and encouraging empathy amongst those who engage in training and facilitation in order to
foster a culture of safety and acceptance in school communities.

DFL conducted two workshops – “Turning Content into Theatre” which draws on techniques created by the
Drama for Life Theatre Company around theatre and sexual health education, and “Theatre Play!” which
aims to deepen the director’s skill-set around working with casts whose task it is to present complex
information through theatre.

Using a blending of methods from Boal and South African
workshop theatre traditions, this all-rehearsal based
process will leave participants with a range of creative
considerations that help all theme-based theatre-making
processes.

Thank you to Rand Merchant Bank, Ford Foundation,
Department of Arts and Culture, Bread for the World, City
of Johannesburg, Lutheran World Federation, ASSITEJ
South Africa and Exclusive Books for supporting the
festival this year

15th Inner-City High Schools Drama Festival continued...

Why this theme?

First kisses aren't always amazing. Sometimes they’re just…wet. What are you supposed to do in a
relationship anyway? What are you supposed to say? How do you know how far to go? What if you don’t
like the same things as your friends? What if you like someone you’re not supposed to, because it’s not
‘normal’? What’s normal? Why is your body changing? Why are you feeling how you feel? You have an
avalanche of questions but who do you talk to? How do you even begin?

The theme for the Outreach Foundation’s 2019 Inner-City High Schools Drama Festival is Gender and
Sexuality. The importance of engaging with young people about these themes cannot be over-stated. For
many young people in South Africa, the journey of 'becoming' takes place within a landscape of risk and
danger with little space to talk about healthy, positive sex and sexuality. If we don’t believe or acknowledge
that young people are capable of exploring sexuality, gender and relationships in a healthy way and that
sexuality can be a positive aspect of youthful identify, we deny them the opportunity to learn about
themselves and others – and if we deny that, how then can we expect them to be healthy, empowered
adults?

Gender and sexuality are intertwined in the lived experiences of many teenagers, although it is sometimes
difficult for them (for all of us!) to formulate conversations around their identity, body and sex. This theme
will hopefully give us courage to explore the unhealthy silence around these topics that plagues our
country, and encourage learners and facilitators to engage this topic individually and in their communities
long after the festival closes. On the journey of re-imagining ourselves, we want to inspire and encourage
the facilitators and learners to imagine playful alternatives to how we define ourselves.

We want to interrogate the forces at play that conspire to define who we are, our roles and how we should
present ourselves to the world. The theme is an opportunity to transcend normativity and to push the
learners and facilitators to think beyond the limits and boundaries preset by society. It is a beacon to
encourage tolerance and re-sensitise how we deal with issues around the theme, a chance to counter the
fear that is so prevalent when engaging matters of the body and to find ways to engage each other with
respect and understanding.

We spend a lot of time telling young people about the dangers of growing up and how to avoid them. This
focus on protection, staying safe and keeping free of disease can be frightening and stigmatising. However,
we spend very little time exploring the emotional world of gender and sexuality: relationships, romance and
physical intimacy, and no time at all on the idea that sexual exploration can be positive, joyful and healthy,
especially for women.

These important aspects of our identities are deeply personal and can make all of us, and especially
young people, deeply vulnerable.

Many sexual experiences are not talked about—especially not inter-generationally, and because of this
they can become clouded with shame, misguidance and myths.

Many teenagers end up thinking that their uncertainties, desires and embarrassments, are unique to them.

15th Inner-City High Schools Drama Festival continued...

Why this theme continued...

