YOUTH organisation, YMCA Nelson Mandela Bay, took decisive action to help return two teenage boys to school.
Through collaboration with The Gem Project, a Kragga Kamma-based non-government organisation (NGO) that provides basic education and vocational skills training to youth, the YMCA absorbed the teenage boys into its youth development programme.
According to Pelisa Camagu, the youth justice coordinator at the YMCA, these young men who had dropped out of high school, were initially earmarked to join The Gem Project, however, due to limited capacity, they were recruited by the YMCA.
“I recognised that both boys could benefit from the programmes which we provide at the centre and that they should be reintegrated into the high school system,” explained Camagu.
Diego Munnick (16) and Mario Claasen (17), both from Gelvandale, had little hope for their future, but were adamant not to turn to drugs or gangsterism. The pair regularly faced situations where there was no food at home.
The severity of the situation led the boys to the streets, where Mario would earn R25 from selling boiled eggs and Diego played soccer where bets were placed with peers – all as part of their efforts to put food on the table.
However, when they learnt of the programmes offered at the YMCA, the boys grabbed the opportunity to get involved. During the COVID-19 school closures, they attended life skills programmes at the YMCA and it is here where they received their daily meals, and were often able to take something home to eat.
Diego, a Grade 8 learner from Gelvandale High School, found himself having to take an impromptu deferral from school last year, due to his inability to get placement for the 2020 academic calendar. His dedication to learning led him to The Gem Project, not wanting to sit around at home all day during his ‘’gap year’’, which eventually steered him to the YMCA.
Mario, on the other hand, was forced to drop out in Grade 8, after finding himself in an uncomfortable position where he was constantly bullied and threatened by local gangsters wanting him to join the group. “I was scared to go to school because it happened a lot. I felt like no-one cared. Dropping out felt like my only option,’’ said the Bethelsdorp High School learner.
A sense of purpose has been revived in the boys, whose ambitions now lie with someday becoming a doctor and a pilot respectively. Despite the adversities they faced, the pair are hopeful and determined to make the most of the opportunity which they have been provided with through the YMCA.
The YMCA ensured that both learners were kitted out with school uniforms and continues to monitor their development. Camagu explained that they attend quasi-aftercare sessions after school, in the afternoon, which allow the boys to be monitored and to maintain and increase their productivity levels.
Camagu concluded, “We did not want to throw them into a ditch and miraculously expect them to pass, given that they were out of the schooling system, potentially having lost their academic momentum. Giving them support is a huge priority.’’
