JOINT MEDIA RELEASE: WCG prioritises youth this festive season

Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais

Minister of Social Development, Albert Fritz

Minister of Community Safety, Dan Plato

Date: 8 December 2016

Release: Immediate

WCG prioritises youth this festive season

The December school holidays officially starts today, 8 December 2016, and the Western Cape Government is again prioritising the youth of our province during this festive season.

The start of the school holidays brings a much needed break for learners and educators across the province but it is also a period where a lot of our younger residents in the province are at risk of becoming involved in negative social behaviour, often because they are unsupervised.

The Western Cape Departments of Community Safety, Cultural Affairs and Sport, as well as Social Development will continue to provide the youth of the Western Cape with opportunities at various institutions, with the help of an assortment of partners.

This holiday period parents also has the opportunity to prioritise the wellbeing of their children by ensuring that they access the various opportunities available  where they can relax, be entertained, access services or developmental opportunities or even visit beaches where additional security supervision are deployed.

Safety is everyone’s responsibility and with up to 35% of Western Cape pupils in grade 8 to grade 11 abusing alcohol, it is necessary for every person in the province to heed the call of reducing alcohol related harms in the province.

Our young residents in this province are encouraged to make positive recreational choices for their long-term well-being, and steer clear from engaging in anti-social and risky behaviour which is often associated with the abuse of substances.

The programmes on offer across the province by the respective Departments include:

Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport

The Mass participation; Opportunity and access; Development and growth (MOD) Programme is one of the flagship initiatives of the Western Cape Government. The programme is run through 181 MOD Centres across the province. MOD Centres provide a structured sport, recreation, arts and culture development curriculum for learners.

As schools are now closed for the 2016 festive season, our MOD programme will take the form of holiday programmes across the province. The attached tables detail all the information on the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport holiday programmes in each district in the Western Cape.

The Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais said, “It is important to keep our learners inspired through sport, recreational and cultural activities, especially during the holidays. By supporting the holistic development of children through recreation and sport, our holiday programmes contribute to the human and social development of the communities in which they are located. These programmes also provide a safe space for our learners to socialise and serve as an alternate to the many social ills plaguing our communities”.

The Department of Social Development (DSD) will host numerous holiday activities for children and youth across the province. The activities will be designed to keep children engaged and provide a safe space for them to play, learn and have fun. Most importantly, meals will be provided, in order to address malnutrition issues that can occur when some of the poorest children are on holiday, and no longer have access to the daily school nutrition plan meals.

Each of our DSD Regional and Local Offices will host events ranging from;

• Arts and crafts,
• Swimming lessons,
• Puppet shows,
• Anti-teen pregnancy workshops,
• Anti-substance abuse exercises,
• Game days (including hosting indigenous games), and
• Sports days.

Our plans will benefit in excess of 3000 children and youth across the province.

Our social work services will remain available throughout the holiday period.

Parents are encouraged to call the DSD hotline on 0800 220 250, to access our services or to find out what is available for their children and youth in their area.

The Department of Community Safety continues with ongoing and targeted youth programmes and interventions across the province.

The Youth Safety and Religious Partnership (YSRP) programme has seen R5.7 million allocated for our faith-based organisation partners working in our communities.

The R3.4 million provided for the December/January (Festive Season) holiday period will see the Department partner with up to 107 faith based organisations, with the aim to reach an estimated 10 880 youths through these programmes who are often at risk during school holidays.

Our partnerships with the religious fraternity are again being extended to the entire province including of 15 priority areas such as Nyanga, Gugulethu, Drakenstein, Khayelitsha (Lingelethu & Harare) Villiersdorp, Saldanha Bay, Delft, Mfuleni, Kraaifontein, Mitchell’s Plain, Philippi East, Bishop Lavis, Manenberg, Imizamo Yethu and Masiphumelelel; as well as 22 faith basied organisations in areas such as Beaufort West, Dysselsdorp, De Doorns, De Rust, Eerste River, Wellington, Elsies River, Fisantekraal, Frasnchoek, Hanover Park, Klapmuts, Langa, Lavender Hill, Macassar, Ravensmead and Grassy Park.

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. The programme includes sporting activities, song, dance, drama and cultural activities, movie screenings and youth dialogues.

For the peak festive season, between 12 December 2016 and 16 January 2017, the Department of Community Safety is partnering with the City of Cape Town Law Enforcement and Social Development department to coordinate the implementation of the Festive Season Beach Programme.

We are targeting a 100 Chrysalis interns to be deployed with the City of Cape Town Law Enforcement at 15 beaches across the greater Cape Town Metropole to assist with general beach safety, beach security and children that gets separated from their parents or might go missing on the beach.

The Department of Community Safety is investing R450 000 into helping to create safer environments on our beaches this holiday period. I urge you to keep a look out for the Chrysalis interns in their branded uniforms (t-shirt, safety bib, and a cap) and make use of their safety services on our beaches.

The 15 beaches include: Mnandi, Strandfontein, Muizenberg, Kalkbay, Camps Bay, Hout Bay, Soetwater, Harmony Park, Kogel Bay/Klippies Bay, Gordons Bay, Strand, Macassar, Monwabisi, Table View/Blouberg, as well as Silver Stream.

As a Government, we call on our parents in the province, the neighbours of parents and our law-abiding residents to partner with us this festive season.

We ask all young people to consider their own safety before embarking on any summer adventure. Stay safe, and return refreshed and ready to tackle everything that 2017 might have in store for you!