In May I decided to register to compete in the 2011 Run to the Beat half marathon. That’s 13.1 miles! Although relatively fit, I am certainly NOT a runner, so as you can imagine, this decision came as a surprise even to me! The next challenge was to find a charity to raise money on behalf of. I wanted to find one that I felt a real passion for and that meant something, on a personal level.

Lo and behold, SA-YES immediately stood out on the list of charities involved in the event. Their ethos and projects really made me feel that any donations made would be used effectively and would actually make a difference. Born and raised in Southern Africa, I spent my childhood enjoying the joys of Swaziland and South Africa. Both countries are incredible, the scenery is glorious, the people are fantastic and I, like SA-YES, feel that each amazing individual deserves the best possible chances in life.

So, decision made, I set about on a rigid training schedule that lasted, oooo, perhaps a week. As a non-runner, it was hard work just finding the motivation, but with SA-YES behind me, I dug deep, found that motivation, and it kept me going, albeit not according to my original schedule. With race-day fast approaching, I was then hindered by a 6 day tension headache taking me ‘out of the running’ (d’ya see what I did there?) for a good 10 days, so not a great start to the lead up to the event. Not to worry.  I knuckled down and focused on the carbo-loading, tried to relax (not easy) while fitting in another two, gentle, runs. I was, for want of a better phrase, ‘bricking it’!

In hindsight, the event itself went incredibly quickly. I may have been in a blur of disbelief that I was actually doing something quite so ridiculous, and terror that I would embarrass myself by running a mile, collapsing and calling for my mummy. I wasn’t far off. Although I didn’t actually collapse, I certainly wanted to thanks to a stitch lasting 12 miles. I pulled through, tears and all, right to the end. I had desperately wanted to sack the whole thing off after the first mile, but once again SA-YES and all of my generous sponsors came to mind, and I made the decision to fight on through to the finish line.

And now I’m planning for the next one … I think I may be have been dropped on my head as a child?

Oma Mullen

Just over a month ago on Sunday 25th September 2011, I donned my trainers, running vest and ran my first 1/2 marathon. I’ve never done a lot of running and was getting bored with going to the gym, so I decided to set myself a challenge. I researched what run and where to do it. Run to the Beat immediately stood out for me, what better way then to run then to run to some top tunes mixed by the latest DJ’s.

So I’d chosen the race, now to choose who to run for? I wanted to run for a charity that meant something to me. I racked my brains and remembered a few years ago watching a TV programme about South Africa and the football world cup.  I remember being quite moved by the programme as i didn’t know a lot about what was going on there.  That was it I knew I’d run for off the streets or SA-YES as it’s now called.

The race was not as bad as I thought. The longest I’d run was 5 miles! So,my training had some room for improvement, however adrenaline kicked in, the cheers from the crowds and my own determination helped me complete it. My knees were killing me, but I knew I’d achieved something.

Here’s to my next challenge!!!!!!!!

The start was at ten and the first kilometers were ok. I ran an average time of five minutes per kilometer, which is way to fast for me. But the calf didn’t hurt so much and I had a challenge to win, so I kept on running knowing that I would slow down anyway. The challenge was to run the half marathon in under two hours. For each minute I would get ten pounds from a friend of mine for my fundraising for SA-YES. So I was highly motivated to run as fast as I could.

After about five or six kilometers a woman ran beside me and asked me how fast I was running. She said that her clock didn’t work so she didn’t know how fast she was. She thought that my speed would be right for her and she asked me if she could run beside me. After some time she couldn’t hold the pace and fell back a little. But suddenly she was beside me again and said “I don’t want to lose you.” Then she fell back again. Because of my challenge I did not want to wait for her, knowing that she would catch up with me anyway when I had to drink something. Because of my paralyzed vocal chord I cannot run and drink at the same time anymore. So I have to interrupt the running when I need to drink something.

The first ten kilometres I didn’t drink anything so I wouldn’t lose so much time but it was so hot and humid that I badly needed to drink some water. When I continued running, I saw the woman again and we ran together for quiet a while.

When I entered the stadium I saw the clock at the finish line. It said 1:53:30 and I thought, if I speed up I can make it under 1:54. So I made a “ten-pounds-final-spurt” and made it eight seconds before the next minute began. At the water station I met that woman again. We were both happy that we finished the race.

I really enjoyed running this half marathon especially because I knew I did it for SA-YES. I am so happy that there were so many wonderful donors who sponsored me and who helped me raise money for SA-YES. I think Michelle and her mentors are doing such an incredible job in South Africa. I will definitely continue to support SA-YES as long as I can.

There are a number of ways you can make a difference:

MENTORING

We would like to extend an invitation to any of you who are considering joining us as mentors. It is a great commitment but it needs some consideration before you sign on the dotted line. We therefore ask you to come along to a presentation to learn more about the commitment and to hear from current mentors and mentees about their experience of the programme. The presentations will take place at Marsh Memorial Homes, Norton Way, off Milner Road, Rondebosch, from 6.15pm – 7.15pm on Monday 10th October 2011.

