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Three2Six newsletter - October 2025
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Drama workshops and performance
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Our partnership with the National Children’s Theatre has been an incredible opportunity for our teachers and learners to explore their creativity and build confidence through drama. The team conducted a series of engaging sessions for 8 weeks that allowed our children to express themselves, develop teamwork, and discover the joy of storytelling. The programme culminated in a vibrant final performance, where our learners in grade 4 and 5 proudly showcased their talents on stage – a celebration of imagination, growth, and the power of the arts to inspire young minds.
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Judo
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This month, our children had the wonderful opportunity to learn from highly experienced judokas! Through our partnership with Judo for Peace, several of our students participated in enriching judo sessions led by French judokas Gévrise Emane and Cathy Fleury, both Olympic and World Champions. One of these sessions, held in Soweto, was especially meaningful: the judokas focused on teaching girls practical self-defence techniques they can use to stay safe in everyday situations.
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We were also honoured to welcome Cathy Fleury to our facilities at the Windybrow Theatre, where she led a judo session with our students. The champion took time to interact with our children, listening to their reflections on how judo makes them feel and why they would encourage others to practice the sport.
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Wellness events
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On 7 October, our partner Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI) organised a Mental Health, Psychosocial Support and Wellness Session for children and youth between 13 and 17 years old from inner-city Johannesburg.
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36 participants - including some of our students and our alumni - took part in activities that promoted awareness of emotions, calming strategies, and safe communication. They also learnt simple mindfulness techniques to connect their thoughts, feelings, and bodies, and explored practical ways to build healthy habits for self-care and resilience.
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By the end of the workshop, participants showed improved confidence in talking about their emotions, supporting one another, and applying emotional-regulation tools in their daily lives. This workshop forms part of the ongoing psychosocial enrichment activities undertaken by our partner REPSSI.
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Here are some of the comments by the participants:
▪ “I learned how to stay calm when I feel angry.”
▪ “Now I know how to talk about my feelings.”
▪ “The games helped me feel free.”
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A group of our teachers took part in a 2-day mental health & psychosocial support programme offered by REPSSI too.
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They explored self-care techniques, yoga and meditation, and practical mental health tools to support their well-being both personally and professionally. The sessions encouraged self-reflection and offered strategies to help teachers – and their students – thrive.
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One of our teachers shared, “It was a safe space where we were able to be vulnerable and explore our feelings while doing self-introspection in our roles as teachers. My biggest takeaway was learning to have self-compassion for myself as a teacher; the same way I am compassionate to learners, parents and the community at large.”
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Social cohesion game
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Learning about others is essential to building more tolerant individuals and countering harmful myths. This is especially true when it comes to migrants and refugees and the xenophobic misconceptions that often surround them.
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At our host school, Sacred Heart College, we approached these sensitive topics through play. A group of Grade 7 students from the school played the "Mzansi Life" game commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and developed by ALT Advisory, in partnership with the Department of Basic Education (DBE). The board game was designed to address anti-foreigner sentiment among South African youth and simulate the diverse experiences of children navigating childhood and schooling in South African contexts.
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After the activity, Sophie and Phenyo from Power Law Africa facilitated a dialogue where learners shared feedback on the game, their knowledge of migration-related issues, and their reflections. Participants also completed pre- and post-game surveys to gauge how their perceptions of refugees may have shifted as a result of the activity.
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This is part of an effort to advance the objectives of the National Action Plan to Combat Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in South African school contexts.
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Redefine Education Conference
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Our project coordinator, Justine Kimbala, recently attended the “Redefine Education Conference” at Redhill School. The three-day event brought together teachers, lecturers, university students, and other stakeholders from the education sector, to explore what schooling would look like if students were truly placed at the centre. Justine had the honour of serving as one of the guest speakers. Here is what she had to say about the experience:
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“I recently presented on the theme “Each child is unique: rethinking inclusive and personalised education beyond experience”. The findings of this introspective study highlighted the urgent need of effective implementation of inclusive education. In this model of teaching and learning we move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches and embrace a model that recognises the individuality of every learner academically, socially, and emotionally. Drawing from my work with refugee and migrant learners, as well as children who struggle with developmental delays or learning gaps, I emphasised the importance of personalised pathways, culturally responsive pedagogy, and holistic support systems.”
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The very generous team at Uber Nutrition, led by Kim, has made another donation of energy bars to our project. Kim and his colleagues have been regularly donating nutritious snacks since last year. We are very grateful for their ongoing support, which allows our children to have something nourishing when their energy levels drop but they still need to focus on their studies.
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Advocacy update
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The South-South Dialogue Conference on Accessing Asylum and Enhancing Protection brought together more than 50 representatives of CSOs from South Africa and Uganda, international organisations, refugee-led organisations, governmental departments and community leaders. Some of the key objectives of the conference were to foster dialogue, develop joint policy recommendations, and strengthen service provision and advocacy efforts to improve high-quality pathways for asylum protection in both Uganda and South Africa.
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The programme featured a combination of presentations and panel discussions on topics including the challenges of refugees and asylum seekers, asylum processing and refugee status determination, best practices and implementation gaps in refugee protection. Breakaway sessions allowed participants to identify practical solutions to the issues discussed in plenary related to the rights of asylum seekers and refugees, service delivery, and access to asylum.
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This conference is part of the Migration and Mobility Dialogue Support Programme, a joint Africa–EU initiative led by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development. The conference and broader project are implemented by the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town in partnership with the Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA), the Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility in Africa, Jesuit Refugee Service Uganda, and the Catholic Centre for Legal Aid Services. This project seeks to strengthen asylum systems by comparing the legal contexts of South Africa and Uganda, promoting best practices, ensuring access to services and rights, and advancing compliance with legal obligations and durable solutions.
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- Protection Working Group meeting
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Our advocacy officer attended a Protection Working Group (PWG) meeting, co-chaired by the UNHCR and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. Various CSOs, community leaders, and representatives of governmental departments attended the meeting which focused on an in-depth discussion about the ongoing issue of access to healthcare. Several stakeholders shared the advocacy efforts they've undertaken in response to service disruptions at hospitals and clinics, and the Department of Home Affairs provided an update on newcomers and asylum applications. The meeting reinforced collaboration between civil society and government to ensure timely support for those facing these documentation issues.
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The project also made two submissions this month, one to the Department of Basic Education, on the “Admission of Learners to Public Schools draft Regulations”, and one to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) with regard to the implementation of Resolution 78/217 on the protection of migrants. The General Assembly of the United Nations requested the Secretary-General to prepare a report entitled “Human rights of migrants”, covering all aspects of the implementation of the resolution. The project's submission focused on the right to education and the current barriers that hinder access to it.
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During this past Alumni Day, our alumni came together for an expressive arts session. The first half was facilitated by Tamara Barnwell, a former Three2Six volunteer, who led the students through physical and creative exercises. They were tasked with developing choreographed expressive pieces that incorporated music and props. The students presented their work to the class, showcasing thoughtful and well-executed performances.
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The second half of the session focused on expressive arts. Learners were provided with canvased and paints and encouraged to use the time for reflection and introspection. They produced a wide variety of artworks, each unique in expression and meaning. We concluded the day with an art exhibition, where each participant shared their piece, explaining the inspiration behind their work and what they aimed to express.
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Each donation counts and helps us make a valuable change in the lives of our learners.
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