An organisation that provides life-skills programmes to youth to manage peer pressure and promote self-belief celebrated its 15th anniversary last week.
The founders of MOT came from Norway to celebrate with its South African founding members, staff, past and present pupils, and supporters of the programme at Old Mutual’s presentation room on Friday October 20.
MOT (meaning courage) started in Norway 26 years ago and was introduced to South Africa in 2006 to address the school drop-out rate, lack of discipline, bullying and substance abuse, as well as to ensure holistic development.
MOT works to nurture robust and resilient people with a special focus on youth by providing them with tools to strengthen their leadership and courage. Through the MOT programmes, youth learn how to make good life choices, develop their full potential and become leaders and positive role models in their communities.
Speaking at the event, MOT founder Atle Vårvik told how and why the organisation started and how it was now running in Norway, Thailand, America and South Africa. He said it was an honour to be a guest at the event and to see the work done here.
“Young people have taken the lessons learnt and used it in their own way. I believe that the resilience of the youth is the key to change,” he said.
Neville Goliath, provincial manager of the Western Cape Education Department’s positive behaviour programme, said that when the department had introduced the programme in the early 2000s it had needed to retrain teachers on how to discipline pupils in a non-violent way as corporal punishment had been banned
“The programme enables young people to reclaim what belongs to them. MOT places adults in the form of teachers and facilitators and gives them the skills to help pupils,” he said.
Ward councillor Angus McKenzie spoke about the MOT programme that is available in some schools in Bonteheuwel, a community afflicted by gangsterism and substance abuse. Those problems, he said, were aggravated by the lack of father figures in households.
“When I became councillor, I had to find a way to reduce the violence and bring some peace to the community. As a result, we have been able to bring in the NGOs to the community who each come with their own skills to assist the community.”
Gardens Commercial High School Grade 9 pupil Bilqees Miller said the programme had given her the confidence and courage to be herself. This is her second year in the programme and she believed it would be an asset to all pupils.
“I did not come from a stable background and faced emotional and physical challenges, but the programme has taught me that deep down we are all humans who go through their own challenges – what mattered was how we dealt with it.”
