Wednesday, 14 August 2013
June HCT
| New Start HIV Counselors and Testers |
On Saturday, June 29th,
GRS Kimberley ran an HIV Counseling & Testing Tournament (HCT) in the
Colville community.
This was to be a smaller HCT than
those we have run in the past. Our goal for this tournament was to target
first-time testers rather than continuing to test participants who have played
in previous HCTs. With the help of our ever-supportive partner, the LFA, we set
our sights on Colville and recruited 8 teams from the area.
The day of the event ran more
smoothly than any HCT we have held in Kim. Thanks to another strong partnership
with The Sandwich Shop, lunch was flawless, and everybody ate his or her fill.
The teams quickly transitioned on and off the field, ushered by their coaches,
both from the LFA and Grassroot Soccer. Our Skillz coaches held discussions
with their teams about testing for HIV, the challenges and stigma surrounding
testing, and the importance of knowing your status.
The day saw an exciting amount of
talent from the young men of Colville with Zone 5 and Zone 1 surviving to
battle it out in the final. After a long day of football, the teams did not
disappoint. Fighting to the finish, Zone 5 came out with the 3-1 win.
Congratulations Zone 5! KILO!
| Zone 5, June HCT Champs with their GRS Coaches |
Another important number to
report, as always, is the number of participants and community members who
tested for HIV. New Start Bloemfontein, never ceasing to help in our shared
cause, arrived ready and able to test upwards of 200 people. Unfortunately,
since this was a smaller tournament, our numbers were not quite as high as we
hoped and we only tested 120. However, much like our attitude towards our lower
numbers for the Holiday camps, this 120 means more than past, higher numbers.
The majority of these 120 people who braved the stigma and tested their blood
for HIV, were doing so for the very first time. This is quality over quantity,
and this is what we, as an organization and a community, need more of!
Our Skillz Coaches deserve a
major TLC (Tell it, Label it, Celebrate it) for their hard work, their positive
influence, for continuing to be game-changers in their community, and for doing
their ayoba job to get players and Colville residents to the tents! SNAPS!
GRS Kim Welcomes New Member
Our team in Kimberley is excited
to announce a new member to our staff at our New Park office. Olebogeng (Lebo)
Ntong joins us as an Office Administrator. I (Nora, Kimberley Intern) asked
Lebo to answer a few questions and establish his place in our family in
writing!
Q: What made you want to join
GRS?
A: I was mainly drawn by the
overwhelming and humbling role that GRS plays in our society. I have always
wanted to contribute towards the betterment of youth in my country and GRS
provided just the perfect opportunity for me.
Q: What is your role with GRS?
A: As an OA I am responsible for
the site’s bookkeeping, HR and Office Administration in general, and providing
support to the Site Coordinator.
Q: What do you enjoy most about
your job so far?
A: Working with a dedicated team
towards a common cause is almost unsurpassed enjoyment. Knowing that everything
I do is going a long way to change or save somebody’s life is the most
rewarding and enjoyable part of my job.
Q: What is your favorite thing to
do outside of work? A: I like
watching Soccer and Movies, I am thinking of taking golf lessons here in the
Big Hole.
Q: And
as we ask all our team members, what is your favorite soccer team?
A: Locally Kaizer Chiefs (Reclaiming the Glory), abroad it will have to be Chelsea.
A: Locally Kaizer Chiefs (Reclaiming the Glory), abroad it will have to be Chelsea.
June Skillz Holiday Camps
| Coach Isaac leading his favorite energizer |
June continued to be a hectic but
productive month as the Kim-Team ran two Skillz Holiday camps in the community
of Homevale.
With the schools right down the
street from each other, Venus Primary and Homevale Primary proved very
convenient locations for these camps. After recruiting the schools and
completing all the necessary preparations, our coaches and staff were ready to
work with kids over the school break and ensure they stayed safe and learned
some invaluable life skills.
| Coaches Seno and Fire leading Breakaway from HIV |
After the first 2 days of the
camps we realized our numbers were not going to be where we had originally
hoped. Each camp had around 50 participants, about half of what we aimed for.
We continued with the camps and our team did everything in their power to
retain the learners for the remainder of the week and persuade them to bring
their friends. Unfortunately by the end of the week, our numbers remained low,
graduating a total of 105 from the two camps.
This Holiday camp experience
sparked an interesting debate among our team members. As an NGO, Grassroot
Soccer is always striving for growth and development as we simultaneously
strive to develop communities. As much as we want and need to reach certain
numbers, or targets, at the end of the day the quality of the work we do is
paramount. And the quality of these Holiday camps was tangible. The class-size
was smaller and that meant more attention was paid to each and every
participant. There was a collective feeling of accomplishment among coaches and
staff who were present at the camps. The kids were always having a good time,
and they truly seemed to grasp the information brought to them by our coaches.
| Coach Jeanine during Free Play Soccer |
If we value quality over
quantity, like any social development organization should, then these camps
were a major success. Our team did an amazing job and we are very proud of our
coaches for bringing their passion and energy into the classroom and onto the
field each and every day.
Skillz Street Training!
| Female staff and coaches after Team Handball |
The month of June kicked off with
a bang as the lovely ladies of the Kimberley site came together for a week-long
Training of Coaches (ToC).
Our Program Coordinator, Thembi
Seeku, was joined by Skillz Street Coordinator, Rebecca Hershow (Ribs), who
traveled from Cape Town to co-facilitate the training.
The week was a huge success as we
trained 14 Kimberley coaches and welcomed 3 coaches from a partner organization
in Richmond. That means 17 young women are now armed and ready to empower
females of all ages, but especially the youth of their communities.
Grassroot Soccer’s Skillz Street
curriculum is perhaps our most unique program. It targets females and addresses
all issues related to the health and well-being of girls and women. This
includes everything from reproductive health and rights, family planning,
saying “NO” and meaning it, and goal-setting to learning how to pass, dribble,
and shoot a soccer ball, and playing some competitive soccer matches! The
interventions each last for 2 weeks and consist of 11 practices including an
HIV Counseling & Testing soccer tournament as Practice 8.
