Developing and Empowering young people
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Today’s out of school youth who grow up in informal settlements or poor communities, have not benefitted from a stable school experience and life opportunities. They find themselves hopeless, without focus or plans for their future, insecure with plummeting self esteem and are at risk of engaging in destructive behaviour such as drug and alcohol use. In a country with high unemployment rates, many young people lack the confidence needed to find a job. Often young people hold great potential but are unable to tap into this because they do not want to risk failing. These young people wander aimlessly, filling their days with little and grow in boredom, but if given an opportunity to get work experience in a supportive and empowering environment will rise to the occasion.

Within this context Youth for Christ KwaZulu Natal runs an exciting 10 month Internship Programme that seeks to offer local young people, between the ages of 18 to 25 years, the opportunity to volunteer and gain experience in the field of child and youth work. The combination of a work environment where a work ethic is modelled and required of these young people, opportunities to learn and grow in ways that are different from their school experience, very often becomes the spring board to transformation and greater opportunities for success.

For a selected few interns, who excel and show a keen interest in pursuing child and youth work as a career, YFC/KZN offers a second year of internship where they continue to be involved in direct work with children and youth as well as being registered into formal studies in youth work.

Apart from the personal and professional development of youth in a work environment, 16 Interns bring human resources into our projects which serve children on the streets of our cities, provide residential care, community family preservation work and school based gender and HIV/AIDS awareness and education. This adds huge value to our programmes, bringing caring people into the lives of children and school-going youth and frees our skilled staff to address the more complicated issues that our beneficiaries face.

YFC/KZN is committed to instilling and offering interns an opportunity to become followers of Christ, to grow spiritually and to love Christ by serving those in need.

Project Activities

  • Formal training once a week in a creative classroom environment. on a range of different topics that look at personal development, life skills, child and youth work expertise and Christian service.
  • Four days a week direct work with children or youth in one of the YFC/KZN projects that they were specifically recruited for.
  • Supervision and mentorship in a project where the intern is accountable for specific job responsibilities. Training, observation and feedback is given on the job, with written monthly reports by the supervisor to the Internship Coordinator, on growth and performance during the month and areas needing improvement.
  • Wilderness outdoor experience where interns learn about themselves, their strengths, the value of operating as a team, and creative problem solving in a life giving and nurturing environment.
  • Individual counselling that is provided internally or referrals which are made to outside professional services, depending on the specific needs of the individual.
  • Quarterly evaluation meeting with interns, project coordinators and the intern supervisors to make mid course adjustments if necessary.
  • Training is given on foundations for Christian beliefs, Christian discipleship and evangelism allowing them to deepen and share their faith.