Young in Prison South Africa: Annual Report 2009

South Africa Annual Report 2009

A Summary and Analysis of YiP SA’s projects, activities and organizational development in 2009 Tarisai Simona Mchuchu, Director YiP SA 1/1/2009

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Contents Message from the Chairperson.............................................2 Letter From the Director........................................................6 South Africa’s Youth in Prison 2009.......................................7 Magazine Making Project......................................................11 Post-Release Mentoring Project............................................15 Youth 4 YiP Volunteer Project................................................16 Community Awareness and Advocacy Activities....................17 Capacity Building..................................................................20 Stakeholders and Partnerships.............................................22 2010 and Beyond..................................................................23 Sponsors...............................................................................24

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Message from the Chairperson -YiPSA For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

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t has been a privilege and an inspiration to journey along side and serve a young and vibrant organization like YiPSA for the past 3 years. While crime in South Africa cries out for creative and sustainable solutions to crime, and as we realize that there is no one size fits all approach to dealing with juvenile crime, YiPSA is one such organization that has responded to the call with creativity, enthusiasm, courage and determination. Being a young organization working in the correctional services and reintegration field in South Africa can be tough and requires an organization with teeth, that can muscle the often strong arm of the prison authorities, and manage from day to day the utter despair youth in prison are often faced with. Yet YiPSA, despite its infancy, has managed to carve out its mark and to impact the lives of young

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Nelson Mandela

people in prison, through mainly using other young people, in bringing hope, inspiration, and perseverance to young people in prison and encouraging them that despite all obstacles they face they can turn their lives around. As much as the prison walls draw in on you and rob you of your freedom, as Madiba says, true freedom is found within, and in making a difference in the lives of other people.

Through the programme initiatives and interaction of YiPSA staff, facilitators and volunteers, young people in prison are encouraged to engage with personal and social issues through various creative activities and challenged to look within themselves, beyond their circumstances to believe and live out their purpose. The programmes like the Magazine

As much as the prison walls draw in on you and rob you of your freedom, as Madiba says, true freedom is found within, and in making a difference in the lives of other people.

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programme, Youth 4 Yip quality recreational and fun activities, Insider Art, and post release mentorship tap into the potential of the young person, and inspire purpose and creativity, at the same time engaging with challenges they face , and providing much needed support and guidance. Not only do these programmes provide recreation and fun, but at the same time develop important life skills like self esteem, coping strategies, alternatives to violence and crime, and respecting and enhancing the freedom of others .

Juvenile prisoners who are awaiting trial do not have access to rehabilitation, education and other training programmes in prison,

and coaching work of YiPSA is most valuable and crucial to the successful reintegration of offenders. Those leaving prison are faced with many barriers that prevent them from successfully reintegrating into society. There is the stigma not only from society but from their own families, the challenge of making a living for themselves, contributing as constructive citizens, and securing positive peer relations. Reintegration into family life poses obstacles, as young offenders have often been separated from their families for an extended period of time. Reintegration theory argues that, constructive emerging family roles appear to be central to a developing identity as a conforming citizen (Uggen,

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Those leaving prison are faced with many barriers that prevent them from successfully reintegrating into society.

or to the various recreational activities that may be available to sentenced juveniles1.

The management of ATD’s has only recently received attention by the DCS. YiPSA’s interventions with ATD’s has been instrumental in providing youth with opportunities to continue with their studies and participate in constructive activities.

The impact of incarceration cannot be underestimated. All youth returning from prison need support on the outside to ease the transition from prison to society. In the past year, YiPSA has broaden the scope of its work, meeting the needs of youth where they are at. The post release, mentorship 1

Burton P., Leoschut L. and Bonora A. p.17

Manza and Behrens, 2004:274). Disruptive family relationships, the lack of legitimate social networks and opportunities can result in many turning back to illegal activities, and so the cycle of crime continues. YiPSA’s Post release mentorship work is aimed at interrupting those negative obstacles and securing support for youth returning from prison and assisting them to successfully reintegrate and change their lives around.

