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Media Release

13 November, 2008

Pilot programme supports youth at risk

Comment for the People's Post by Dr Matthi Theron, Director of Specialised Education Support at the Western Cape Education Department.

The Ottery Youth Care Centre has introduced an innovative pilot programme to support youth at risk referred to the centre.

The Youth Care Centre is one of several Youth Care and Education Centres that support youth at risk in the Western Cape.

The pilot Work Skills Partnerships programme has been well received and is contributing to the work of the centre on various levels, by providing:

  • Specialised education for youth at risk;
  • Access to community support on site;
  • Skills training and work opportunities for learners; and
  • A sustainable approach to maintaining the premises.

Background

The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) established the centres in line with national policy on educating and reclaiming young people at risk.

The WCED has developed an education model that offers five levels of support for learners at risk and those in conflict with the law.

The first three levels of support, namely, prevention, early intervention and school-based support programmes, are offered in ordinary schools and focus on prevention and early intervention.

Youth Care and Education Centres offer the fourth level of support, providing residential care where necessary, with varying degrees of restriction, depending on the learners involved. Other learners follow therapeutic and educational programmes at the centres after school hours.

On the fifth level of support, Special Youth Care and Education Centres provide compulsory residence for young people in severe emotional turmoil or in conflict with the law.

The WCED has established four Youth Care and Education Centres and two Special Youth Care and Education Centres.

The focus is on reclaiming children and young people at risk by providing specialised support and therapeutic interventions on a continuum of care, ranging from the least restrictive and most empowering environment or programme to more restrictive options.

Our new approach to assisting troubled young people reflects a shift from negative strategies based on retribution and punishment to positive strategies aimed at reclaiming the child.

This new approach creates opportunities for healing, development and growth, with the focus on restoring relationships rather than focusing on punishment.

Educationists agree that we now have sound scientific information to support strategies for positive outcomes. We have discovered that children need to be reared in environments where there are opportunities to develop and experience belonging, mastery, independence and generosity.

Our Youth Care and Education Centres seek to provide environments and support needed to give troubled young people a fresh start in life and the opportunity of breaking through to a better future.

Ottery Youth Care Centre

The Ottery Youth Care and Education Centre provides a service for up to 120 young people. There are currently 80 youths based at the centre.

The premises are large, covering 67 hectares, which means that they have more facilities available than are needed by the centre.

The centre management has explored ways of using these premises effectively to support the work of the centre while also helping to maintain the premises.

The centre has developed a pilot Work Skills Partnerships programme designed to provide a community resource while also supporting holistic education for the youth based at the centre.

With the approval of the WCED, the centre has signed 11-month contracts with 24 Work Skills Partners who are leasing space for various activities.

In terms of the contracts, the organisations will repair and maintain buildings that have fallen into disrepair, and will offer skills training and employment opportunities for learners at the centre. The rents are pegged at below market prices.

The centre has also made a hostel complex available for community outreach, including recreational clubs, a homing union and a crèche. The community has access to sports fields, the swimming pool and halls.

Partners also assist the centre by providing building and maintenance support.

The Blue Bells Recreation Club is managing the sports fields. The centre is negotiating with the Hurricanes Aquatic Club to manage the swimming pool. The centre has also established a community gym. An academy is offering first aid and basic fire fighting courses for high school learners.

The centre is providing office space for the Coastal Region of the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (SADTU) to be of assistance to teachers.

The programme represents a multi-layered approach to using a facility such as this to support youth at risk. The WCED will monitor results closely.



Issued by:
Paddy Attwell
Director: Communication
Western Cape Education Department
Tel: 021 467 2531
Fax: 021 461 3694
Email: pattwell@pgwc.gov.za

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