A Christian non-profit organisation that combats unemployment through entrepreneurship programmes aimed at promoting literacy, leadership and life skills, is staging an exhibition this month at Somerset Mall that showcases its effectiveness in meeting the needs of young people seeking a real lifeline. It currently aims to reach more than 10 000 individuals, including thousands of Helderberg school going teens, within the next year.
With this in mind, the Gordon’s Bay-based Cynergy Foundation initiated the 1 Activate programme, a single, high-impact session introducing beneficiaries to entrepreneurship and financial literacy and is being rolled out in group settings including various high schools in the basin.
“Our goal with the programme is to counter unemployment by inspiring individuals to create opportunities for themselves and others in an environment where existing opportunities can be limited,” said André Kershaw, Communication Executive for Cynergy.
He said the programme aims to teach beneficiaries what it means to be an entrepreneur and why the path should be considered while providing the necessary tools to make, keep and “grow” money. The programme culminates in a certification that boosts beneficiaries’ curriculum vitae and allows them access to Cynergy’s long-term programmes, which offers practical coaching through the process of starting, managing and growing their own small business.
“We have reached more than 30 000 people through our various programmes since our inception almost 16 years ago,” Kershaw said.
“In 2022 alone, more than 2 000 beneficiaries were reached through our programmes. The majority consisted of youth in developing communities. Thanks to improved internal systems, and with the increasing support of ordinary individuals and small businesses, we have significantly increased our capacity moving into 2023, and therefore believe we can impact more than 10 000 people in the next year.”
Cynergy was established by co-founders Reagan and Nikki Klaasen, who grew up in a small community near Boksburg, Gauteng, and perceived the issues of poverty, crime and substance abuse that afflicted their community and others like it.
It recognised unemployment as “one of the underlying causes of these issues and sought to use the business skills they acquired through their experience as entrepreneurs to empower others to avoid this plight”.
When intervening in local schools the organisation found levels of competence in literacy that were inadequate for grasping core business concepts. So programmes were developed to educate, equip and empower youngsters, along with leadership and life skills in the context of entrepreneurship.
Today, the Klaasens have the support of a committed team of young entrepreneurs who have benefited from their mentorship and are dedicated to sharing life transforming lessons.
“Cynergy is an organisation made up of people who practise what they preach and believe in advancing what they have gained, an organisation of entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs.”
Its programmes currently impact not only communities of the basin, but also those of Theewaterskloof (Villiersdorp, Caledon, Grabouw), Atlantis on the West Coast, the Cape Flats and other areas of the Western Cape.
The organisation plans to engage with the public on how to become involved through activities such as the Somerset Mall exhibition, with live music performances by singer-guitarist and brand ambassador Kian Klaasen, sale of merchandise and products made by beneficiaries, and team members ready to share insights on the 1 Activate programme.
It is a week-long event scheduled for Tuesday 25 April to Monday 1 May, with Cynergy representatives present all day to answer any questions people may have. Said Kershaw: “Our hope is that the support directly and indirectly raised through this exhibition will substantially offset the costs of our 1 Activate interventions in the Helderberg area, so that the programme can remain entirely free of charge for every beneficiary. We need the support so that those who need this programme most will not be left out.”