It has really been an exciting period of expansion for the organization, possible through the continued efforts of the Dutch team at YIPNL, who have worked tirelessly to help realize the vision of YiPSA, to further develop the organization and to assist in

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increasing the capacity and the scope of the work. To YiPNL we say thank you for your vision, passion, dedication and inspiration.

With growing and developing an organization comes challenges, but we are confident that with each challenge comes opportunities for growth, deepening our knowledge of this complex field, and increased experience, and insight into developing constructive solutions.

With a total of 34 589 youth in prison (those ages 14-25) and 1654 children (under 18 years of age) incarcerated2, and overcrowding estimated to be at 143.3%,3 the Department of Correctional Services has to increasingly

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2 YiPSA Annual Report, 2009:4 (31 April 2009) 3 YiPSA Annual Report, 2009:4

rely on interventions by non-governmental organizations like YiPSA. We look forward to 2010 and the year ahead as a time for partnership development. We hope to concretise and build our relationship with the DCS and other organizations working with young people and youth in prison. As YiPSA we have a huge mandate to fulfil in supporting and enabling young people in prison to realise their potential and contribute and participate constructively in society. We believe, in the government slogan that only together we can do more, and are excited to work with others who share our vision and purpose. In 2010 our focus will be also be on impact and sustainability, and writing up and refining the work we do. A focus on advocacy initiatives to improve the plight of children in prison, and

With overcrowding estimated o be at 143.3%,1 the Department of Correctional Services has to increasingly rely on interventions by non-governmental organizations like YiPSA...

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continue to lobby for imprisonment being a last resort for young people is also planned for this year. Strategic planning initiatives, developing the context analysis and conducting the stakeholder engagement in this past year has been the start, of contextualising our work and helping us to be able to measure our impact, and has really helped in concretising the vision and objectives for YiPSA. As we deepen and strengthen the work we do, it will also be a year to develop the organization into a well-oiled efficient machine that operates in a way that is accountable to the donors who invest so passionately into what we do, and produces the maximum outcomes for the clients we serve.

It is in this spirit that I would like to salute all the staff, facilitators, volunteers, and interns of YiPSA, including the Board members who give sacrificially of their time and for their hard work and dedication in the past year, and encourage them to continue to shine as the bright lights that they are in the often dark world of juvenile crime in South Africa.

To our donors, partners and all who have supported YiPSA in fulfilling its mandate

this year, both abroad and in South Africa, like FNB, the Departments of Correctional Services and Social Development, Big Brother, Big Sister (BBBSSA), YMCA, Independent Theatre movement of South Africa (ITMSA), Project Phakama, Council for International Educational Exchange (CIEE), Connect 123, UHURU Productions, Herman Hendrikse and Associates, -thank you for investing in the lives of youth in and coming out of prison, and believing like us that the work we do will make the difference in turning lives around.

In life we are called to a higher purpose. I believe that YiPSA fulfils that mandate on a daily basis. To the young people in prison-You are so much more than your circumstances.

You have potential and destiny on the inside and we believe you too can fulfil a higher and better purpose in this life. For all you face and all you have overcome-We salute you and welcome this privileged opportunity to journey alongside you.

Warmest regards, Venessa Padayachee, YiPSA Chairperson

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Letter From the Director

2009

was a year of expansion for Young in Prison South Africa, and Young in Prison worldwide in general.

As an organisation that works with one of the most vulnerable groups of society, we are indeed grateful for all the support that we have received. For example, this year we have received support from the Dutch Foreign Ministry, as well as our very own South African FNB, who has generously sponsored our soccer project.

Our magazine quality has improved, thanks to the superior materials that our participants worked so hard to produce each quarter and our professional graphic designers who are now designing the magazine. The great work produced by our program participants were also exhibited in a more-than-expected successful art exhibition, which received unprecedented attention and an outpouring of support from the public and community! YiP is indeed grateful for such support as it creates an environment in which, after rehabilitation, our participants can come to communities that are willing to give them second chances and truly support them in becoming positive and contributing citizens.

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In 2009, YiP started its pilot Post-Release Mentorship Project, in which juveniles are matched to a mentor from their own communities in the last six months of their sentence; and the mentorship continues

This resilience illustrates the dedication of the people involved in YiP; they know what they do in the organisation...

after the juvenile is released from prison. This model of continued care after release is a most needed and an important component to our program, ensuring that we successfully help our participants reintegrate back into society.

With this new angle, Young in Prison has come full circle in developing a comprehensive reintegration program.

The year 2009 was also a year of expansion for the organisation in regards to capacity.

YiPSA expanded from having one to four in-office employees! Although faced with challenges mid-year, this increase in staff enabled us to maintain stability throughout it all. This resilience illustrates the dedication of the people involved in YiP; they know what they do in the organisation is not just a job or volunteer opportunity, but they realize the effect of their involvement in others’ personal lives and also society at large. We are finally very grateful to our board members for the support that they have given to YiPSA and the vast amount of expertise that they give us.

Tarisai Simona Mchuchu Director, Young in Prison

South Africa’s Youth in Prison 7

2009

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outh Africa’s history has directly influenced the urban youth of South Africa today. The apartheid regime put our target group at a disadvantage both by sequestering their communities into poverty stricken areas and limiting their opportunities for employment and education, but also instilled in the population emotional triggers which have added to the propensity of criminal behaviour and an ethos of violence.4 Today South Africa suffers from incredibly high crime and violence rates.5 This high

rate of crime is also influenced by a lack of a free education system, and the debilitating factor of low education and literacy rates within the community and family structure because of both poverty and the systematic oppression of apartheid.6 Programs for CICL are implemented by grassroots organizations that often lack proper capacity and funding.7 Although youth, as a collective group, are highly visible on the South African political spectrum, youth-at-risk, especially those that 6

City of Cape Town, Sustainability Report 2006 Summary, available at: http://www.capetown.gov.za/ en/EnvironmentalResourceManagement/publications/Documents/Sustainability_Report_2006_ Summary_Leaflet_2072007101122_465.pdf, [Accessed 17 November 2009].

4 A . Maree, 2003, “Criminogenic Risk Factors for Youth Offenders” in F.J. Bezuidenhout, 2004, Child and Youth Misbehaviour in South Africa: A holistic view, pp 51-79, Van Schalk Publishers: Pretoria.

7 Western Cape Youth Commission, Western Cape Status of the Youth Report 2008: A Review of Literature and Studies Conducted on the Youth in the Western Cape, available at: http://www.

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Antoinette Louw, “Crime and perceptions after a decade of democracy,” Social Indicators Research

gsb.uct.ac.za/gsbwebb/userfiles/2008WesternCapeStatusoftheYouthReport.pdf, [Accessed 17

Vol 81, No 2 (2006): 235-255.

November 2009].

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have problematic pasts, are not prevalent in the participation of policy development.

relation to other countries. On 31 April 2009 there were a total of 34 589 youth in prison (those ages 14-25) and 1654 children (under 18 years of age) incarcerated.

The strain of the current incarceration levels on South Africa is quite high with a 143.3% level of overcrowding in its prison system.

Statistics from the South Africa Department of Correctional Services show that on 31/04/09 there was an inmate population of 164 596 with 115 207 sentenced offenders. On that date there was a total of 161 021 males and 3 575 females in the prison system. Of those totals, 112 682 males were sentenced and 2 525 females were sentenced.

It is important to note, however, that this figure is likely a significant under-representation: it does not reflect the full extent of the situation as young individuals who are awaiting trial may also be held in places of safety, police cells or secure care centres, or they may be under the care of their parents/guardians. It is also necessary to point out that juvenile prisoners who are awaiting trial do not have access to rehabilitation, education and other training programmes in prison, or to the various recreational activities that may be available to sentenced juveniles (Tables 1 and 2).

Although youth and children incarceration levels are much lower than those of adults, their numbers are still significantly high in Tables 1 and 2 ATD Youth 24770

unsentenced 14-25 year old youth

24323

are men

447

are women

Sentenced incarcerated youth 34589

sentenced 14-25 year old

33955

are men

634

are women

TOTAL ATDS & Sentenced 59359

Youth 14-25 years old

ATD INCARCERATION LEVELS AS ON the last day of 2009/04 Â ATD Children ATDs Under 13

1

Unsentenced 14-18

770

ATD Youth 18-25 year old youth

23999

ATD Women Women

603

ATD Men Adult Men

24016

Total ATDS

49389

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Legal Context in South Africa 2009

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Crimes (committed by child offenders) are increasing, becoming more violent and are happening at an earlier age. On the one hand there is a call for being tougher on crime, where heavier penalties and longer sentences are being encouraged. On the other hand children’s rights must be kept in mind when holding them responsible for their crimes.”

(Professor Jaap Doek, Chairman of the United Nations Committee on the Right of the Child)8

There is a growing trend of children and youth in conflict with the law in South Africa: “Children who are awaiting trial, are in detention, used by adults to commit crime and involved in organized armed violence and the sentencing of children to life remain a major challenge for the judicial system as South Africa has no concrete laws for dealing with child offenders.”9 Previously, children’s rights in South Africa, including those in conflict with the law, were addressed by the South African Constitution, Criminal Procedure Act. But with the newly passed Child Justice Act, there will be separate legislation specifically regarding child offenders. In this section of the analysis, we will specify how YiP’s work must adjust to the legislation in regards to the rights of children and youth who are in conflict with the law.

Before proceeding with the specific regulations regarding children in conflict with the law, it is important to note that the Constitution and Department of Correctional Services define 8

“Justice System,” 1

9

Ibid, 1.

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children and youth differently. The Constitution defines a child as anyone under the age of 18 while Correctional Services operates under the definition of those persons 21 and under. To further complicate matters, a youth is defined under the laws of South Africa as anyone under the age of 35 while Correctional Services operates with an 18-25 year old bracket. This inconsistency, among others in the legislation, has led to poor regulation and implementation of existing laws, as well as poor documentation and research on the situation of children and youth in conflict with the law.

Legislation Reform The Child Justice Act No. 75 of 2008 clearly has set a new pace for South African Juvenile Justice. The Act has put into place what President Nelson Mandela declared pertaining to children in conflict with law in his first State of the Nation Address: that the government will ensure that children will be imprisoned as means of last resort. A lot of academic writers and experts in the field of Juvenile Justice argue and lobby for restorative means to achieve justice for children that are in conflict with law. Furthermore, it is argued that as opposed to children being in prison, it is much better to divert children away from the criminal justice system.

With the new reforms implemented by the Child Justice Act, Young in Prison South Africa (YiP SA) must adjust its focus and aims along with the new legislation. This may

Children who are awaiting trial, are in detention, used by adults to commit crime...

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mean working with Correctional Services to implement programs that focus on restorative justice and diversion. YiP SA has been working with children who are already incarcerated: the organization mainly focuses on rehabilitation programming with the aim of preparing for reintegration into their respective societies. YiP SA has started a prepost release mentoring program in which we assign a mentor to each participant that has only 6 months to his sentence. This mentor is to assist his or her participant with the necessary outlook on life to be able to face the outside world after his or her release. YiP SA currently focuses on the offender and not on the network that might affect or be affected by the offender. We focus on ensuring and trying to lower the chances of the offender returning back to a life of crime. With these aims, YiP SA might fall short of the standards of restorative justice as we do not facilitate programming that allow for things like family conferencing or victim-offender mediation.

The most preferred form of justice for children is through diversion from the criminal justice system completely. Due to the fact that the Act promotes diversion, it would be noteworthy for YiP SA to explore this field and try to assist as there are a lot of children that are in need and diversion properly supports our ideology that ‘children do not belong in prison’.

Currently NICRO (National Institute for Crime Prevention and Reintegration of Offenders) is one of the only organisations that work with diversion. Thus a decision will have to be made, whether YiP SA will also start offering such programming.

With Young In Prison’s current emphasis on rehabilitation and reintegration, we are already on a good platform in regards to the direction juvenile justice is moving toward in South Africa. It would be quite simple to add a restorative justice aspect to our programming as well. Thus, from a advocacy or lobbying point of view, we could start writing research papers that would allow us to be on the forefront of policy decisions and contributions in different Committees in Parliament.

“We focus on ensuring and trying to lower the chances of the offender returning back to a life of crime...

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Magazine Making Project Aim The aim of the magazine project is to use different art forms such as poetry, painting and drawing as a medium through which to approach life skills education.

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Structure of the Project

Process and Project Content

The year was divided up into 3 terms. Each term resulted in the creation of a magazine and a presentation. For the first two terms we conducted one workshop a week for 2 hours, from 9:30am to 12pm, every Monday morning with the Juvenile Males in Medium A, and every Friday to the Female Juvenile Section.

In the last term this went up to twice a week in Med A, with workshops every Monday and Friday and every Thursday morning in the Women’s Centre of Excellence.

The process is primarily based on a practice developed within Project Phakama over many years, where young people are encouraged to engage with personal and social issues through various creative activities. Each workshop is carefully planned and structured to fit into the larger process of the term. At the beginning of the process, participants engage in activities that allow them to get to know each other better, become comfortable with one another and develop trust within the group.

Within each workshop, various activities are planned to get the participants to be focused, relaxed, open and creative as well as more

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intense activities that get the participants to process and express the issues at hand.

Visual arts activities may get paired with drama, dance activities may follow on from something musical. The participants often reflect on the previous activity with another creative activity. With each stage getting them to look a little bit deeper at the issue at hand.

This allows for their expression and reflection to take place in a more abstract manner that is not too threatening or making them feel too vulnerable. The participants only need to disclose what they are comfortable with and they are not pushed to deal with anything that they are not ready to handle. Initially there was very little discussion about the work but as they became more comfortable with each other and they begun to feel personal shifts they requested to discuss matters more and there were times when we talked at length

about how it made them feel and what they were experiencing. The work is based on many years of working with young people but there is still a lot of room for experimentation and continuous reflection regarding what is working and what isn’t.

Prison can often be a very hostile environment where prisoners need to be constantly on guard and concerned for their safety. These workshops offer, at the very least, a respite from this but with the participants full involvement in the programme and willingness to open up there can be many more important and meaningful rewards. The programme gives them an opportunity to process this experience and express how they are feeling, which they don’t have often. It is also a more productive use of their time, as opposed to sitting outside in the courtyard. By doing

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activities in groups participants learn to work with other people and develop relationships of trust, respect and support. Participants also learn to communicate with each other as well a broad audience, through the magazine.

They get an opportunity to formulate their ideas and feelings and express them in a product. Through some of the activities they are given the chance to develop creative thinking and are encouraged to come up with

new possibilities for after they are released.

The participants are able to develop a positive supportive relationships with the facilitators and thus have adults that they trust who they can seek advice from. Performing in front of an audience and being involved in a professional looking magazine improve the self esteem of participants. The participants develop a group bond with others which strengthens their sense of belonging.

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The participants develop a group bond with others which strengthens their sense of belonging....

Response from Participants There has been an incredibly positive response to the magazine from both participants and the public outside who have read it. Having a tangible product such as a magazine worked well to really motivate the participants.

Seeing their work in print really boosted the confidence of the participants and we could see a drastic improvement in commitment and enthusiasm from many of the participants who continued from the second to the third terms.

One participant wrote an a piece about how

seeing his name in print in the first magazine really gave his confidence a boost, it was also evident from the major contribution that he made to the second edition.

The girls also expressed real determination to make a greater contribution the next edition after seeing the second one. They took it as a challenge to prove to the boys that they can also write as well as they do.

Tables 3 and 4 2009 Magazine Making Participants

Male/Female

Transient Participants

150 / 30

Consistent Participants

60 / 20

Reintegration Participants

10 / 6

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Post Release Mentoring Project Aim The post-release mentoring project aims to ease the transition from prison to society for program participants through assigning them a mentor: someone who can aid them by both being a friend to talk to as well as helping with concrete tasks such as enrolling in school or gaining employment.

Structure of the Project Highly qualified mentors are recruited from the community, and are matched one-onone with our program participants who are still incarcerated, but whose release dates fall within the coming 6 months. Geographic location is taken into consideration when matching mentors and mentees (mentors who live in a similar area to where the mentees

will live after released are placed together).

Mentors are trained by our partner, Big Brother Big Sister South Africa (BBBSSA), a highly experienced mentoring organization here in Cape Town. Mentors meet with mentees a minimum of twice a month, for two hours, in order to form a relationship and in order to help prepare them for release. Once released, the mentor continues to meet with the mentee every two weeks, as they did while inside.

Mentors

19

Mentees

17

Sessions in 2009

140

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Youth 4 YiP Aim

Progress of the Project 2009

To can fill in the gaps where volunteers can easily deliver quality programs, to offer entertaining activities to young people stuck awaiting trial, and to offer a way in which members of the community can get involved as part of building a network and advocating for the target group.

It was an exciting year for Youth 4 YiP. We hosted a variety of quality projects run by members of the community and partner organizations. On average, seven volunteer projects ran simultaneously with an average of 40 volunteers involved on a regular basis throughout the year. Highlights from the year include an in-house production of scenes from Julius Caesar, karate day, and a capoeira project. We also welcomed a new volunteer coordinator mid-year, Chenge Maruziva, who is a qualified social worker and excellent coordinator. Fruitful partnerships were formed as well through the volunteer projects such as a partnership with Project Phakama, the Independent Theatre Movement of South Africa, and Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE).

Structure Volunteers are organized into teams according to their expertise and interests and run projects for two hours a week in a variety of subjects such as literacy, theatre, soccer, games and music.

Number of Volunteers

80

Number of Workshops

224

Number of Participants

336

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Community Awareness and Advocacy Media Attention 2009 saw YiP SA in the news throughout the year. Media appearances include: l An interview with Tarisai Mchuchu and

Lauren Dollar on Voice of the Cape on February 3; l An interview with Tarisai Mchuchu and

Lauren Dollar on Otherwise with Nancy Richards on SAFM on May 12; l An

interview with Julia Merrett regarding Insider Art on Otherwise with Nancy Richards on SAFM on September 30;

l An

interview with Julia Merrett regarding Insider Art on the Late Night Radio show with Carol Mashigo on Radio 2000;

l Interviews

with both Tarisai Mchuchu and Janine van Rooy on the TV program Keepin’ it Real on two separate occasions;

l A

full page article on YiP SA in the January 2009 Big Issue magazine;

l An article in the Cape Argus in October

regarding Insider Art;

UCT YiP SA has successfully applied to be a recognized society at University of Cape Town (UCT). This will enable us to conduct events on campus, as well as to recruit students during orientation week and throughout the year. We recruited volunteers during orientation week in 2009, although we were denied a table as we were such a new society, so we handed out pamphlets instead. As our first event at UCT on March 19, we hosted a screening of the documentary film The Choir, which follows the story of a prison choir in the juvenile section of Leeukop Prison in Pretoria. We had a modest turnout, but managed to recruit interest, spread word about the issue, ignite conversation and gained a few volunteers as a result of the effort. We look forward to 2010 when we will be eligible for a table at O-week.

Distribution of the Magazine Approximately 1,000 of the April edition, 1,500 of the August edition and 1,000 of Inside Out have been distributed throughout Cape Town, including at Lentegeur High School, Florida High School, Ravensmead High School, Parkdene High School, Calenia Primary School, De Novo Drug Centre, the Really, Really Free Market and the University of Cape Town.

l And

finally a half-page article in the South African Design magazine Design Indaba.

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Lesotho Probation Officers

Art Exhibition: Insider Art

In the month of March we had a visit from Lesotho Probation Officers who had been sent by their government to look at programs that work for the rehabilitation of youth offenders.

They attended our magazine making workshop in Medium A. It was very well run, and they got to witness how life skills can be taught using creative arts.

Our most successful and media-generating community outreach event was the first ever YiP SA art exhibition, Insider Art, which took place September 29-October 6. 200 people were in attendance, and the exhibition was covered by two radio stations and two print media sources (see above).

29 October 2009

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FNB First National Bank, an official partner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, presented YiP SA with two full soccer kits and 2010 soccer balls for our soccer projects. Stephan Claassen, incoming Provincial Chairman for FNB Western Cape, said that FNB was proud to be associated with Young in Prison. “FNB is committed to supporting the growth and development of the youth of our country. We share a common goal with Young in Prison in supporting and nurturing the communities we operate in across the country.” The FNB Provincial Chairman handed over the soccer kits and balls at the Pollsmoor Prison, Medium A section, at the Young in Prison’s quarterly magazine presentation. During this presentation the young men in the YiP project

profiled the work that they have done over the past four months to their parents, Department of Correctional Services staff members and various YiP stakeholders.

FNB’s Head of Sponsorships and Events, Francois Pienaar, also attended the handover and addressed the YiP participants, who view the rugby legend as a role model to young people. Pienaar said, “It is an honour to be involved with a programme such as Young in Prison. The youth of our country play a crucial role in the future success of South Africa and that is why it is imperative that organisations such as FNB support and nurture their development.”

Above: YiP SA staff Deon Engelbrecht and Tarisai Mchuchu with DCS members and FNB representative Perl Nel ; Right: Francois Pienaar presents our participants with the soccer kits Young in Prison Annual Report 2009

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Capacity Building 2009 was a big year for YiP, in regards to organizational growth and trainings. Our staff grew from two to four in-office employees, as well as increasing our workshops in Pollsmoor, hosting multiple trainings, and building our volunteer base through a new group of highly qualified youth-worker mentors.

Staff Development This year has been an incredible year for staff development. We welcomed Deon Engelbrecht, our first fulltime Post-Release Coordinator to our team. In addition, we welcomed back Suzanne Bessem as a temporary Project Coordinator and Context Analysis Consultant.

We gained a great Volunteer Coordinator, Chenge Maruziva, to our staff. Finally we gained three qualified youth program facilitators, Nkosinathi Buyana, Julia Merrett and Clinton Osbourne to the YiP family.

Internship Program In addition to hired staff, we also hosted multiple qualified interns from all over the world throughout 2009. Thank you to all of our interns who gave willingly of their time and energy: Jennifer Young, Luisa Sanchez Iriarte Mendoza, Olivia Rodbard, Sander Timmermans and Tarek Slimani.

Trainings l Project Cycle Management Training for

fulltime staff (Partner Meeting 2009) l ICCPPC

Conference on Restorative Justice and the Child Justice Act

l Alive

and Free Program Training for facilitators and staff

l Mentorship

Training for our mentors through Big Brother Big Sister South Africa

l Transformation Training for facilitators l Volunteer

Training of our volunteers

Research and Policy Young in Prison South Africa compiled their first independently executed context analysis this year. Integrated into the context analysis were the views of our stakeholders, who contributed their feedback in an organized stakeholders meeting, including Department of Correctional Services (DCS) members, Department of Social Development (DSD) representatives and our partners YMCA and Big Brother Big Sister South Africa. In addition we contributed to the international Young in Prison vision document, we signed the first Memorandum of Understanding with YiP NL, and approved the international Young in Prison Partnership Policy. Finally, during the Partner Meeting and throughout the year, YiP SA has been working closely with our partners worldwide, especially YiP

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NL, to develop and implement a workable Monitoring and Evaluation scheme that is relevant to our context; one has been decided upon internationally and we look forward to implementing the scheme in 2010.

Partner Meeting 2009 In February 2009, our YiP colleagues from around the world came to Cape Town for the

first official international Young in Prison Partner Meeting, with YiP SA as the host. The meeting allowed for valuable teambuilding, south-south exchange, training and consolidation of YiP as a unified international organization. It was an invaluable experience which has eased the connections between us and our global partners, has enriched and inspired our work, and has given us a global perspective. We look forward to the partner meeting 2010 in Colombia.

Partner Meetings 2009

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Partnerships and Stakeholders Big Brother Big Sister South Africa (BBBSSA)BBBSSA has been an integral part of our PostRelease Mentoring program. YiP mentors are registered with both YiP and BBBSSA, and are trained, monitored, and matched by both organizations in cooperation. Thank you to Tammy Job, the case manager at BBBSSA, for her dedication and hard work this year. Our partnership has been successful and we have achieved more together than we would apart.

Thank you very much to Tammy Job for her constant diligence.

YMCA- The YMCA is another organization that works inside Pollsmoor within the same section as we do. Our relationship as partners has grown this year, as Nkosinathi and Deon of the YMCA joined our team (and had been referred to us by the YMCA). In addition, we have been on trainings together, and we have started to collaborate in Post-Release, such as the Alive and Free camp our participants attended.

Thank you to Melinda Bechus for her help.

Independent Theatre Movement of South Africa (ITMSA)- The ITMSA have partnered with us in 2009 to bring the Julius Caesar project to Bonnytoun. The project was a huge success, and we plan to repeat the project in 2010 in partnership with this theatre company. Thank you to Tauriq Jenkins.

Project Phakama- Through funding of Mikhael Subotzky, a renowned photographer who is known for his photographs taken inside of Pollsmoor Maximum, Project Phakama brought a successful arts project to our participants in

Medium A. Running parallel to the magazine project, the project complimented our project Council for International Educational Exchange (CIEE)- CIEE has partnered with us here at YiP and has provided us with a multitude of volunteers who have come to Cape Town to study abroad.

Connect 1-2-3- Connect 1-2-3 is another organization which organizes internships and study abroad projects for international students. We have partnered again with them this year and have hosted an intern from the program here at YiP. UHURU Productions- UHURU Productions availed their documentary The Choir to us for our advocacy program.

Department of Social Development- Perhaps one of our most vital stakeholders is the Department of Social Development (DSD), which is responsible for administering Bonnytoun House of Safety. In addition, they have supplied 3 of our post-release participants with scholarships for skills training courses. Thank you to Mr. Baker and Mr. Williams.

Department of Correctional Services- Finally, once again one of our most vital stakeholders is the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), without whose support, YiP programs in Pollsmoor Prison would not be able to take place. Thank you to Ms. Benn, Mr. Martin, Mr. Jacobs, Ms. Qesha, and Ms. Antoni.

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2010 and Beyond Young in Prison, as a young organisation that is endeavouring to entrench its methodology of mixing arts, sports and education as an intervention strategy that will enable juveniles deprived of their liberty to reintegrate back into their society after release and positively contribute to their various societies/ communities has developed a new strategy to better provide its service towards achieving this goal. YiPSA has assessed the way it has been running its programs; the result of the assessment is this document that outlines the problem that we have faced and strategic solutions that we have come up with.

Reintegration Project Up to now, in the reintegration project, YiP has been focussed on reaching many children each year, however we have witnessed very few results, as this approach is not focussed enough. As we work towards reintegration, we need a quality-based program that produces results. Changes to our program will entail limiting the number of participants to 10-15; requiring potential participants to illustrate their motivation before entering the project; will be analyzed by a social worker; increasing the program to 5 days a week in the male section; and cut down to two magazines a year.

met with the short intensive model. Ultimately the challenge for this target group is the high turnover rate.

Short Intensive Model The Short Intensive Model seeks to make a large impact on the target group through inspiring them, planting a seed, and through imparting life skills on an intense level in a very short period of time (in order to combat the challenge of high turnover as much as possible). The project would run every day, for a few hours a day, every day throughout the week for a short period of time (1-3 weeks).

Projects which will emulate this model include the Theatre Project which will be run in partnership with the Independent Theatre Movement of South Africa and the Alternatives to Violence Program. In addition, we will pilot the high impact method designed by our partner La Familia Ayara, in which 3-4 hour workshops are given in a particular art form, and the participants leave the workshop having acquired that particular skill.

Thank you to our sponsors:

Awaiting Trial: Bonnytoun House of Safety The challenge of working effectively with awaiting trial males this coming year will be

Young in Prison Annual Report 2009

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Young in prison South Africa Annual Financial Statements 2009

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Young in Prison Annual Report 2009

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