Wow. SPZA sponsors a hundred children in Cape Town to gain confidence in communication
“As long as many of our people still live in utter poverty, as long as children still live under plastic covers, as long as many of our people are still without jobs, no South African should rest and wallow in the joy of freedom” – Nelson Mandela
The Helen O'Grady Drama Academy is very pleased to annouce that it has received sponsorship for our teacher, Alex Gibaud, to run its international programme for some of Cape Town's poorest children. We are so thankful for this opportunity to bring this amazing programme to the children of Oceanview, Masephumelela and Simonstown. These children will be given a headstart in their lifes, by being trained an international drama curriculum aimed at developing confident communicators. SPZA www.spza.org is a Dutch charity which faciliates eductional programmes throughout Cape Town and they have recognised how important drama is for children in their development. We thank SPZA from the bottom of our hearts for the change this programme will make in the lives of children.
Alex, the teacher of these classes says: "I had a vision or perhaps more like a yearning two years ago while sitting at my desk in the small village of McGregor where I lived, of inevitably teaching drama to children who lived in informal settlements in Cape Town. I had been running the Helen O’ Grady Drama Academy in the Breede River Valley for sometime – a wonderful international self-development programme carefully constructed to boost confidence and self-esteem in children from kindergarten to early adulthood.
"During this time, I had the joy of teaching the curriculum in various township schools on the side, in an effort to uplift the impoverished communities that seemed to need it the most. My ongoing vision, knowing that a move to Cape Town was inevitable in the near future, was to make this hugely beneficial drama programme available to children from marginalized communities and/or socially disadvantaged areas who not only have very little opportunity or indeed motivation to better themselves, but where gangsterism, gun violence, drugs and abuse are sadly a regular occurrence. These children have no choice but to deal with issues way beyond the scope of their tender years.
"After an eventual move to the South Peninsula in Cape Town and with the encouragement and support of the Helen O’ Grady Africa Head Office, I have been able to set up six classes a week teaching the HOG curriculum to children who mainly reside in the surrounding townships. I have been teaching children from Kleinberg Primary School in Ocean View and Simon’s Town School since the beginning of the school year 2016. There was a tremendous response to the drama classes so much so that we had to start a waiting list for some of the classes.
"We are now settling in nicely and the enthusiasm and joy these children display in these classes is simultaneously heart wrenching and heart warming. Since communication and empathy are central to drama, these students have a safe, nurturing space where they are able to understand and openly discuss problems, learn life skills and team effort, explore their creativity and imagination plus improve their communication and language skills.
"We teach ten classes per term over ten weeks and the classes run as follows on the school premises:-
- Mondays 3-4pm Simon’s Town School Youth Theatre (16 students aged between 13 - 18 years)
- Wednesdays 1.30pm Kleinberg Lower Primary class (25 students aged between 6 - 8 years) followed by an Upper Primary class at 2.30pm – 3.30pm (27 students aged between 9 – 12 years);
- Thursday – 1st Lower Primary class at Simon’s Town School 2pm – 2.30pm and 2nd Lower Primary class 2.30pm-3pm. There are 26 students in total that have been split into two half hour classes for improved focus and productivity. The Upper Primary class at Simon’s Town School is from 3-4pm with a total of 10 students. All in all the total number of learners attending extra mural drama is 104.
"In the term and a half that I have been teaching these students I have been filled with the utmost admiration if not awe for the sheer “grit” these children display. To endure so much fear and suffering and yet each week they are back in class, playing, joking and laughing like they don’t have a care in the world! It is humbling to witness and inspires hope!
"An example of this “grit” came to light towards the end of last term when I noticed a lower primary boy from Kleinberg Primary fiercely trying to hold back tears during our Speech session in class. This boy lives in the impoverished and extremely volatile township of Masiphumelele where riots, vigilante killings, rape, arson attacks and gang violence pervade.
"After some gentle probing it emerged that his father had been shot and wounded the day before and the boy had witnessed it all. The school was unaware of the ordeal as he had concealed his distress all day until our afternoon class. The Principal was compassionate but not surprised, he shook his head and said “sadly this is a regular occurrence”. The following week the boy was back in drama class and he seemed his bouncy, cheery self again! It is my belief that the nurturing, non-judgemental and encouraging environment that drama provides played a role in breaking down the barrier enough for the boy to share his story."
The Helen O'Grady Drama Academy thanks Alex for the incredible work she does and also for the generous sponsorhip of SPZA who have created through their donation, to make a difference in the lives of over 100 more children. The Helen O'Grady Drama Academy teaches over 4,000 children each week in the Cape Town area, making a difference ONE CHILD AT A TIME.
