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LINK

    The reality

    Currently, 80% of less affluent youth in this country are not employed in their first year after leaving school. A staggering 50% of these young people will never find employment. This, along with other social pressures such as gangsterism, crime and drugs, increasingly hinders their ability to respond to employment and education opportunities.
    Here at the Warehouse, we were seeing that many of the children supported by our Care for Kids program were struggling to find employment when they finished school, and needed further assistance.

    The intervention

    LINK is the Warehouse’s newest program. It was established in March 2009 with the vision to see young people in South Africa equipped to make informed decisions about their futures. We want to empower churches to respond to the needs of learners in terms of their personal development, further education and access to employment, in a relevant and sustainable way.

    The LINK team works from the Warehouse developing material to run workshops to develop local capacity in churches. We are currently developing material for learners in Grades 9-12 that includes giving learners space for personal reflection, along with information around further education and employment opportunities. We are also working on building relationships with churches, piloting certain interventions with those churches, developing materials, and holding discussion groups with parents and learners to help us to fine-tune our program. Additionally, we are developing a database containing a network of opportunities for learners, which they will be able to access after participating in a LINK workshop.

    The prayer

    For this vision to catch in the hearts of the churches we are working with. For guidance and wisdom as we run focus groups so that our program serves young people in the most effective way possible. For funding so that this program can develop and become sustainable. For the education system in South Africa – that it would massively improve and better meet the needs of learners, and prepare and equip them properly for their futures.

     

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    stats

    • The matric pass rate has fallen from 74% in 2000, to 60.5% last year
    • 23.5% of South Africa's labour force is unemployed

    “I learnt about myself and what my strengths are and what I am interested in so that I can know what I would like to have for my future.”

    LINK Grade 9 workshop participant

    story

    Grace’s story

    Grace Mhaka and her younger brother and sister were known to the Warehouse through the Care for Kids program. Having lost both their parents, Grace heads up their household. Inspired by the social workers who had been involved in her life, Grace applied to university to study social work, but her grades unfortunately weren’t enough to get her accepted. After taking part in a LINK workshop, Grace was helped by the LINK team to find an alternative more practical-based course in Social Auxiliary Work, and to apply for bursaries. We found two possible funders for Grace, but encouraged by our support, she managed to secure her own funding. She is now in the first year of her studies and is well on her way to realising her dream of caring for her community through social work.