Programme for school children
TO KEEP children occupied and safe during school holiday, the Community Safety Department ran an integrated school programme focusing on safety for Grades five, six and seven pupils.
The programme, which began on Monday, took place at four primary schools in Mitchells Plain – Rocklands Primary, West End Primary, Cascade Primary and Eastville Primary, and is set to end today.
Participants in the programme were taking part in sports activities, while simultaneously participating in workshops on crime awareness and prevention, violence against women and children, substance abuse and safety promotion.
Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz said they targeted 60 pupils per school, per area, and would benefit 240 pupils in Lentegeur, Rocklands, Tafelsig and Eastridge. He said the objective was to offer pupils a structured violence prevention and safety promotion programme during the school holiday. “This forms part of the school safety ambassador programme, and will be facilitated by the safety ambassadors and community liaison officers situated with our department’s hotspots.”
“The holiday programme has further received support from Chrysalis Academy, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sports, and the JP21 Foundation who are providing a cricket clinic and equipment.”
Cascade Primary School principal Gale Adriaanse said the programme had encouraging and appropriate topics that would help in shaping children’s characters.
Mitchells Plain ward councillor Washiela Harris said she supports any programmes that would keep children safe in their communities.
Harris said programmes like these keep their children away from joining a gang, and would show them there were programmes that could assist in their growth.
Fritz said pupils who showed great potential during the week would be selected to join an outdoor adventure leadership camp, to be hosted in December by the department and Chrysalis Academy, as part of the violence prevention initiatives of the Western Cape Safety Plan.
During the programme, the safety ambassadors facilitated safety awareness and life skills to promote positive social norms and behaviours, safeguarding school premises through patrolling and the supervision of key learning and play areas, and provided administrative and project support to schools.