Sep 22, 2021 | Blog
South Africa celebrates Heritage Day on the 24th September each year. This public holiday was introduced at the time of our country’s democracy to highlight the many people from different cultural backgrounds who together create our Rainbow Nation. On this day South African’s are encouraged to celebrate their specific culture and/or enjoy the shared practice of people coming together for a braai.
Here at DCYCC Heritage Day is celebrated with much excitement. Children and staff alike look forward to the opportunity to share their culture, beliefs, and traditions. You can imagine the diversity that exists when you bring 74 children and up to 12 staff members, from all over our province together to celebrate. There is a richness that one would find hard to find elsewhere.
The programme of events for the Day includes the making and sharing of cultural dishes, cultural dance, song, poetry, and storytelling. Heritage Day provides the occasion for us to encourage understanding, respect, and appreciation for other cultures. In creating this platform for our children, we confirm each child’s uniqueness and identity within our Centre, and as South Africans. In addition, we believe that learning about other cultures, leads to accepting diversity and will result in a country where all people are respected for who they are as South Africans.
Awareness of cultural norms and values is important for a child’s development, as it provides the foundation for a child’s sense of identity. Children should not be deprived from learning about their culture or other cultures, especially in a country such as ours. So, when people ask you what the big deal is about celebrating Heritage Day, you can tell them……
- Adolescents have a tough time creating their unique identity during the teenage years. Abused, abandoned, and neglected children even more so. Not only do they lose out on the basics of love, education, food, and shelter, but also their culture and heritage. When they learn about their culture, they become aware of their history, develop a sense of connectedness to something much larger than themselves and this helps build their own identity.
- Each culture has its own set of morals and values. As adults many of us can reflect on how the morals and values we uphold in our lives were shared with us by our parents. These were not enforced on us but rather modelled through the various rituals of day-to-day living. Children with strong morals and values grow up to be more grounded individuals.
- Learning about culture and heritage also encourages intergenerational interaction. Learning and being a part of family traditions and festivals give children the opportunity to connect with their parents and grandparents.
- Learning about culture and being a part of family traditions allows children to develop their own unique memory bank, that they in turn can draw on and share with their own families one day.
- As South African citizens we should encourage our children to learn about the richness of our South African culture and to be proud of our heritage.
Heritage and culture are important! It should be passed on from generation to generation for years to come. South Africa has many world heritage sites proclaimed by UNESCO – Click here to learn about them – http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/
May you and your families enjoy a safe and enriched Heritage Day!
Aug 25, 2021 | Blog
As women’s month draws to a close, I feel the need to shine a spotlight on the phenomenal women who have over the years impacted on the lives of our young people, more specifically our girl children. This diverse group of women, of all ages and backgrounds have individually and collectively contributed towards our girls discovering their worth and finding their voices.
These women: employees and volunteers, through their heart for hurting and vulnerable children, and their selfless commitment, have helped children heal, believe in themselves, and dare to dream.
Whilst my heart yearns to name these inspirational women, I dare not, in fear that my memory fails me and I leave out even one name. Suffice to say that these women, spanning a period of 31 years have touched the lives of many……… from our cooks, through to admin staff and members of our Child Care Team, arts and crafts volunteer, surrogate granny’s, mentors, prayer warriors, role models, our girls have been blessed!
I quote from “Daring to be ourselves”, by Marianne Schnall, “As women, we must learn to trust our instincts and inner wisdom, not only for our own personal well-being, happiness, and wholeness, but also in order to express our true power and individual special gifts in the world”.
Thank you for sharing the gift of YOU with our girls.
Jul 23, 2021 | Blog
At the beginning of this year, who could have guessed that we would see ourselves battling the third wave of the pandemic and protests across KZN and Gauteng triggered by the arrest of Jacob Zuma. As the protests progressed into looting and total chaos, we realised that this was more than just about the arrest of Jacob Zuma. There is a much deeper, rooted, issue we are facing as a country. Poverty, social injustice, corruption, these are just but a few. These unprecedented times have caused major fear and temulent emotions about our present safety and the future. We need to be mindful of the effects this has on our emotional state, and act to prevent poor mental health.
During the week of unrest, we saw a range of mixed emotions amongst our children. Holiday placements with family in community had already cancelled because of the level 4 lockdown, so all our children remained at the centre. Children were fearful for the safety and well-being of themselves but more especially for their parents. Watching incidents as they occurred on the roads around the centre, on social media and over the news; whilst keeping us abreast of what was happening, was also the trigger of confusion, anxiety and heightened negative emotions. Even our child care team struggled to put their own feelings aside as they responded to our children.