Now that the ToC is behind us,
our team will take the skills and lessons learned from the week straight into
the classroom as schools reopen mid-July. Young ladies of Kimberley, get ready
for an exciting, no-boys-allowed program coming to schools for the remainder of
2013.
Coach Billarocks on Her Travels
I enjoyed going around in
different parts of Germany and learning about the history of the country as
well. I mostly enjoyed going to the South African embassy and meeting our
ambassador.
I had a language barrier because
most people were not familiar with English so communication was a problem. It’s
a good thing we had Darina there with us for the first two weeks because she
could help with the translation and she helped us get around Germany as if it
was not our first time there.
I enjoyed my internship at the Rheinflanke.
I learned many things from the staff. I was going around in different
communities and learning how one community was different from the other. I
enjoyed seeing how the organisation works with each community to address the
different challenges their kids were facing.
I also enjoyed meeting the team –
Nino, Caro and Dennis just to name a few.
I loved meeting kids from
different backgrounds and listening to their stories, especially the ones who
had a violent type of background and how they planned to turn around their
lives after meeting the team at Rheinflanke, and it was all because of the time
they spend playing soccer with the team and talking to them individually. I
love what the Rheinflanke team does to help these kids turn their lives around,
trying to find them job opportunities and helping them with their CVs. I love
how the small children only go there to have fun and how the team provides
their time and give them toys to play with. I also learned that this helps keep
the children safe and out of trouble.
I also had a language problem at
my internship and it was even more difficult because Darina was not there to
help translate. I even tried logging onto the organisation’s website but
everything was written in German. Even most of the kids we worked with could
not speak English so this was a challenge for me.
My only wish is that I could have
done more and also showed what I was doing here at home. One suggestion is to
involve the person and give them a day so that they can
show you how they work back home because maybe you can also learn a thing or
two.
Thuso Writes About NYC
| Thuso with former Kimberley Interns |
I arrived in New York on June 30th
and was picked up by at the JFK Airport in New York by Hooter [former Kimtern].
Since it was 8am in the morning we decided to go home and take a shower and
after that we set about to explore New York! I got a chance to have breakfast
with one of the previous Kim interns Taylor Downs which was great since I had
not seen him in a very long time.
After that we got a chance to do
some sightseeing. I must admit that it was too much for one day, but it was all
worth it. I got to walk through central park, see Times Square, go on the
Staten Island Ferry, and even check out Nora’s previous college Columbia.
All the sightseeing and traveling
between Washington DC and New York was fun, but none of those came close to the
reason why I traveled to NYC: speaking at the Third International Forum on
Sport for Development.
t was a little tough and a little
scary preparing for such a big event, but I had a bit of an advantage, and that
was the fact that what I was bringing to the forum was something entirely
different and straight from the ground. I was speaking about my personal
experiences in the world of sport for development from being a coach for GRS to
managing staff and coaches.
My presentation went really well,
even better than I had thought it would. People got a chance to see some of the
work we do and thought it was very good. They especially appreciated the short
story that we had included in the presentation from one of the Danielskuil
participants, Portia. I also spoke to some of the other speakers at the forum
and learned quite a lot for them.
In short, it was a fun and very
educational trip. I am very grateful to have had the chance to go on this trip.
I am especially grateful to everyone who helped with the presentation and
setting the trip up, the Kimberley team for all the support and for taking care
of all site business to ensure that I do not get any interruptions during this
trip, and also all the previous interns who took time out of their schedules to
help make my stay in NY and DC a very memorable one.
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Male Circumcision
An important part of Grassroot Soccer’s HIV prevention education is teaching young men the importance of getting circumcised. We go over this in an
activity called “Condomise and Circumcise” where
the boys learn about these topics while the girls do
something separately. Recently, however, the Grassroot Soccer network has realized how essential it is
for females to be involved in the discussion of
circumcision. The Kim Staff decided to take this conversation to our coaches, and open up the dialogue on
the stigma surrounding circumcision.
After an introduction from the interns, Coach Lionel started us off, “It’s about culture, some cultures don’t want to talk about it. In my house my father is colored and my mother is ‘tswana. I follow my mother’s culture but I have to go with my father’s tradition and I had to get circumcised at an early age.” This sparked a cultural debate, hitting some boiling points but creating a platform where we could speak openly about the differences in cultural traditions regarding circumcision. Coach Billarocks noted a crucial difference saying, “some aren’t educated about it, if they had more knowledge they would do it. Circumcision is a sensitive issue, culturally for some, lack of knowledge for others.” Coach Tlhogi went on to clarify that “it is a way of life and not just for health. There are teachings behind it. It is a way of life according to one’s belief system, and for others it is religious. Medical Male Circumcision is health education, there are health benefits, there is no teaching. But culturally it is a way of life.”
After addressing the basics we moved on to the challenges. Coach Big Eyes commented on the changing nature of male circumcision: “There are traditional leaders that don’t comply with the health department but some of them have started to take initiative and work with the health department to avoid deaths. They still do what they do culturally but are working to decrease the death rate.”
Coach Sabelo spoke up about a very serious problem facing young men: “Say for instance I'm younger than K and I'm going to circumcise. The pressure is on K – now K says, Sabelo why don’t you do it for me. Friends circumcise friends. Some circumcise to prevent HIV, others to do what their friends are doing.”
After an introduction from the interns, Coach Lionel started us off, “It’s about culture, some cultures don’t want to talk about it. In my house my father is colored and my mother is ‘tswana. I follow my mother’s culture but I have to go with my father’s tradition and I had to get circumcised at an early age.” This sparked a cultural debate, hitting some boiling points but creating a platform where we could speak openly about the differences in cultural traditions regarding circumcision. Coach Billarocks noted a crucial difference saying, “some aren’t educated about it, if they had more knowledge they would do it. Circumcision is a sensitive issue, culturally for some, lack of knowledge for others.” Coach Tlhogi went on to clarify that “it is a way of life and not just for health. There are teachings behind it. It is a way of life according to one’s belief system, and for others it is religious. Medical Male Circumcision is health education, there are health benefits, there is no teaching. But culturally it is a way of life.”
