The Trust in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg
What have we done to date and what have we achieved to date?
2003-2006, CACT delivered a three-year project involving the Metropolitan Police, British Airways, the South African Police, and of course Charlton Athletic Football Club. The project delivered football coaching and a community safety programme through local schools.
Based on CACT’s domestic model of breaking down barriers, promoting community cohesion and working alongside the police to provide safe environments for young people to participate in sport and football, the programmed delivered positive and powerful messages. It empowered key stakeholders, provided the capacity to build by delivering the Level 1 coaching qualification and put in place a working party to drive the concept forward when the UK partners returned home.
Football coaches from CACT, in partnership with BA, the Metropolitan Police, SAPS and community workers delivered education and football coaching sessions. The BA team focused workshops around health, well-being and esteem whilst the Metropolitan Police delivered programmes addressing personal safety, gun crime and drugs. CACT delivered the Level 1 coaching qualification to sixteen candidates and coached over 1,000 children from 16 schools in Alexandra.
The project demonstrated a template for reducing youth crime and it increased the provision of sporting activities whilst enhancing community cohesion.
Partnership outcomes for UK and South African stakeholders:
What do we plan to do in the future?
Bidvest Wits Football Club will continue to deliver an outreach community programme in targeted areas whilst working with the police to deliver messages around key agendas during curriculum sessions within the townships. They have brought in an agency that data captures this information and demonstrates that crime and anti-social behaviour is being reduced in the township of Alexandra. This information will hopefully allow for sustainable funding to keep the programme going. At present BIDWITS have funds for the next 18 months and are currently employing 50 coaches to deliver a coaching and education programme.
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Based on CACT’s domestic model of breaking down barriers, promoting community cohesion and working alongside the police to provide safe environments for young people to participate in sport and football, the programmed delivered positive and powerful messages. It empowered key stakeholders, provided the capacity to build by delivering the Level 1 coaching qualification and put in place a working party to drive the concept forward when the UK partners returned home.
Football coaches from CACT, in partnership with BA, the Metropolitan Police, SAPS and community workers delivered education and football coaching sessions. The BA team focused workshops around health, well-being and esteem whilst the Metropolitan Police delivered programmes addressing personal safety, gun crime and drugs. CACT delivered the Level 1 coaching qualification to sixteen candidates and coached over 1,000 children from 16 schools in Alexandra.
The project demonstrated a template for reducing youth crime and it increased the provision of sporting activities whilst enhancing community cohesion.
Partnership outcomes for UK and South African stakeholders:
- Creation of police cadet unit mirroring a similar programme developed in the UK giving young people the opportunity to participate in a range of community activities
- Introduction of dedicated school officers
- A communications officer
- Development of a youth help desk
- Training in facilitation skills and public speaking for the SAPS
- Support in creation of domestic violence strategies and staff training
- Successful completion of bespoke Schools Officer training course for 15 SAPS as developed by the UK team
- Restructuring of policing areas has seen the Schools Officer programme spread beyond Alexandra
- Creation of Lesadi la Bokamosa – Looking to the Future (name for the project)
- Developed youth diversion programmes through football and citizenship workshops
- Developed a co-ordinating steering group for youth engagement and diversion
- Sourced funds from other corporate partners
- Trained 36 football coaches to the FA Level 1 qualification from schools, the community and SAPS over a two year period
- Worked in over 24 schools in the Alexandra community
- In excess of 12,000 young people participated in the sports and education programme
- WITS Football Club became the Alexandra football partner in 2008 taking on the CACT mantle and therefore leaving a lasting legacy from the Trust
- WITS now employs a community coach working in partnership with the local SAPS and managing a further 24 trained coaches
What do we plan to do in the future? Bidvest Wits Football Club will continue to deliver an outreach community programme in targeted areas whilst working with the police to deliver messages around key agendas during curriculum sessions within the townships. They have brought in an agency that data captures this information and demonstrates that crime and anti-social behaviour is being reduced in the township of Alexandra. This information will hopefully allow for sustainable funding to keep the programme going. At present BIDWITS have funds for the next 18 months and are currently employing 50 coaches to deliver a coaching and education programme.
