THE People Upliftment and Life Skill Education (PULSE), a non–profit organisation in Jeffreys Bay, offers a six–week programme to unemployed individuals in the hope that it will enable them to positively contribute to their community and in turn better the Kouga region.
According to founding member and coordinator of PULSE, Pastor Willy Wright, the organisation presented a programme which added value to the community, but even more to the students who took time to attend it.
“The main question that we try to address throughout the programme is, ‘How do we make Kouga a better place and how do we address the giants of poverty, unemployment and crime?’ in the hope that by addressing these issues it will change each student’s world view,” said Wright.
He said the students who attended the programme were transformed, which resulted in a change in their behaviour and gaining a positive attitude.
“We have had the privilege of running nine courses to date and with each course we are amazed to see the positive impact that it has had on student’s lives,” said Wright.
He further said the six–week programme worked on establishing the student’s self–confidence by focusing on various skills which enabled them to understand that they had a calling and purpose to add value.
In addition, Wright said by establishing self–confidence, the students believed in themselves and understood themselves better, which encouraged them to use their personality and their gifts to contribute to the community.
The course is capped with the presentation of a weeklong course titled Work 4 A Living which focused on working towards a standard of excellence, understanding the pressure employers face, taking ownership of their job, financial literacy and addressing the dependency syndrome by teaching students to have a positive mindset.
Once the course has been completed, the organisation continues to help the students obtain employment or to study further.
“To date there is a success rate of about 50%. This is affected by the availability of suitable positions,” said Wright.
“Students have found employment at Checkers, Shoprite, Caltex Garage, Ithemba Crèche, Jeffreysrus Frail Care, Fountains Mall, Rehoboth and the Kouga Municipality.”
Wright said the organisation also encouraged the students to be prepared to volunteer, which is valuable to both the student and the employer.
He further said employers who were prepared to offer volunteering opportunities to their students or if individuals would like to get involved with assisting in any way, should feel free to contact them.
- For more information contact Willy Wright on 082 575 7433 or Neville Cumming on 082 369 8582.