After addressing the basics we moved on to the challenges. Coach Big Eyes commented on the changing nature of male circumcision: “There are traditional leaders that don’t comply with the health department but some of them have started to take initiative and work with the health department to avoid deaths. They still do what they do culturally but are working to decrease the death rate.”
Coach Sabelo spoke up about a very serious problem facing young men: “Say for instance I'm younger than K and I'm going to circumcise. The pressure is on K – now K says, Sabelo why don’t you do it for me. Friends circumcise friends. Some circumcise to prevent HIV, others to do what their friends are doing.”
Coach Fire and Coach Big Eyes both addressed the
importance of going to the clinic to be checked even
if you get the procedure done on the mountain.
Coach Fire offered that you could get circumcised
medically and then go to the mountain for the
cultural traditions. After Big Eyes noted the need for
support, Nora asked the team, “How can we better
support each other in this process? How can men
support other men, how can women support men,
etc?” To which Coach Lerato asserted, “It goes back
to you as an individual. Take responsibility for you
and your partner. If you don’t have the right information some things you might be doing and you
don’t know how they will affect you. “ And Big Eyes
commented on the need for your girlfriend’s support
“the pressure comes back to the girlfriend. You have
to wait 2 months [after circumcising] before indulging in sex. A friend of mine [after Big Eyes circumcised] was like WHAT 8 weeks! He was afraid to get
circumcised because he and his girlfriend are used to
doing it everyday. If you go to circumcise your lady
might feel like it's been long now I’m going to find it
elsewhere. It comes to communication. Talk to your
girlfriend and if she can't wait for 2 months you need
to break up. When your healed get another girlfriend,
it’s not rocket science.”
Coach Michele brought up the fact that circumcision does not only reduce the risk of contracting HIV but other things. Nora then asked the team, “Have you guys heard of HPV? It's a virus that is carried by men but does not manifest, yet they can give it to women who can then get cervical cancer – women are a big part of this conversation.”
After further discussion Thembi closed with, “I hope one day we can talk about it more openly,” alluding to the seriousness of cultural influence as well as the ever-important need to communicate.
Coach Michele brought up the fact that circumcision does not only reduce the risk of contracting HIV but other things. Nora then asked the team, “Have you guys heard of HPV? It's a virus that is carried by men but does not manifest, yet they can give it to women who can then get cervical cancer – women are a big part of this conversation.”
After further discussion Thembi closed with, “I hope one day we can talk about it more openly,” alluding to the seriousness of cultural influence as well as the ever-important need to communicate.
Auf Wiedersehen!
Coach Development sends Billarocks to Berlin
Since last year, Grassroot Soccer has taken great strides with our Coach Development program. It has evolved from a former Kimtern’s (Trevor Prophet) site-level initiative into an organization-wide movement. Most, if not all, sites are holding regular 1-on-1 development sessions with their coaches, Skillz UP – “Unleashing Potential” is well underway, and coaches are taking advantage of development opportunities outside of GRS.
When the new batch of interns arrived in Kimberley in 2012, Trevor helped transition them into their new lives and roles with GRS Kim. This included handing over the reigns of the coach development program that he piloted himself. Those reigns were passed to worthy hands, as Eric Saito took over, a former teacher who holds a Masters Degree in Education. This is Eric’s favorite role as a GRS intern and he averages four 1-on-1 sessions per week. Last month Eric created a “Coaches Corner” in the office. This is a place where he posts opportunities for coaches to apply for outside of their lives as Skillz coaches. One of the first opportunities sent to him by HQ was an internship in Berlin to learn about sport-for-development in Germany. He received the information a week before the application was due and took the necessary measures to inform the coaches. The only coach (and one of few who met the age requirements) to bite was Lerato (Billarocks) Rooibaatjie. Lerato sought Eric for assistance and together they updated her CV, wrote a cover letter, and sent in her application. One of the organizers of the internship called both Eric and Lerato to gauge whether she would be a good candidate, and about a month later she received a call from the Department of Sports and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) saying that she was selected to go to Germany.
Since last year, Grassroot Soccer has taken great strides with our Coach Development program. It has evolved from a former Kimtern’s (Trevor Prophet) site-level initiative into an organization-wide movement. Most, if not all, sites are holding regular 1-on-1 development sessions with their coaches, Skillz UP – “Unleashing Potential” is well underway, and coaches are taking advantage of development opportunities outside of GRS.
When the new batch of interns arrived in Kimberley in 2012, Trevor helped transition them into their new lives and roles with GRS Kim. This included handing over the reigns of the coach development program that he piloted himself. Those reigns were passed to worthy hands, as Eric Saito took over, a former teacher who holds a Masters Degree in Education. This is Eric’s favorite role as a GRS intern and he averages four 1-on-1 sessions per week. Last month Eric created a “Coaches Corner” in the office. This is a place where he posts opportunities for coaches to apply for outside of their lives as Skillz coaches. One of the first opportunities sent to him by HQ was an internship in Berlin to learn about sport-for-development in Germany. He received the information a week before the application was due and took the necessary measures to inform the coaches. The only coach (and one of few who met the age requirements) to bite was Lerato (Billarocks) Rooibaatjie. Lerato sought Eric for assistance and together they updated her CV, wrote a cover letter, and sent in her application. One of the organizers of the internship called both Eric and Lerato to gauge whether she would be a good candidate, and about a month later she received a call from the Department of Sports and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) saying that she was selected to go to Germany.
