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Three2Six newsletter - April 2023
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Our alumni at the Ha Phororo Youth Retreat Centre
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Activities for our children
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Three2Six held two fun events for the children before the school closed for the April holiday. The first was a special puppet show, and the second was a remarkable performance of the play “Skin we are in”.
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Our Grade 2s were treated to an entertaining puppet show and were given the materials and instructions on how to make their own puppets. They came up with creative and colourful puppets using socks, wool, felt, feathers, and paper. But this was not the end of it, they came up with their own stories, rehearsed them, and performed their shows for the group. It was a great exercise in storytelling, listening, and creativity that was enjoyed by all.
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The KwaSha! Theatre Company and The Market Theatre produced the play “Skin we are in” and our Grade 6 and 7 learners were fortunate enough to see the performance. Based on a book that was written by Dr Sindiwe Magona and Nina Jablonski, and adapted for the stage by playwright Omphile Molusi, the play showed children that people are different, that there is diversity in the world and that we should have tolerance and love for all people, including oneself.
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Language barriers can make refugees feel isolated, hopeless, and anti-social, which often leads to depression. Struggling with speaking and comprehension can make it difficult for refugees to cope in a different country and make friends. It is with this in mind that our partner Turquoise Harmony Institute offers English classes to our children’s parents. The classes run weekly over 14 weeks and participants will receive a certificate of completion at the end. Thank you to Turquoise Harmony Institute for their dedication to our cause.
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Parent meeting
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This month our teaching team held a meeting with our parents to discuss their children's progress over the term and handed out their reports. The involvement of parents is essential for learner development and it offers many benefits, learners feel motivated to study which has a positive impact on their grades, it boosts their self-esteem, and they are more willing to learn. This has a snowball effect and improves teacher performance as well.
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Advocacy update
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New project with our alumni group
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Something really exciting is cooking… Our partner Andre Croucamp and his team have been working on a sequel to our Precious 2 video which was developed a few years ago. Weekly meetings are taking place at Sacred Heart College with a group of our oldest alumni who are now working or going to university. This new video will tell the story of Precieuse, her brother, her uncle and other characters years later. Some of the themes it will explore include identity, belonging, xenophobia and resilience.
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This new art project will take place over two months during which our alumni will be in charge of everything, from developing a script to designing the paper animations that will be used to give life to the characters. If you are not yet familiar with our Precious 1 and 2 videos, go watch them on our youtube channel, here and here.
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Psychosocial Rights Forum
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The project met with other organisations working in the migration field such as Doctors Without Borders, Sophiatown Community Psychological Services and Church World Service, and shared concerns about the human rights violations that refugees face. These included specific cases concerning access to Refugee Reception Offices, health and documentation. The collective discussed how best to address these issues and keep providing support to refugees and migrants despite these barriers.
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Alumni day
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In the spirit of embracing the Easter Season, a group of 15 alumni headed to the Ha Phororo Youth Retreat Centre in the North West province for their Taize event. They were excited to visit another province and learn more about Taize, the therapeutic benefits of reflection and introspection, as well as getting in touch with their spirituality. The alumni were exposed to various concepts and spiritual practices, such as walking the labyrinth. As they followed the path, frustrated trying to find the centre, they learnt about patience, faith and perseverance. Being at the retreat centre set the alumni up to meet other young people who had travelled from across the country to attend the event. It was heartwarming to see the alumni interact with other young people, sharing their unique stories and experiences.
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They participated in the activities that were planned by the facilitators, there was a free-flow drawing session, decoding Biblical scripture, dancing, and playing around a big field with a parachute. They concluded their day by heading to the chapel, an incredibly breathtaking space with a stone fountain that has framed illustrations of Christ and is surrounded by candles.
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The alumni expressed with excitement that they would love to visit the Ha Phororo Youth Retreat Centre again.
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Our March highlight video is out! Make sure to watch it here.
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Each donation counts and helps us make a valuable change in the lives of our learners.
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