In 2009 the Giving Circle gave $4,000. This went to 3 workshops for teenaged girls over the year. 25 girls aged 12 to 18 participated in these sleepaways. Workshops incorporated life skills training in making good choices about HIV/AIDS, pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse; connecting with each other (they are both black and colored – groups that don’t traditionally mix all that much in South African society); challenging themselves; building esteem; sharing fears and hopes.
In 2010 all of the $6,000 from the Giving Circle went into a single workshop for about 25 girls, aged 14-17 (younger as well as the seniors). It was an Outward Bound program designed for at-risk kids. The girls hated it! But… they are so glad they did it. It really challenged them, putting them into totally new environments, and lasted 5 nights. It was a huge experience for them.
For 2011, they would like to do 2 workshops that they design as they did in 2009 with a one-night sleepaway.
This has been a special relationship as we felt workshops would be an effective use of funds and they had been wanting to offer some kind of workshop for the girls. Now after 2 years, they find these to be a very important part of their overall program that, fortunately for all of us, take a relatively small amount of funding.
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