INTERNSHIPS

We are sourcing work placements, internships and job-shadowing opportunities for our programme beneficiaries and would be delighted to hear from any of you with access to these resources.

FUNDING PARTNERSHIPS

If you would like to discuss becoming a funding partner of SA-YES please contact us and we will set up an appointment to meet with you where we will explain the tax benefits to individuals and companies.

Lastly, our BBBEE Charity Certification will soon be completed, so any support we receive from companies will be score-card worthy.  We hope to hear from you soon.

Warm regards from the SA-YES team.

Mentors will receive training and support throughout their 12 month commitment and will receive a great feeling of satisfaction as they see the impact their consistent support has on a young person who desperately needs it.

This one-to-one relationship is often the first positive relationship the young person will have with an adult.

Primarily you will be a friend. Once that has been established you will offer guidance and support on how to live a sustainable, fulfilled life away from peer pressure, drugs and crime – what many of the young people in the TIL programme face when they leave care.

If you are interested in learning more about mentoring with SA-YES, please contact Michelle Potter on 021 788 3807 / 076 771 9011 or by email michelle@sa-yes.com.

Mentor Profile

• Independent
• Aged 26 or above
• Trustworthy
• Consistent
• Youth focused
• Empathetic
• Open minded
• Respectful
• Tolerant
• Resilient
• Good listeners
• Must have access to email

Dear White and Case

LETTER OF APPRECIATION

I am grateful that I now proceed with my LLB degree on account of your contribution in paying my registration fee. This is such a huge privilege to me. Without the key it is impossible to open a locked door and registration fee is the key based on my perception of entrance to varsity, the lack of a key means waiting outside. Hence you rescued me from waiting outside, I was in misery with two days remaining before the lectures commence. And I did not have any hope to where I can get this money.

Furthermore, I heard about your commitment to pay for my accommodation fee and my food allowance next year. I am delightful to be the person to embrace these privileges. Residing in the varsity premises shall bring me close to resources in demand due to studies.

I appreciate everything you done or you about to do for me. I promise to commit myself in impressing you with an academic performance as much as possible to symbolize my actual appreciation.

Yours sincerely
Zukile Mlonyeni

Three months in Africa, five weeks of which were spent in Cape Town. Time flew by, and already I’m back home in the bustling city of London, surrounded by family and friends whom I love, wanting to know all about my experiences. Where do I begin… the list of my adventures and the things I learnt is endless. Cape Town is such an incredible place, a place with a huge amount of history, beauty and endless stories to be heard. Working with SA-YES I had the privilege to hear them. I got to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon with two young men who have been a part of their programme. Xolani*, a young Xhosa man from a township called Philippi is a first year student reading Law at the University of the Western Cape, he has a great mentor from White and Case, a law firm in Jo’burg, and Marlin*, a young Cape Coloured man, living in a home called Beth Uriel in Salt River, who last year was mentored by Michelle.



As we stepped off the taxi at Cape Town station, Marlin and I met with Xolani and we wondered around the city centre up and down the deserted streets looking into fancy shops. Marlin showed me where he used to live, a street corner in the city centre. He told me stories of his days there and how streetwise he became, stories of making a hole inside his trousers to hide is money and avoiding the people trying to ‘clean the streets and clean people off the streets’. Living on the street Marlin learnt to speak Xhosa fluently (one of the eleven official languages in South Africa) and English, in addition to his first language of Afrikaans, a rarity among young people in Cape Town. Xolani then took us to a friend of his who was printing his CV so he can find a holiday job to earn some money in-between studying.



Throughout the day I had joked about us three being a diverse tour group, with me being the white photo-taking tourist, Xolani, the intellectual local tourist and Marlin the streetwise tour guide. Three young white women even came to ask me if I was okay, thinking I was in some sort of danger because I was with these two guys. How caring of them was my first thought, no one in London would do that.. Oh wait… then it hit me that racism from apartheid is still etched in people’s brains. Judging a book by its cover here is still very common, Marlin’s huge tattoos and swagger in his walk instantly made these girls worry. The three musqueteers however laughed it off and carried on up Long street.



These two young men amaze me, and I learnt so much that afternoon my head felt frazzled and fulfilled at the same time.

I was fortunate enough to spend some more time with Xolani when we went job hunting for him at the Waterfront (a large shopping centre in Cape Town). We first took a trip out to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent time as a prisoner, a first for both of us and the first time Xolani had ever been on a boat! It was freezing but one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had, and I felt honoured to share it with him. After that, job hunting began. It reminded me of last summer when I trudged around London’s Westfield shopping centre and the Kings Mall in Hammersmith handing out CV’s for a summer job. It was horrible! So Xolani and I walked around the Waterfront handing out his CV’s which I think for anyone is a daunting experience. Based on my experience last year I suggested he approach the shops with confidence, which I know isn’t easy, so the next shop he waltzed in and asked for the manager, they took him to her and he got details of where to send his CV a huge smile beamed across my face.

