HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS
The Fathers Heart Currency Program was launched as a tool for incentivising our parents and children, by giving them agency and dignity to acquire the things they need, through a hand up, not a hand out. All our participants get opportunities to earn a number of points when attending any of our training & development programs, whether it be personal development or leadership classes, bible study, parent training, parent support groups, afterschool programs and talent development programs etc. These accumulated points are then exchanged at the end of every month for things like non perishable food staples, toiletries, home ware items, stationery, data, clothing etc.
We launched the Parents Support Group for those that need help and support from their peers, but also advice from a trained and qualified professional. Our strategic partner, Dr. Jeanne Brown, meets with our moms regularly to give sound advice and practical tools on how to deal with stress and how to parent in a particular stressful situation. It’s also a safe space for our moms to share and to connect with other moms in similar situations. Reducing the pile up of potential stress to our families protects children directly (as their own stress responses are triggered less frequently) and the adults caring for them are better able to protect and support them without these factors in their lives (stresses such as deep poverty, conflict, systematic racism, unprocessed trauma, community violence, parental substance abuse, and mental illness).
Group Play therapy sessions are held once a week for our younger kids. The group therapy program for kids is specifically aimed at children ages 8-10. Research shows that as soon as children with unprocessed trauma hit the teen years, they exhibit delinquent & risky behaviour (gangsterism, anger, substance abuse & teen pregnancies etc). Catching them and giving them a space to process that trauma before they start exhibiting any of these behaviours is the key objective through this program. This is achieved by helping them to work through all their trauma in a safe space so they don’t follow through on the bad behaviour.
We address the critical lack of education across our country through our online schooling platform, in partnership with Think Digital, which was launched in 2022. We provide quality education to learners who are not, or cannot, attend mainstream school and given the opportunity to learn and thrive in a safe and secure environment. We also provide access to resources to all our participants to resolve any external factors impeding their education to provide the best foundation from which to launch their futures.
Mondays our kids start the week off with Bible Study as part of their afterschool programs - partnering with CBN South Africa to introduce Superbook. CBN's Animation Superbook is a bible study application which teaches children timeless moral truths and life lessons through the captivating, Bible-based adventures of two time-traveling children and their robot friend, Gizmo. We also offer online Bible Study classes for our adults once a week, where they too can learn and grow spiritually in a supportive environment, adding another layer to mental and spiritual wellness.
Our Music Program is held once a week, led by our partner Mitchell's Plain Music Academy. Through this program, our youth gets to learn more about music, how to play instruments, receive vocal coaching and be part of own local choir in the future. Music provides a great environment for social interaction, teamwork and building self esteem, while allowing us to nurture & develop talents in our children and to help with trauma release.
Our Dance classes is a weekly highlight for our kids. It allows them to express themselves, let off steam while enjoying the music and dancing to their hearts content. The movement of dance helps them burn off adrenaline, release endorphins, calm their nervous system, and relieve stress, which is very helpful for trauma therapy.
Our drama classes allows our kids to express themselves through play, offering emotional, social, and cognitive benefits that contribute to their overall well-being, and engaging them about their self identity and purpose.
Our adults and youth are afforded some wonderful opportunities through various mentorship programs we run. These programs are designed for our parents to take initiative to access services and opportunities to better their families & are encouraged to dream for their own futures, and to strive to achieve their goals. Our strategic program partner, Delfina, a John Maxwell Certified coach, runs the Mentorship program iLead for moms and teens, where she helps to build their confidence, speak positivity into their lives, build core skills and help them see themselves differently. Michael, our CEO facilitates his mentorship course aimed at teen boys and girls incorporating fun activities, connecting through sport, games and food.
Our skills development training and the creation of our various on-site social enterprises is specifically aimed at foster parents & unemployed, low skilled youth & adults. We run community-based programs which offer life skills and entrepreneurship training, as well as providing job creation initiatives, either through our various partner networks or within our organisation. This support ensures community members are able to generate sustainable livelihoods, nurtures dignity and agency & helps people transition from relying on state.