Five determined learners from Diazville Primary have been selected to represent the school at the Provincial Round of the Youth Citizen Action Programme (YCAP), which takes place in Cape Town this weekend. The team includes Amber Bartlett (leader), Anchen Brand, Lauren Minnaar, Vernine Arendse, and Vernay Arendse, who chose the topic “Social challenges: poverty and giving back” after seeing the daily struggles of their community. Their project, Lending a Helping Hand, focused on restoring dignity and offering hope to those most affected by poverty.
The girls organised a Mother’s Day Outreach, handing scarves, beanies, and socks out to grandmothers raising children. They hosted a clothing and soup drive at school and visited an elderly care home, where they shared toiletry packs and spent time with the residents.
To show service is also giving, they helped clean and support staff at a local nursery school.
Their work has had a powerful impact; grandmothers felt honoured, the elderly felt valued, and families received much-needed clothing and food. The girls also inspired their school to establish a sustainable donation box system, enabling future YCAP teams to continue giving back.
The Diazville Primary YCAP team showed leadership is not about age, but action. Through their passion, teamwork and vision, they are making a lasting difference in their community.