She will be there from May 10th to June 9th, spending
the first half meeting with governmental and non-governmental sports organizations learning about
sport-for-development in Germany. She will then be
placed as an intern in one of Germany's sports
organizations. The trip is fully funded by the Youth
Development through Football project in partnership
with the SRSA and the Sport for Social Change
Network (SSCN).
After being accepted Lerato hastily shifted her focus towards obtaining a passport and visa. With Eric’s help and pressure from HQ, Lerato was able to submit her passport and visa application on time. “It's been a ton of work - mostly on Lerato's part. She put in the time and effort and truly deserves this opportunity,” said Eric of the process.
When asked about the incredible adventure ahead of her, Lerato said, “this is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity.” Lerato is most excited to live in Germany for a month, and is looking forward to meeting the people and experiencing a foreign culture. Though the excitement is boiling, Lerato is nervous about traveling alone and being away from everyone in Kimberley for a month. She also hopes not to get lost!
Lerato is eager to learn more about the sport-for-development field. Working with GRS has shown her the power of sports and she is interested in learning how sport-for-development works in other countries. Lerato says she is “excited to go to Germany and to come back and use what [she] learned.”
She will capitalize on this opportunity to develop her skills, meet new people and build connections. Although she does not have firm plans after GRS, Lerato believes this opportunity will open doors for her. She hopes to supplement her learning on this trip by pursuing certified facilitation courses, for she is “passionate about education because it is something that builds communities.”
On behalf of all of GRS we are sending Lerato off with pride and confidence that she will represent our organization as well as her home in Kim to the best of her ability. Gigantic Kilos to Lerato, Eric, and GRS Coach Development for making this happen, inspiring our coaches to reach their full potential, and spreading awareness around the world for the great work we do with Grassroot Soccer, and of course here in Kimberley.
After being accepted Lerato hastily shifted her focus towards obtaining a passport and visa. With Eric’s help and pressure from HQ, Lerato was able to submit her passport and visa application on time. “It's been a ton of work - mostly on Lerato's part. She put in the time and effort and truly deserves this opportunity,” said Eric of the process.
When asked about the incredible adventure ahead of her, Lerato said, “this is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity.” Lerato is most excited to live in Germany for a month, and is looking forward to meeting the people and experiencing a foreign culture. Though the excitement is boiling, Lerato is nervous about traveling alone and being away from everyone in Kimberley for a month. She also hopes not to get lost!
Lerato is eager to learn more about the sport-for-development field. Working with GRS has shown her the power of sports and she is interested in learning how sport-for-development works in other countries. Lerato says she is “excited to go to Germany and to come back and use what [she] learned.”
She will capitalize on this opportunity to develop her skills, meet new people and build connections. Although she does not have firm plans after GRS, Lerato believes this opportunity will open doors for her. She hopes to supplement her learning on this trip by pursuing certified facilitation courses, for she is “passionate about education because it is something that builds communities.”
On behalf of all of GRS we are sending Lerato off with pride and confidence that she will represent our organization as well as her home in Kim to the best of her ability. Gigantic Kilos to Lerato, Eric, and GRS Coach Development for making this happen, inspiring our coaches to reach their full potential, and spreading awareness around the world for the great work we do with Grassroot Soccer, and of course here in Kimberley.
MARCH HCT MADNESS!
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| Congrats to Hope United for another big win! |
With interventions running smoothly in 12 schools between Kimberley and Danielskuil, the Kim-Team set their eyes on an epic HCT for the 23rd of March.
Our goal was to start early this time around and that meant securing teams, venue, food, sound, testing partners, and most importantly, getting the word out and mobilizing the Kimberley community. Some of our site staff and interns hit the streets of Kimba with a hefty stack of HCT Posters, pitching our cause and selling our story to shop-owners, taxi drivers, and anyone that would listen. After hours of awkwardly tearing tape and having quirky conversations with eager Kimfolk, we were happy with our mobilizing efforts for the moment. We soon moved on to locking down dates with Radio Teemaneng, our local radio partner, to broadcast news about our upcoming HCT across the Kimberley airwaves. We visited our good friend Malik Kau the Friday before the HCT and the Saturday morning of the Tournament. One of the Kimterns, Nora, who is in charge of communications, brought one of our CPC’s and three of our coaches (K, Billarocks, Lerato, Tshebo) to share their knowledge on the radio and advocate the importance of Knowing Your Status. As a final push to mobilize our community the entire KimTeam was unleashed onto the streets of Galeshewe on the Friday before the big day. For about 2 hours our crew stopped people in their tracks, knocked on doors, and handed out fliers to make sure we motivated as many people as possible to come to our event, enjoy the great football and music, and most importantly to test for HIV.
It turned out that all our time and commitment
that went in to ensuring that this HCT was one for
the books definitely paid off. After overcoming
field challenges on the day of (no, we do not have
a Nike Center, or a FFHC), the HCT ran smoothly
with an incredible turnout from not only our
teams – 12 out of 12 boys teams and 3 out of 4
girls teams pitched, our best showing to date –
but also from the Galeshewe community. The
Local Football Association is ever supportive of
our programs and our cause and was essential in
maximizing our efficiency on the day. We owe
them a huge Kimba Kilo for their cooperation and
continued support for everything Grassroot
Soccer! Another gigantic kilo goes to our testing
partners, New Start Bloemfontein, who never
disappoint us with their determination to test as
many people as they can. They have recently
implemented new restrictions for the amount of
people tested per tester, and thus, had to leave
early after reaching this threshold. However, with
hours to spare they tested 242 members of the
Kimmunity – who knows what we could have
accomplished together if we made use of the
whole day!
Our team in Kim is very proud of our consistent HCT success. We are eager to see how we can improve in all current areas while pushing the boundaries of our creativity into new ones for future HCTs.
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| Violet, a councilor and tester from New Start! |
Our team in Kim is very proud of our consistent HCT success. We are eager to see how we can improve in all current areas while pushing the boundaries of our creativity into new ones for future HCTs.
AND Congrats Thuso!