“Social unrest typically refers to the general dissatisfaction of a group and the ways they bring attention to societal problems. Even if you don’t belong to the dissatisfied group, you may experience intense emotions and triggers based on how the issues that are deeply rooted in the country affect you personally.” With the combined prolonged fear and resulting stress of COVID-19 and the social unrest, we need to be aware of the symptoms of mental health conditions.
It’s easy to become overwhelmed by your emotions and it’s difficult to disconnect from the feelings of those around you. During this time, we helped our children express their feelings and assured them that it is normal to try and figure out where you fit in what is happening. Comfort and strength come from understanding what is happening, even when it is out of your control! Beware though, – while you do this, it is important to make a concerted effort to avoid going down a path of negative thoughts and uncontrollable emotions. It is important to take care of yourself. Below are some useful links we found that can help you manage your mental health:
https://discoverymood.com/blog/managing-mental-health-during-social-movements-and-civil-unrest/
https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/ways-south-africans-take-care-of-mental-health/?template=next
Jun 29, 2021 | Blog
The Month of June is celebrated as “Youth Month” in South Africa, in remembrance of the massacre of school children during the Soweto Uprising of 1976. The purpose of this time includes paying tribute to the brave young people that took a stand against inequality in our country. Its also a time for us to reflect on the resilience of our youth of today. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the dreams of many of our youth. They have had to face the challenges of having their social life curtailed, adjusting to on-line studies, in many cases putting their studies on hold and facing an uncertain future.
To commemorate Youth Month at our centre we had a special Youth Day Celebration and over the past weekend we conducted an interactive session with our young people about ‘daring to dream’. We were so impressed and encouraged to receive their positive responses despite of all the challenges that have been presented to them during this time. These were some of their responses (Names have been changed to protect their identity):
Please share your dream with us.
Sam (15) – “I want to be a farmer cause when you are a farmer you do things by your own hands. Most people do not choose this career, because they are lazy. I choose this dream to change lives by doing agriculture in this country.”
Thabo (16) – “I want to be a TV presenter and Rapper.”
Zion (12) – “I want to be a pilot.”
Yanga (15) – “I want to be an artist and a R&D Scientist.”
- Despite the disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic, please share with us how you have remained positive and focused on achieving your dream?
Sam (15) – “I remained positive, because I always tell myself that God has plans for me.”
Thabo (16) – “Keep writing lyrics, practise and focus on your dreams.”
Zion (12) – “By wearing your mask and sanitising.”
Yanga (15) – “I want to have my own style and make my own vibe, create my own fashion designs and make my own brands. I want to travel the world. As I travel and figure out and understand the world and make it better for society. I’ll rap and have strict time management. I’ll have to study many terms of studies to be a R&D Scientist. I must be patient and not lose hope.”
- If you had a chance to motivate other young people to believe in their dreams, what would you say to them?
Sam (15) – “Live your life for you, be yourself. Remember where you came from. You make yourself. Think before you do.”
Thabo (16)) – “Focus on what you want.”
Zion (12) – “Focus on your dream and education. Never give up!”
Yanga (15) – “Start your dreams young and think big of it and progress then you will know where you are going.”
As Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” We are encouraged to know that we do have young people in our care, daring to dream and not just that, but also believing and working towards making their dreams become a reality. Our hope is that the youth of today will rise above the present-day challenges with the same spirit as those who went before them. There is hope for the future generation. A generation of dreamers!
Jun 18, 2021 | News
When our school bus, donated to us in 2017 by the IQRAA Trust, was stolen from our property last October, we were devastated. Having a safe and reliable vehicle to transport our children on daily basis is one of our top priorities.
Despite having security measures in place – the vehicle was parked in a locked garage within our fully fenced property with electric gate access – thieves still managed to steal it! We opened a case with the SAPS, and the tracking company made every effort to recover the vehicle, but sadly, it has never been found.
We felt terrible having to inform the Trustees of the IQRAA Trust that the vehicle had been stolen, but it was the right thing to do. Dr Baker was so understanding. To our delight, he invited us to submit an application for funding towards the shortfall on the cost of a new vehicle.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the IQRAA Trust for their financial contribution of R75 000 towards a new school bus. Together with the insurance payout and funding from other sources, their contribution enabled us to buy a brand new school bus for our children.
