So last week I started my new
internship at The First Community Resource Centre, which is stationed at a
local church in Hanover Park. The organization takes a holistic approach to
battling drug addiction and violence by providing a range of restoration
programs, support groups, drug education for youth, driving lessons, job
readiness programs, computer training, counseling, health education and many
other programs that battle the influence of drugs and gang violence from all
angles. Seriously, they do it all. They even feed the community on a daily
basis out of their own kitchen.
One derivative of The First
Community Centre that has a huge influence on the community is Ceasefire
Hanover Park, which is a well-respected program in which facilitators are sort
of like local firefighters of gang violence. They work out in the streets for
the most majority of the time, gathering intel and staying connected with the
community, and when they hear of a potential shooting, they try to intervene
and prevent the shooting from occurring. The program keeps an open dialogue
with the local gangs and have established credibility in the community, keeping
tabs on certain people who may be in danger as well as the whereabouts of
different “shooters”.
As for the people who work there, you can
absolutely tell they are passionate about what they do AND that they know what
they are talking about. Whether they facilitate programs, run the
rehabilitation centers, feed the community, are a part of Ceasefire, transport
people from place to place or handle the administrative work, the people working
at The First Community Resource Centre love what they do. Almost all of them
have struggled with drug addiction, have been in gangs in the past or grew up within
the community of Hanover Park, and that experience makes their organization
that much more potent. Would you listen to someone who was talking at you about
something tremendously difficult who doesn’t even know what it’s like to
experience it? Probably not. But someone who has walked in your shoes before,
struggled with those same demons as you and made it out okay?
Abso-freakin-lutely. The people of The First Community Resource Centre connect
with everyone their program touches, not just with the logistics and education
in the programs, but with a level of understanding, love, humor and a sense of
togetherness that feels an awful lot like family.
As for the
restoration programs, there are two for 6 weeks at a time in a camp-like
setting about 15 minutes away from the headquarters where both high-risk and
low-risk individuals struggling with addiction come by choice to learn about
drugs, coping, self-esteem, how to handle conflict and how to move forward, all
while getting clean. There are religious undertones, but rather than religion dominating
the educational parts, the facilitators make sure to provide a good balance of
each. Pastor Engel, my supervisor, hopes to eventually reach many other towns
and communities with his work, and with his tenacity I don’t doubt he will. The
people, the program and what it hopes to accomplish is not just incredible and
inspiring, but PRESENTLY EFFECTIVE. They’re mission statement is not just a
pretty thought, it’s getting accomplished. An NGO having so much success is
rare, especially in South Africa, where resources are not always available for
NGOs and social problems are overwhelming. I wish I would have been set up with
this internship from the start because these amazing, resilient people are doing
things. I am in awe of them. They have been to hell, made it back and are now
using their knowledge as a force of good. I’ve been there for such a short
time, and yet I feel like I’ve learned more in these 5 days than I have during
the last 2 months of my previous internship. HIGHLY recommend this internship
for anyone in public health, psychology… or anything really. The people you
will meet will teach you, inspire you and humble you. Well, that’s at least
what happened to me, and I was there for 5 days; imagine what 3 months of
working
No comments:
Post a Comment