On this blog we salute our boss by learning
about him and also by congratulating him. Thuso
has been honored with the opportunity to go to
America in early June. He will be representing
Grassroot Soccer at the IOC Forum on sport-for-development in the one and only... New York
City! And, of course, he will not only be
representing GRS, but GRS Kimberley as well.
As you can imagine from the interview, Thuso has worked very hard for Grassroot Soccer over the past seven years. He has put in those hours, fought back from personal hardships, and overcome obstacles like keeping our humble site alive. We are proud of Thuso and proud to have him make us look good in the Big Apple!
Let’s give Thuso a big TLC (Tell it, Label it, Celebrate it) and send him off in early June with the upmost esteem and encouragement.
As you can imagine from the interview, Thuso has worked very hard for Grassroot Soccer over the past seven years. He has put in those hours, fought back from personal hardships, and overcome obstacles like keeping our humble site alive. We are proud of Thuso and proud to have him make us look good in the Big Apple!
Let’s give Thuso a big TLC (Tell it, Label it, Celebrate it) and send him off in early June with the upmost esteem and encouragement.
Interview with SIte Coordinator, Thuso Jones
Bosso Ke Mang?
It is finally time to get to know one of the longest-standing Grassroot Soccer employees, Mr. Thuso Jones. I (Nora Dooley, GRS Kimberley intern) sat down with Thuso to interview him about his time with Grassroot Soccer. Read our Q & A and see what I learned!
Q: How did you get involved with Grassroot Soccer?
A: I was involved with a cultural group and the manager said people were coming that wanted to talk to us. So we went to a meeting, met interns from GRS including Kirk [one of the founders] and they explained Grassroot Soccer and what they were hoping to do in Danielskuil. They had us fill in applications and selected 15 from the group to attend a ToC. Most of the group was still in school and I was doing odd jobs at the mines. The ToC lasted for a week and over the weekend we went through teach-backs. In DK we had LoveLife and other HIV-related organisations but I was never interested in those. GRS was taking a different approach. I like soccer and using soccer in this way was different, plus the activities were really fun.
It is finally time to get to know one of the longest-standing Grassroot Soccer employees, Mr. Thuso Jones. I (Nora Dooley, GRS Kimberley intern) sat down with Thuso to interview him about his time with Grassroot Soccer. Read our Q & A and see what I learned!
Q: How did you get involved with Grassroot Soccer?
A: I was involved with a cultural group and the manager said people were coming that wanted to talk to us. So we went to a meeting, met interns from GRS including Kirk [one of the founders] and they explained Grassroot Soccer and what they were hoping to do in Danielskuil. They had us fill in applications and selected 15 from the group to attend a ToC. Most of the group was still in school and I was doing odd jobs at the mines. The ToC lasted for a week and over the weekend we went through teach-backs. In DK we had LoveLife and other HIV-related organisations but I was never interested in those. GRS was taking a different approach. I like soccer and using soccer in this way was different, plus the activities were really fun.
Q: What was GRS like when you first started?
A: The interns in Danielskuil stayed for a little over a month and we ran interventions and did a Holiday camp. We had a lot more activities then, I think there were 15 practices and each lasted for 2 hours after school. We never got a stipend, and there were no development sessions, just meetings. Once the interns left we started doing development sessions on our own. It was totally different then, the only thing we got was a yellow t-shirt. There was no transport, no food, no stipends.
A: The interns in Danielskuil stayed for a little over a month and we ran interventions and did a Holiday camp. We had a lot more activities then, I think there were 15 practices and each lasted for 2 hours after school. We never got a stipend, and there were no development sessions, just meetings. Once the interns left we started doing development sessions on our own. It was totally different then, the only thing we got was a yellow t-shirt. There was no transport, no food, no stipends.
Q: Why did you stay with it even though you were
hardly getting paid?
A: The activities grow on you and the time you spend with people gives you the will to come back. The kids actually stayed during the 2-hour interventions and loved it. I loved what I was doing. I loved the time I spent with those participants. One thing I noticed afterwards was that it doesn’t end in the classroom. I’ve had kids in the street talking to me about what we were doing at the school, kids who wanted to be my friend. Specifically with one kid, we were talking about alcohol, behaviors that can lead to getting HIV, and one of those was the use of alcohol. Two days after that I was at the bar buying beers for my uncle. I meet this kid, he said “coach, alcohol can increase chances of getting HIV and you are carrying it right now, not practicing what you are preaching.” I realized people pay attention even if they pretend not to. For some reason this kid spoke to me about it that day and it clearly showed me that I am actually doing something incredible.
Q: Did joining GRS change your behavior?
A: Somehow - I wasn’t really that out of line or doing anything in front of participants, but at the same time for me there was a certain change that I experienced for myself. Some of the things that I did I stopped doing.
Q: What do you see as the biggest difference between GRS now and GRS then?
A: GRS is way bigger now. Coaches get paid for everything, there are weekly development sessions, coach development is growing and there’s just a lot more focus on coaches. Also the scale of participants, I came to Kim after graduating 1,000 per year, now it is way bigger. There are new programs as it used to only be Skillz Core, HCT, and Skillz Holiday.
Q: Is there anything from GRS history that you wish was still in play?
A: We do have a relationship with participants but if you look at it it's not that relationship of people being happy just to do what they're doing. I know people need money to survive but it seems like that’s more the main thing that we are doing than the actual love for the program. And that’s across the board not just for the coaches.
A: The activities grow on you and the time you spend with people gives you the will to come back. The kids actually stayed during the 2-hour interventions and loved it. I loved what I was doing. I loved the time I spent with those participants. One thing I noticed afterwards was that it doesn’t end in the classroom. I’ve had kids in the street talking to me about what we were doing at the school, kids who wanted to be my friend. Specifically with one kid, we were talking about alcohol, behaviors that can lead to getting HIV, and one of those was the use of alcohol. Two days after that I was at the bar buying beers for my uncle. I meet this kid, he said “coach, alcohol can increase chances of getting HIV and you are carrying it right now, not practicing what you are preaching.” I realized people pay attention even if they pretend not to. For some reason this kid spoke to me about it that day and it clearly showed me that I am actually doing something incredible.