When the rain came pouring down Xolani and I said our goodbyes as I got the train back to Muizenberg and he got on the train back to Philippe. Xolani is an incredible young man with the drive to succeed in life.


As an eighteen year old hanging out with the young people similar to my age and in the same stage of life (starting university, job hunting, leaving school) but in such different livelihoods, I have learnt so much and I now will appreciate every bit of support I get, just as they appreciate the kindness, strength and support of their mentors. I have no doubt in my mind that SA-YES will go on to do amazing things. It is only in it’s second year but it has already touched the lives of some wonderful young people in Cape Town, and it will do so with many more in the future.



I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn about the organisation, how it’s run, what it’s doing and most importantly giving me the chance to meet these people and see a completely different side to life and the importance of support and the people around you. A famous Xhosa phrase I have learnt, one now imbedded in my mind, is SA-YES’s philosophy, umuntu ngumuntu nga Bantu- a person is a person only through other people.

* Names have been changed to protect the privacy of the individuals.

Sitting in a coffee shop with Michelle in Kensington, London with the rain pouring down outside in September 2010, I made the decision coming to Cape Town to learn more about SA-YES was exactly what I wanted to do during my gap year. Having spent a lot of time in Africa and especially with young people, learning about an organisation which is doing so much to help the youth of Cape Town was going to be an exhilarating opportunity.

8 months later, Michelle and I met again, this time it was at Cape Town airport, the rain still pouring down outside. Words cannot begin to describe my eagerness to start learning more about SA-YES and understand exactly what they do and also to experience the lives of those directly affected by the incredible work this organisation does. Throughout the first two weeks, I have shadowed Michelle in what she does on a day to day basis.

SA-YES is unlike any other organisation in South Africa. It provides an essential service to the children of Cape Town that live in care. It aids them in school, social development and planning their lives after leaving the care homes they are based in. This help and advice from a group of 25 incredible mentors and Michelle herself is proving to be very successful and is in its second year. What shocks me the most when talking about these young people is the big gaping hole in their lives which is meant to be filled with love. There has been an absence of family love and support in their childhood and at the time in their lives they need it most SA-YES provides the person to be a friend and show them they care and are supported in their transition to independent living. Seeing all this happen as an 18 year old, I wonder how I would have coped if I had to sort out my further education, finances, job prospects, housing and manage relationships if I had no support.

I am very lucky to have a family that has helped me do all that and keep on track throughout my school career. These young people don’t necessarily have anyone, and if they do that person usually does very little, and can’t provide the love, support and care that young person needs. The mentors are there to serve that such purpose and fill that hole. I’m learning more everyday about SA-YES and I hope to come join them as a mentor in a few years time, to be that person that can change a young person’s life.

I arrived in Cape Town knowing that I wanted to work with young people who were leaving care. I knew that there was a gap in the system and that there was a need. I neither understood that need nor did I know how to attempt to meet it. I was fortunate to meet some helpful people who spent time with me talking through different ideas. In particular I spent time with young people living in children’s homes. They shared with me their stories and their hopes for their futures. These same young people told me they disliked the name Off The Street Kids (OTSK) that we had chosen for the organisation. I explained that in the UK we don’t have street kids and that there was no intention to be negative or to offend. They explained what the term means in South Africa and that anybody who had ever lived on the street could not lose that stigma. In any case, many of the young people who experience our programme have never lived on the streets

While the intention was to cast the term street kid in a positive light I have been unable to persuade the young people in the programme that this is a good idea. None of them wants to be associated with it.

Perhaps, I thought, if we had a Xhosa name in South Africa we could keep OTSK in the UK. I failed to realise that the majority of the population of the Western Cape are non-Xhosa speakers; they can’t pronounce Siyaphambili (that’s Xhosa for we are moving forward).

I spent the beginning of this year developing and delivering programme training to mentors and mentees. The training detailed the importance of our values as an organisation: respect and equality regardless of age, race, gender and religious beliefs. We also discussed Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and his idea that we all have a basic human need for a stable, firmly-based, high level of self-respect, and respect from others and that when these needs are frustrated, we feel inferior, weak, helpless and worthless. If we don’t change our name we are not respecting the young people or treating them as equals. Our priority is to respect the youths in order to gain their trust and for young people living in care, trust seems to be the biggest hurdle.

Our new name SA-YES (South African Youth Education for Sustainability) says exactly what we do. Plus it is respectful, positive and it makes me smile.

Michelle Potter
Executive Director