Mandla (in the photo) was an awkwardly quiet young man, trying not to be seen. Despite this he was eager to play his part to help children in his community. He joined the Sisanda Play Youth Leadership programme in 2020 while also studying Psychology through UNISA. His low self-confidence was evident and especially with speaking English. He reflected 'Normally I don’t have many friends. At School I was reserved. I would just write and go home without mingling with other students or asking if I need help.' He recognised he needed to work on his communication skills and in particular on his self-trust. During the Play Ambassador training sessions he learnt more about communication, and to implement the programme he is expected to visit families to share his learning with a range of people of different ages, genders, and personalities. After working with over 20 different families he has started to feel more confident , even at school. He says 'Sisanda FunDaytion has really helped me because I can now approach other students, thanks to the home visits and the training sessions.' He is now one of our strongest Play Ambassadors who says he wants to continue improving as he has realised 'I won’t get anywhere in life if I stay reserved.' He also wants to continue with Play@Home as he says through 'the programme families are shown another version of how to care for their children.' This is what we are aiming for with all our Play Ambassadors ....to improve the skills that will help them with their futures and which they can transfer to others. Thus far, 20 young people are involved and we are partnering with two other community organisations to increase our reach. Hear what one of our partners has to say.
To hear more about our recent activities check out our June Newsletter