Q: Did joining GRS change your behavior?
A: Somehow - I wasn’t really that out of line or doing anything in front of participants, but at the same time for me there was a certain change that I experienced for myself. Some of the things that I did I stopped doing.
Q: What do you see as the biggest difference between GRS now and GRS then?
A: GRS is way bigger now. Coaches get paid for everything, there are weekly development sessions, coach development is growing and there’s just a lot more focus on coaches. Also the scale of participants, I came to Kim after graduating 1,000 per year, now it is way bigger. There are new programs as it used to only be Skillz Core, HCT, and Skillz Holiday.
Q: Is there anything from GRS history that you wish was still in play?
A: We do have a relationship with participants but if you look at it it's not that relationship of people being happy just to do what they're doing. I know people need money to survive but it seems like that’s more the main thing that we are doing than the actual love for the program. And that’s across the board not just for the coaches.
Q: What is your favorite part of GRS?
A: My favorite part has always been the participants. There’s one thing that used to work for me when I was still Assistant Site Coordinator. It was a very stressful time for me with all the loss I was going through and sometimes in the office I’d be completely angry for no reason. People would not have done anything to me but I was just in bad mood. Then I would go to school and help with an intervention and once I came out it always felt like I just let go of a huge weight on my shoulders. Time with participants is very energizing but it only happens when I am coaching, watching is not as fun as actually doing it. Most of the time I miss that.
Q: If you could change one thing about GRS what would it be?
A: I’d make everything equal at all sites in terms of programs. For example sites wouldn’t have programs that other sites don’t have regardless of where they are located. If we have Skillz Street in Kim you have it everywhere else. We don’t have Champions League in Kim but we are fully capable of doing it. The RCT [Randomized Control Trial] as well - it takes up a lot of time and research but isn’t investing all that time and research into Kim the same as investing it at other sites?
Q: What do you think it was/is about you that took you from Skillz coach to Site Coordinator?
A: Something about GRS was different, something that kept me coming back. It was the practices and the participants. I always wished I could do more and after I started I always pictured doing something like this. I became interested in sport-for-development for young people.
Q: What is your favorite memory with GRS?
A: When I Went to Zambia. It was my first time out of South Africa. I went for a training of Master Coaches. It was fun contributing to building the curriculum, and it was a lot of firsts for me. Meeting different faces from across GRS - partners, sites - meeting different people working towards the same goal, it was an amazing experience.
A: My favorite part has always been the participants. There’s one thing that used to work for me when I was still Assistant Site Coordinator. It was a very stressful time for me with all the loss I was going through and sometimes in the office I’d be completely angry for no reason. People would not have done anything to me but I was just in bad mood. Then I would go to school and help with an intervention and once I came out it always felt like I just let go of a huge weight on my shoulders. Time with participants is very energizing but it only happens when I am coaching, watching is not as fun as actually doing it. Most of the time I miss that.
Q: If you could change one thing about GRS what would it be?
A: I’d make everything equal at all sites in terms of programs. For example sites wouldn’t have programs that other sites don’t have regardless of where they are located. If we have Skillz Street in Kim you have it everywhere else. We don’t have Champions League in Kim but we are fully capable of doing it. The RCT [Randomized Control Trial] as well - it takes up a lot of time and research but isn’t investing all that time and research into Kim the same as investing it at other sites?
Q: What do you think it was/is about you that took you from Skillz coach to Site Coordinator?
A: Something about GRS was different, something that kept me coming back. It was the practices and the participants. I always wished I could do more and after I started I always pictured doing something like this. I became interested in sport-for-development for young people.
Q: What is your favorite memory with GRS?
A: When I Went to Zambia. It was my first time out of South Africa. I went for a training of Master Coaches. It was fun contributing to building the curriculum, and it was a lot of firsts for me. Meeting different faces from across GRS - partners, sites - meeting different people working towards the same goal, it was an amazing experience.
Q: Do you have one piece of advice for coaches
now?
A: For coaches? To be true to yourself first. There’s always this one thing when we are at orientation - I say to coaches - there’s not much money in GRS and you won’t get a ton of money working for GRS - so when you think about the reasons why you want to work for GRS... be true to yourself. Is it because you want money? Or you love what you're doing? A lot of times we say we love what were doing and we know we are lying. So be true to yourself - if I tell you that you won’t get a lot of money and you're not happy with that – be honest and say I’m leaving.
Q: How about some advice for coaches wanting to follow your footsteps?
A: Be patient. Know what you want. Be as patient as possible, because honestly I've taken a lot of crap but at the end of the day you need to be patient. Be willing to learn, be able to accept criticism, and you need to be able to put in the hours - you don’t get from coach to Site Coordinator without putting in extra hours.
Q: What does putting in extra hours look like?
A: I used to do M&E and M&E on it's own take sup a lot of time especially if your typing skills are as good as mine. I also used to manage coaches and head coaches, so I was disciplining coaches, doing M&E, as well as other things around the office that Mandla [former Site Coordinator] requested of me. For example we had one Skillz Holiday around June and Mandla was in Bloem trying to fix some stuff there. So I had to help out at the Holiday, be in the office to do M&E (and I was very slow), and on top of that I had to help out with reports for camp and be Mandla because he was gone. So all that would lead to me spending late night hours at the office and sometimes working on weekends as well. I have worked until midnight in the past. I was under pressure to do all those things and if I have to finish something I cannot do anything else until I have finished that thing. So I put in those hours to make sure I get it done and on time.
