The Light from Africa Foundation in collaboration with various stakeholders continually seek to widen the scope of our outreach work by initiating a Rural EMPOWERMENT Arts Project (REAP) in Suurbraak.

WHERE?

In Barrydale, Buffeljags River and Mullersrus. These are rural settlements in the Overberg District at the foot of the beautiful Tradouw Pass in the Langeberg Mountains of the Western Cape, South Africa. While the isolation of these villages is one of their charms, the absence of any industry has forced young people to leave and seek employment elsewhere, which depletes and limits capital inflow into the communities. This results in high unemployment rates, poverty and teenage pregnancy.

The purpose of the project: The programmes have been designed to teach the following Life Skills:

Building and developing creativity is essential to learning of any sort.

The creative process encourages problem solving that can be carried over to any subject. Developing a learners’ confidence in their own ability to work creatively is an important part of art teaching.

The classes keep the young people constructively occupied while providing an opportunity for participants to explore their creativity.

Creativity has proven to restore a sense of pride and develop self-esteem.

The classes provide a platform for young people to engage with their peers in a constructive manner and the content enhances the importance of showing kindness and community awareness.

Perceived outcomes:

Creating awareness of conservation of natural resources has become more important than ever. Both the visual arts as well as needlecraft help participants to discover and learn to appreciate their own and other cultures

We believe that providing the opportunities for young people to explore their creativity is a huge investment in the development of their personalities.

The more creatively learners can think and the more they can think for themselves and come up with solutions, the easier it will be for them to grasp concepts and ideas in ALL areas of their lives.

We present training workshops for our facilitators on an ongoing basis.