For the first time since the Youth Safety and Religious Partnership (YSRP) programme’s inception in 2012, the Department of Community Safety will be expanding the YSRP to include the Easter 2016 holiday period.
The YSRP which has grown to be one of the Department’s flagship youth focussed “intervention, prevention and diversion” programmes, will see the Department partnering with religious institutions to provide safer alternatives for our youth between 18 March and 4 April 2016.
For the Easter school holiday period, the Department will specifically focus on high priority areas such as Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Nyanga, Paarl East, Masiphumelele and Imizamo Yethu.
The programmes on offer focus on awareness and prevention of drug-abuse, gangsterism, gender-based violence, child trafficking, HIV/Aids, teenage pregnancy and provide our youth with life skills development and practical safety tips. Activities vary from sporting activities, song, dance, drama and culture, to movie screenings, motivational talks and youth dialogues. Workshops, first aid classes, basic counselling training and exhibitions are also on offer.
The programme, which used to only cover the longer Winter and Summer breaks, has been expanded to the Easter holidays to partner with more religious institutions to assist in helping to create safer environments.
Over the recent December/January summer holiday period, the Department partnered with more than a 140 religious institutions in more than 50 areas across the province through 121 projects and reached more than 10 000 youth.
I invite any religious institution (registered NPOs/NPCs) to make us of the application period in order to partner with the Department of Community Safety towards safer environments in our communities.
More information on the YSRP programme can be found on the Department’s website, www.westerncape.gov.za/dept/community-safety . Application forms can be found at https://www.westerncape.gov.za/news/apply-funding-youth-safety-promotion-programme-youth-during-easter and should be submitted by Friday, 5 February 2016.
For enquiries, please contact:
Amelia Pieterse
Cell: 021 483 3971
Email: Amelia.Pieterse@westerncape.gov.za