CCFA Youth Development – Changing one person’s life at a time
2023 Youth Development Initiative
Changing one person’s life at a time – support us in helping make vulnerable youths ‘future-ready’
4-week educational youth development and empowerment programme equipping young adults with vital employability and life skills to improve their chances of finding employment
SIYAZENZELA
The CCFA supports Wilderness Foundation Africa (WFA) and its Siyazenzela (we are doing it for ourselves) training course. The WFA drives holistic skills development and conservation based education interventions for previously disadvantaged youths. Their Siyazenzela training course focuses on emotional & social wellness, occupational & financial wellness, and physical & environmental wellness.
The Siyazenzela Project models a process to allow the target group (18 to 28 year olds, from vulnerable communities, unemployed and lacking immediate access to the marketplace) over a period of three to four weeks (flexibility to include funder / client bespoke modules) to identify and evolve the inner capacity to meet the universe on equal terms. This is achieved through high energy facilitation breaking into the nature and intent of their relationships with themselves, their families and their communities.
The Resilience component of the project aims at provide students with the following innovative elements: (1) access to wellness, group and individual counselling and psychological support; (2) Job shadowing opportunities; (3) Peer support and mentoring amongst youth through a) absorption of outstanding graduates to become facilitators of the project — thus ensuring that the course is implemented by youth/graduates who have demonstrated extraordinary insight and capacity, and who relate entirely to the experience of the candidates as well as b) establishing Peer support groups through the Whatsapp medium; (4) work readiness and livelihood skills and (5) structured and extended resilience support and monitoring, through quarterly graduate group engagement sessions.
Central to the Siyazenzela project approach is our objective of enhancing the resilience potential of the young people that go through it by also exposing them to mother nature’s resilient spirit which they are encouraged to adopt and adapt to their own life circumstances.
Of significance is the unique attachment, based on the many years of engagement with wilderness and nature, of the modules to the healing power of nature, through immersion in the space. This takes place by means of a three- day Imbewu trail, during which the candidates are guided in a “light touch” process to connect with the peace and resilience found in the wild.
UMZI WETHU CONSERVATION TRAINING
The Umzi Wethu (our home) youth development training course provides training for previously disadvantaged youth. The course incorporates the following innovative elements: (1) a mentorship support programme; (2) access to wellness, group and individual counselling and psychological support; (3) assists the students in finding paid internship placements and supports them in securing jobs, post training.
The CCFA, together with the WFA, intend to continue to monitor graduates from the Siyazenzela and Umzi Wethu courses as they move onto their various career paths.
Past records have proven that 75% of these graduates maintain their jobs in the first two years following course completion. Local businesses, including Mantis properties have gained reliable staff through these programs.
Umzi Wethu beneficiaries are selected from Siyazenzela Basic Employability and Personal Growth courses.
CONSERVATION: FGASA APPRENTICE FIELD GUIDE SKILLS PROGRAMME (NQF 2)
This 10 – week course focuses on coaching and developing the beneficiaries with the necessary guiding skills to be competent to enter the guiding industry at an introductory level.
The following subjects are covered during the course:
– Guiding Skills
– Geology
– Astronomy
– Weather and Climate
– Ecology
– Biomes of Southern Africa
– Taxonomy
-Plants and Grasses
– Arthropods
– Amphibians
– Reptiles
– Fish
– Birds
– Mammals
– Animal Behaviour
– Historical Human Habitation
– Conservation Management
In addition to the FGASA Apprentice Field Guide curriculum the following modules have been added to enhance the guiding skills of the beneficiaries and to prepare them thoroughly for the ecotourism industry:
– Vehicle skills and 4X4 Driving skills
– Tracking skills
– Wilderness First Aid Level 2
– Wildflowers
– Hospitality skills
– Presentation and Interpretive skills
– Photographic skills
The beneficiaries will host real guests
Nearly all the countries in the world have promised to improve the planet and the lives of its citizens by 2030.
They’ve committed themselves to 17 life-changing goals, outlined by the UN in 2015. These Global Goals, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), include ending extreme poverty, giving people better healthcare, and achieving equality for women. The aim is for all countries to work together to ensure no one is left behind.
This project is aligned with the following goals:
