« WPDI has taught me to surrender and accept situations that one cannot change. I started implementing that right away and l feel at peace now, l will continue applying everything that was taught because without peace you cannot move forward in life. Once again, thank you WDPI for the knowledge and skills you gave us as a community,” Mirinda Ackermans
September 25, 2023 – The Cape Flats area of Cape Town, South Africa, suffers from severe marginalization, a lack of economic development and opportunity and regular gangland violence. Many youths, unable to gain a socio-economic foothold, are easy targets for gangs, and can get embroiled in a circle of violence and instability that must seem impossible to escape. These structural issues belie the potential of youths in these communities to become proactive agents of change. The success of our programs around the world have solidified our conviction that with a little guidance and support, these communities can really transform both their present and future for the better.
This is why we run targeted programs in these communities, aimed at transforming attitudes and behaviors in order to create an environment conducive to lasting peace. This spring, we ran one such program focused on Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding at Retreat Community Hall, bringing together 220 locals from different areas of the Cape Flats, such as Grassy-Park, Retreat, Lavender Hill and Steenberg. The aim was to run an eye-opening program, introducing participants to different approaches to dealing with conflict that have been honed and developed by WPDI over the past 10 years.
Subjects included understanding the importance of peace in communities, conflict analysis, characteristics and types of conflict, emotions, communication, active listening and problem solving. Many of these concepts are new to participants, and allow them to reevaluate their understanding of local dynamics, as well as develop a comprehension of their role as individuals in the resolution of conflicts in their local communities.
Participants were very positive about the transformational effect of the program. “What I have learned from these past few weeks has transformed my way of dealing with my issues in a more positive and peaceful manner. When the training program started, I had my doubts on whether I would be able to use the skills I learned to better my life. But as I was about to complete the training that doubt had gone, because I knew it was worth going through this Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding program provided by WPDI. We were taught the characteristics of conflict, types of conflict and even how to deal with certain issues one faces in their lives. Growing up in one of the most violent communities, I recall that conflict was managed discreetly, and people did not shoot each other in the middle of the day. Nowadays people get shot in the middle of the day and in their homes, because of gang wars and territory disputes. I am confident in the peacebuilding skills that I have received in the training sessions and will use those skills to empower and encourage young boys to help them understand that violence is not the solution. The peace activities were also my biggest highlight because it taught me one can create their own place of peace whether at home, school or work,” said Anwar Jones, who took part.
The training program is about empowerment. Empowerment as proactive changemakers, the empowerment of women and youths, the empowerment of entire communities in order for them to tackle burning local issues head on as a group. Developing these skills creates resilience, especially in communities like the Cape Flats, where youth unemployment is high, gang violence is rife, and regular violent crime continues to have a nocive effect on the local social fabric.
In July, we held a graduation ceremony for the 220 participants, during which one of our WPDI Peace Activity developers, who had put his WPDI-granted seed capital into some musical instruments for local youths, showcased his music group. Feedback from locals and local authorities continues to be positive, and we plan to continue our positive transformation of local marginalized communities and the empowerment of youths and women through such targeted programs this year and in the future.
The program in the Cape Flats was organized and developed in collaboration with the City of Cape Town, which has taken a proactive approach to the economic and social development of the Cape Flats in a bid to transform the communities into peaceful, resilient and prosperous neighborhoods.
In partnership with
