Our Project Partner
Brücken Bauen e.V. supports the work of a non-profit organisation based in Cape Town / South Africa:
Active Schools Initiative
The social division which were created by colonialism and Apartheid are still shaping the lives and perspectives of people living in South Africa . Just a few kilometres away from the "ghettos of the rich", children are growing up in the poverty of the so-called townships - and many of them do not believe that they can ever manage to leave this environment in order to build their own, better future.
Violence in various forms—from bullying on the school grounds, the fear of abuse and rape to gunfights of competing gangs in their neighbourhoods—forms part of their daily experiences. But how can young people be expected to resist the peer pressure of violent gangs and respect others, if some of those children have themselves never felt how it is to be respected?
The Active Schools Initiative was founded in 2006 and aims contributing to break this vicious circle. The initiative introduces violence prevention programmes at primary schools, which focus on building respect for own needs and the feelings of others, social responsibility, empathy, non violent communication and conflict solving skills through games and physical activity. A further objective is strengthening the personal resources of children which can enable them to cope with their difficult and often traumatising social environments. One step in order to build this kind of resilience is to provide spaces and opportunities for the learners to develop a positive and realistic self concept, to build trust in social relationships, to encourage sensitivity for own needs as well as to foster flexible problem solving skills and self expression.
The ASI Initiative plans to act as an umbrella organisation for schools, churches and organisations in South Africa who are interested to offer their learners the possibility to learn and develop social skills by playing. The work is based on the Schools in Motion concept, part of an international approach ("Bewegte Schule") from which the ASI adapted the following components to the needs and living conditions in impoverished communities in South Africa:
- Weekly game sessions for classes concentrate on developing and strengthening social competences (for example co-operation, trust, problem and conflict solving)
- The children building self made playing equipment from recycling material, for example trampolines form old truck tyres, stilts from wood off-cuts, etc. The equipment can be used by all learners during the intervals
- Training programmes for peer facilitators from grade 1 to grade 7 who learn to facilitate a variety of games and manage the hand out and collection of the self built playing equipment during the intervals
- Project days that focus on activities such as climbing or circus projects
- Teacher workshops around games that support cognitive learning processes and exercise writing, reading or mathematic skills
Brücken Bauen e.V. supports the following activities of the ASI:
- Providing "Starter Packs", which contain basic equipment which is needed to start the implementation of the programme at schools (for example manuals around game facilitation and equipment building, crayons, a packet of balloons, hula hoops, a ball pump etc.)
- Developing school yards into child friendly zones which encourage the learners to play and physical activity—for example by painting different games on the tarmacs
- The development of training material in order to spread the concept
- Ensuring the continuity of the work at the schools by training local community workers to implement and facilitate the programmes and receive a stipend
- A cross cultural climbing project where members of Brücken Bauen and the ASI facilitate climbing workshops, train young people to become certified climbing supervisors and assist to build climbing walls at local schools in disadvantaged areas
Contact details of the Active Schools Initiative in Cape Town:
Active Schools Initiative 1 Hickory Street
Kewtown, Athlone
7764 Cape Town
South Africa
Postal address:
P.O. Box 1Hanover Park
7700 Cape Town
South Africa Tel: +27 (0) 21 638 5454
Fax: +27 (0) 21 638 1980
Email: craven@asi.org.za
WWW: www.asi.org.za