A: For coaches? To be true to yourself first. There’s always this one thing when we are at orientation - I say to coaches - there’s not much money in GRS and you won’t get a ton of money working for GRS - so when you think about the reasons why you want to work for GRS... be true to yourself. Is it because you want money? Or you love what you're doing? A lot of times we say we love what were doing and we know we are lying. So be true to yourself - if I tell you that you won’t get a lot of money and you're not happy with that – be honest and say I’m leaving.
Q: How about some advice for coaches wanting to follow your footsteps?
A: Be patient. Know what you want. Be as patient as possible, because honestly I've taken a lot of crap but at the end of the day you need to be patient. Be willing to learn, be able to accept criticism, and you need to be able to put in the hours - you don’t get from coach to Site Coordinator without putting in extra hours.
Q: What does putting in extra hours look like?
A: I used to do M&E and M&E on it's own take sup a lot of time especially if your typing skills are as good as mine. I also used to manage coaches and head coaches, so I was disciplining coaches, doing M&E, as well as other things around the office that Mandla [former Site Coordinator] requested of me. For example we had one Skillz Holiday around June and Mandla was in Bloem trying to fix some stuff there. So I had to help out at the Holiday, be in the office to do M&E (and I was very slow), and on top of that I had to help out with reports for camp and be Mandla because he was gone. So all that would lead to me spending late night hours at the office and sometimes working on weekends as well. I have worked until midnight in the past. I was under pressure to do all those things and if I have to finish something I cannot do anything else until I have finished that thing. So I put in those hours to make sure I get it done and on time.
Interns Climb Mount Kilimanjaro
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| Eric and Nora with fellow GRS interns on Uhuru Peak |
PROGRAM UPDATES!
New Year New Coaches
As the members of the GRS Kim team trickled into the office from Holiday vacations the search began for SKILLZ Coach candidates. This recruitment would be different however, as this time we were only looking for women! After parting ways with female coaches at the end of 2012 when contracts ended, we were in desperate need for some strong new ladies to join our ranks. First we interviewed 20 women in a group setting, then 12 1-‐on-‐1 at the office, and finally we selected 9 to be trained as coaches. These 9 women range in age from 19 to 35 and we are very excited about the potential they bring to the Kimberley site. They have energy, they know how to be silly and still get down to business, they have knowledge and even more important, they have curiosity and a willingness to learn! Snaps for our new SKILLZ ladies, we cannot wait to see what they do in the classrooms.
As the members of the GRS Kim team trickled into the office from Holiday vacations the search began for SKILLZ Coach candidates. This recruitment would be different however, as this time we were only looking for women! After parting ways with female coaches at the end of 2012 when contracts ended, we were in desperate need for some strong new ladies to join our ranks. First we interviewed 20 women in a group setting, then 12 1-‐on-‐1 at the office, and finally we selected 9 to be trained as coaches. These 9 women range in age from 19 to 35 and we are very excited about the potential they bring to the Kimberley site. They have energy, they know how to be silly and still get down to business, they have knowledge and even more important, they have curiosity and a willingness to learn! Snaps for our new SKILLZ ladies, we cannot wait to see what they do in the classrooms.
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| Seno, one of our new female coaches! |
Returning Veteran Coaches
As excited as we are about the new, it is the old that form the backbone of our site. After much deliberation, our staff decided to offer some of our veteran coaches, whose contracts recently ended, the opportunity to re-‐apply and stay on as coaches for another year. More interviews took place and we found that the GRS fire burns strong in 7 of our veterans. These men and women are now using their experience to guide our new coaches as they learn the ropes, enter classrooms with as much passion as ever, and of course, learn and develop their SKILLZ as coaches and leaders in the Kimberley community and beyond. Our staff is more than happy that they have returned as they have already proven their commitment to our site and the core values of Grassroot Soccer. Welcome back Veterans!
As excited as we are about the new, it is the old that form the backbone of our site. After much deliberation, our staff decided to offer some of our veteran coaches, whose contracts recently ended, the opportunity to re-‐apply and stay on as coaches for another year. More interviews took place and we found that the GRS fire burns strong in 7 of our veterans. These men and women are now using their experience to guide our new coaches as they learn the ropes, enter classrooms with as much passion as ever, and of course, learn and develop their SKILLZ as coaches and leaders in the Kimberley community and beyond. Our staff is more than happy that they have returned as they have already proven their commitment to our site and the core values of Grassroot Soccer. Welcome back Veterans!
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| Coach Neo is back! |
Trainings in 2 Curriculums
There was a hectic period of time in February as our Training Team ran two ToCs (Trainings of Coaches) in just three weeks. Our “September” Coaches as we now refer to them (the ones we trained last September) were newly trained in another curriculum, Generation SKILLZ. The 9 new female coaches were trained in SKILLZ Core, and the returning veteran coaches attended both trainings to refresh and enhance the SKILLZ they already have! It was a busy, tiring, and challenging stretch, but the team pulled together and in the end both trainings were a success. The Gen. SKILLZ ToC was led by our very own Program Coordinator, Thembi Seeku. Immediately following this training she was off to Cape Town for another ToC, only to return to Kim for her third in a row, training our new coaches in SKILLZ 1.3. Luckily for the final training our team had help from Master Coach, Tony Gubesa, who came in from Cape Town to lead the ToC. Thanks Tony! When asked about this stretch of time, Thembi said, “It was challenging to move up and down but I love it because I have passion for it. I wouldn’t mind doing it again because I get to meet different coaches, learn new ideas, and new ways of facilitating, and it's also part of refreshing the mind because you don’t stick with one group. So I love it. Someone could wake me up in the middle of the night and ask me to do a ToC and I would definitely do it.”