In his book, ‘How to Think More About Sex’, Alain de Botton argues that; “despite being one of the most
private of activities, sex is nonetheless surrounded by a range of powerfully socially sanctioned ideas that
codify how normal people are meant to feel about and deal with the matter.”
There is an exhilarating link between theatre and gender and sexuality: intimacy. Too often when sex is
discussed, it is in a cold, ‘worst possible scenario’ and clinical manner.
Sex is complicated and complex. Theatre is complex and complicated. Theatre can be naughty, it can be
playful, you can be daring on stage and you can play around with different roles, personas and genders.
Sex can be funny, undignified and ridiculous…and so can theatre.
Both sex and theatre are exhilarating, dangerous, fun and risky.
Theatre allows us to stretch our imaginations and to create fresh and exciting stories that will change how
we perceive and interact with the theme.
We hope to break the trend of trauma stories and to shine light on the voice inside of our learners and
facilitators who seek to dream and dare to tell stories that are different, that are complex and that are light-
hearted as they are achingly enthralling.
We look forward to a plethora of new dramatic voices that push boundaries and bend narratives.

A DFL workshop for the
High Schools Drama Festival

Singing Competition at the
Olive Tree Theatre

We have relaunched our choir under the baton of Madoda Gxabeka. We are very excited that members our
choir had the opportunity to sing at the Mzansi Golden Voice Auditions at Olive Tree Theatre on Saturday,
23rd February.

Well done to Hope Mwenda who took 1st place and Mmathabo Segabutla who took 2nd place at the first
round of the auditions.

Living Music and Dance

Quinton Mamabolo, our primary school marimba teacher, attended a workshop, Living Music and Dance,
facilitated by the The Orff Schulwerk Society of South Africa. He is also receiving training at the Music
Enlightenment Project, based in Braamfonten.

We look forward to seeing how his training will help him teach the children in the near future.

RMB Leaders visit Outreach Foundation

A group of RMB leaders visited the Outreach Foundation on
the 7th March as part of a leadership programme: Sensing
Journeys, which was designed and facilitated by the
Presencing Institute.

This visit gave us the opportunity to relaunch our Hillbrow
Youth Tours. This year, the Hillbrow Youth Tours will be led
by Lesley Mosweu, a theatre alumni and soon to be
appointed FirstRand Foundation First Job intern. He will be
assisted by Sibusiso Ndlovu, a Music Centre alumni and
Saturday Arts Programme assistant.

An inter-active workshop with the elders from Tswelopele
Frail Care Centre who are taking part in our production,
Sounds Like You and Me, got all from RMB dancing.

"Lesley’s tour was an unexpected mix of history and current
reality, delivered with such effortless charm.

"We felt privileged to be able to see the precinct through his
eyes, he’s definitely the right guy for the Intern job!

"A big applause in addition to your theatre facilitators. Watching the way they worked with the older folks,
with such patience and attention to inclusion - it was incredibly touching. As I already mentioned, I think we
were all struck by the multi-faceted, multi-layered approach of the overall OF project and its interconnecting
parts, and to hear the vision for taking it bigger and further".

Marian Goodman, PRESENCING INSTITUTE

Weaving workshop

Tinyiko Baloyi and Bonga Gamede, held a
very informative weaving workshop at
Outreach Foundation's Boitumelo.
This workshop included making small
looms with cardboard, and using various
materials including recycled materials, to
weave with.
The ‘all important’ aspect of pricing
products made by students was
discussed in detail.
Over the Saturdays the workshop took place, much creativity happened with people from all
ages. Even mother and daughters attended the classes together.
We hope that these exciting Saturday workshops will draw more people and participants to
sign up. All they pay is a minimal fee of R10 to do so. The fee helps to get commitment from
people.

The all-important topic of 'pricing your projects' seems to intrigue
one of our participants

Jewellery-making classes

Thabang Selai offered jewellery-making classes over the last few Saturdays of
March where participants were taught the importance of design, how to use
beads to create colourful jewellery, and were given the opportunity to explore
different techniques.

Using various threads and clasps, everyone also learned the important aspect
of finishing the item professionally and with style.

Tallowah Suntsha, Bongani
Malinga and Maxine Puren,
DFL drama therapy interns

"An inter-active workshop with the elders from
Tswelopele Frail Care Centre who are taking part in our
production, Sounds Like You and Me, got all from RMB

dancing."

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011 720 7011 [email protected] @OutreachFoundation