[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We are excited to announce that the Basic Package of Support’s first pilot site in Atlantis in the Western Cape is now open.
The CSDA together with the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) at UCT and the DG Murray Trust have been working on the Basic Package of Support project for many years and we are over the moon that can finally begin working with young people to help them find their way back to work and education opportunities and to the support services that exist for them.
In early January, the site team completed their training and onboarding. In the last week of January the team began recruitment, welcoming the first 10 young people who will be participating in the programme.
In total, we will be working with 100 young people who are not in employment, education or training, and who are living in the Atlantis area. They will receive guidance and support over a 12 month period as they begin the challenging and exciting personal development journeys that will hopefully see them find work or education opportunities that will help them to realise their dreams.
Building a community of practice
To support to these 100 young people, we have assembled a local community of practice that includes 15 local service providers. These providers will be instrumental in supporting the BPS beneficiaries by linking them to youth-friendly services they need to support their development goals.
Next steps
The BPS team has also begun preparations for the opening of our Orange Farm and KwaZulu-Natal pilot sites later this year. Watch this space for developments in these sites.
Thanks to our partners
This pilot and the others that will be implemented later this year would not have been possible without the long-term support and funding from the European Union, via the Capacity Building Programme for Employment Promotion, based in the Government Technical Advisory Centre at National Treasury.
We also thank:
- UNICEF for funding the staff salaries and operational costs of this site and the KZN site that will open later in 2022
- Department of Employment and Labour for providing a venue for our Atlantis office
- Western Cape Government for funding site management capacity in Atlantis
- The National Association for Child and Youth Care Workers for selecting child and youth care workers who are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about working with young people
- The DG Murray Trust for its unwavering work to develop the youth coaching tools, the training approach and materials; and for funding the BPS implementation manager’s salary
- The Standard Bank Tutuwa Foundation for funding staff salaries and operational costs of the Orange Farm site
- OpenUp for developing and hosting the Youth Explorer, which maps services across the country, needed to accurately refer young people
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