There was a hectic period of time in February as our Training Team ran two ToCs (Trainings of Coaches) in just three weeks. Our “September” Coaches as we now refer to them (the ones we trained last September) were newly trained in another curriculum, Generation SKILLZ. The 9 new female coaches were trained in SKILLZ Core, and the returning veteran coaches attended both trainings to refresh and enhance the SKILLZ they already have! It was a busy, tiring, and challenging stretch, but the team pulled together and in the end both trainings were a success. The Gen. SKILLZ ToC was led by our very own Program Coordinator, Thembi Seeku. Immediately following this training she was off to Cape Town for another ToC, only to return to Kim for her third in a row, training our new coaches in SKILLZ 1.3. Luckily for the final training our team had help from Master Coach, Tony Gubesa, who came in from Cape Town to lead the ToC. Thanks Tony! When asked about this stretch of time, Thembi said, “It was challenging to move up and down but I love it because I have passion for it. I wouldn’t mind doing it again because I get to meet different coaches, learn new ideas, and new ways of facilitating, and it's also part of refreshing the mind because you don’t stick with one group. So I love it. Someone could wake me up in the middle of the night and ask me to do a ToC and I would definitely do it.”
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| CPC, Coach K during a ToC |
Ongoing Interventions and CSVs
Interventions kicked off early in 2013 for the Kimberley site. We got a head start with SKILLZ Core in January and have been working hard to recruit schools and get in the classrooms ever since. Our focus is currently on SKILLZ Core and Generation SKILLZ with SKILLZ Street starting towards the middle of the year when we train our amazing new female coaches in the girls-‐only curriculum. We have already finished one intervention at Beacon Primary and are working in 4 other schools in Kim for SKILLZ Core and 2 schools for Gen. SKILLZ. Our Danielskuil crew is in 1 school for Gen. SKILLZ (their first for this curriculum, snaps!) and 2 schools for SKILLZ Core. During each of the 4 Quarters our SKILLZ Coaches will be evaluated by our site staff on how they perform in the classroom. These are called Coach Support Visits (CSVs) and are a way for us to track our coaches’ progress since being trained. While there is always room for improvement, the Kim coaches are living up to their potential as phenomenal role models to the Kimberley youth.
Interventions kicked off early in 2013 for the Kimberley site. We got a head start with SKILLZ Core in January and have been working hard to recruit schools and get in the classrooms ever since. Our focus is currently on SKILLZ Core and Generation SKILLZ with SKILLZ Street starting towards the middle of the year when we train our amazing new female coaches in the girls-‐only curriculum. We have already finished one intervention at Beacon Primary and are working in 4 other schools in Kim for SKILLZ Core and 2 schools for Gen. SKILLZ. Our Danielskuil crew is in 1 school for Gen. SKILLZ (their first for this curriculum, snaps!) and 2 schools for SKILLZ Core. During each of the 4 Quarters our SKILLZ Coaches will be evaluated by our site staff on how they perform in the classroom. These are called Coach Support Visits (CSVs) and are a way for us to track our coaches’ progress since being trained. While there is always room for improvement, the Kim coaches are living up to their potential as phenomenal role models to the Kimberley youth.
Coach Big Eyes Writes!
My name is Elijah Kolisang from Kimberley. In my community I am known as Kutlwanong – Club 2000 aka Jeppes Town.
I joined Grassroot Soccer in December 2007 because I was young and aware of challenges that young people are faced with daily like teenage pregnancy, drugs, alcohol, sex at an early age, older partners, sex for stuff etc. GRS is one of those unique NGOs because we use soccer in the fight against HIV. Stigma and discrimination causes people living with HIV to feel alone and helpless, and as an advocate speaking for those who can't speak for themselves I teach people that we need to support people living with HIV, and that they are not bad people. The most significant stories that participants share with coaches, and coaches also do the same, builds that personal connection with participants. Even the Bulawayo study shows that children are less likely to engage in unsafe sexual behavior not because they use information that they have gained, but because they have built personal connections with an adult.
Grassroot Soccer is a community based NGO that mobilizes community members, schools, teams, and safe homes so we can fight HIV by minimizing the spread of HIV in South Africa. To me being part of the GRS Kimberly team makes me proud to see the work done by coaches. What I enjoy the most is to deliver practices in the community. GRS takes us as coaches very seriously because jobs done by coaches are vitally essential. Kids love us, they get excited to see our yellow t-‐shirts. I also like to see them having fun and learning, and I enjoy using the SKILLZ guide to run activities. I want to thank the community of Galeshewe, it really shows that an HIV free generation is possible because HIV affects us all, so it's our responsibility to take care of ourselves and the community. Divided we fall together we can achieve more.
A Note from a Danielskuil Graduate
First of all I will like to say greetings to you all by the way.
My name is Portia.
My surname is Bantsha. I am in grade 7.
I am 13 years old.
When I grow up I want to become a police to stop rapists who ruin teenagers lives. I like Skillz I will never forget Skillz because it taught me things I did not know about life so now I know almost everything about life because of Skillz. I love all my coaches especially when they do an energizer.
I want to thank GRS managers, leaders for sending Skillz coaches to teach us many things in life they show us love they have for us. We appreciate that. My favorite practice is My Supporters. I learned that I must always be supportive to people with HIV/AIDS and never say that someone has HIV when I see her/him thin, skinny many pimples in face. I want to give you this message that the decisions you make today will affect the life that you will live tomorrow so make a wise decision and make it with gratitude by abstaining and protecting yourself from HIV.
Thank you !!!
P. Bantsha
My name is Portia.
My surname is Bantsha. I am in grade 7.
I am 13 years old.
When I grow up I want to become a police to stop rapists who ruin teenagers lives. I like Skillz I will never forget Skillz because it taught me things I did not know about life so now I know almost everything about life because of Skillz. I love all my coaches especially when they do an energizer.
I want to thank GRS managers, leaders for sending Skillz coaches to teach us many things in life they show us love they have for us. We appreciate that. My favorite practice is My Supporters. I learned that I must always be supportive to people with HIV/AIDS and never say that someone has HIV when I see her/him thin, skinny many pimples in face. I want to give you this message that the decisions you make today will affect the life that you will live tomorrow so make a wise decision and make it with gratitude by abstaining and protecting yourself from HIV.
Thank you !!!
P. Bantsha
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