Opening opportunities for our youth

“The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow .”
— Nelson Mandela

In April this year we excitedly opened the doors of our Youth Hub at Kids Haven. This happy and inspiring space is a place to build and maintain relationships with youth leading to improved mentorship for future-focused planning. It’s also the place where we run our Youth Skills Development Programme – an in-person 23-module basic business course aimed at helping youth (18+ years old) become employable and ultimately find a job or way to earn an income for themselves. It is a programme to bridge the gap between school and work. The Youth Hub incorporates personal development with coaching and mentorship to build confidence and aptitude to get employment.

Encouraging school dropouts to complete Matric

Refilwe (20) arrived at Kids Haven’s Youth Hub in August this year filled with despair. Her siblings and parents are struggling, depending on her mother’s disability grant as their only regular income. A Kids Haven employee, Mama Jabu, got to know Refilwe and went to visit her family. It was immediately clear that help was needed. Kids Haven supplied food parcels, clothing and toiletries including items for Refilwe’s 11-month-old baby. With the families’ basic needs being met, Refilwe could concentrate on growing herself. She completed the 23-module programme at the Youth Hub and is motivated to finish her matric. She has started the enrolment process at a school in the area. Refilwe was also selected to be part of a delegate of youth from Kids Haven to attend an event hosted by the Department of Transport. She came back inspired. “We are so proud of Refilwe. She is recovering from substance abuse and can now see light at the end of the tunnel. She can be a student and a mother knowing her family is ok,” says Tshepo Brand, Manager: Youth & Skills Development .

Turning young people into entrepreneurs

After completing the Youth Hub’s 23-module programme and the five-day Entrepreneur Bootcamp workshop in May, Itumeleng from Emandleni Informal Settlement started up his own bakery. He took his delicious baked goods to schools and offices in the area and started getting orders for cakes and more. He started recording a profit. “We saw how well he was doing, and Kids Haven registered him at Siyabonga Africa to do a baking and computer course so he could grow his micro-business and manage his flow of money,” says Tshepo. This month Kids Haven gave him an oven. “We are encouraging him to branch out into holistic catering and he is very eager to do so. He is an amazing success story.”

Building confidence in young people to take opportunities

 Milton, once a resident at Kids Haven, is now working at the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) and we couldn’t be more proud! Benoni residents, Milton and his sister spent a few years at Kids Haven because their home circumstances were difficult. They both entered our Aftercare programme. Milton got his degree in Business Information Systems at the University of Johannesburg but remained unemployed. Last year he volunteered at the Teen Hub and became a tutor teaching the teens basic Microsoft programmes and even got them coding! Kids Haven paid him a stipend at this point, so he learned to budget and manage an income. The SACAA put out a call for learnerships and Milton decided to apply – he got the job. The interviewers confirmed that Milton’s volunteering gave him the edge in his interview. Milton is thriving and we are encouraging him to fly high. Milton’s sister is a qualified Radiographer, and currently busy with her second degree to be a sonographer.  They are resilient, focused, and optimistic about the future.