On the 23rd October 2013, students from various schools int he Diepsloot and Mayfair areas, participated in the Tsogo Sun’s SunCares Arts Academy Concert. These young talents were selected by the National eisteddfod Association as being chosen as some of the brightest young talents within this programme.
I went to see this Award Ceremony at the Lyric Theatre and was amazed and touched by the incredible talent and enthusiasm that dominated this theatre. It was a truly inspirational day for me.
With various celebrities and patrons on board, one of them being PJ Powers, this inititative gave me hope for the future of the youth of our country.
I spoke to Shanda Paine, the Tsogo Sun’s Group CSI Manager about this programme and what it means to these children.
Who came up with this initiative?
S.P.:
“I headed it. As a strategy we wanted to get involved in the extracurricular activities of schools. We wanted to get involved in education and extracurricular was the best way to do that. We decided to keep it in the schools. We play a role in sports and education and the arts. We associate our brand with entertainment anyway and it was a natural fit for the brand. This was a natural progression for our brand. We wanted to go into the community and were thinking about how we could do this. We looked at the community. We decided to keep it in the schools, as an extracurricular activity, so that it could become part of their daily routine and lives. They are at school anyway, so there would be no travelling issues.”
“We thought about how we could create this programme. How do we create a curriculum and not just organise an event. The Awards Ceremony was a culmination of a curriculum that had been running for a whole year. That was our strategy. We selected various schools in the community; we looked at the Diepsloot Community and the Mayfair Community. We partnered with the schools, discussed it with them and worked with the department of education too.”
“For the whole year, 2 afternoons a week, there are 40 kids in each school who attend this programme. Just like you may have rugby practice twice a week, you now have an art work shop.”
“We piloted it with one school last year, to test it and it was well received. The kids were amazing. Now we are 12 schools, 480 kids across Gauteng.”
What is the purpose of this programme?
S.P.:
“What we do in this programme, is that it is about arts and although we started with performing arts, we are going to expand. In those 2 sessions a week, it is about learning life skills as well as art skills; through the arts we develop life skills.”
“Things like time management, being on time, commitment, attendance, reliability to yourself, your team, your fellow artists… and using that as a platform and very importantly as well, it keeps these kids off the streets and gives them something to be interested in. So when 2pm comes they don’t just wonder off with nothing to do, they’ve go t something interesting and fun to do, to spend time in a constructive manner, in a controlled environment.”
What has the response been like and how have the children benefitted from this?
S.P.:
“It has been an amazing journey. We have also being figuring it out. The kids have gone nuts. The smiles are phenomenal, and so throughout the year, that is what they do. They start to learn about themselves, understanding emotion in a creative way; how to express yourself, facial expressions and all that stuff gets built into it.”
“Through that we start with working towards the production which occurs at the end of the year. This however, starts throughout the year, alongside the life skills, with choreography, moves, music..Then they work on it together, which is what you saw, as a culmination of a years’ worth of work.We get external project managers, who are teachers, like dance teacers, etc.”
Long term goals?
S.P.:
“The vision eventually, is that as the kids get older, they can start becoming the choreographer, costume designer, music manager, etc and so become less and less dependent on external parties.So that’s the long term vision.”
“Part of what we also do is introducing them to other parts of the arts world; strongly the performing arts. For example, we had tours to the Lyric Theatre and Teatro, so that they can see what’s behind the stage. We try to explain that there are career opportunities in other areas, like a sound engineer, lighting engineer, production manager, stage manager, song writer, set designer. Like with a set designer, that involves someone who can draw. These kids doodle a lot, the kids don’t realise that this is something you can use. You can go into advertising, set design, various things. We are trying to teach them through these arts that there are various possibilities.”
“The other side is also exposing these kids to productions, so for example, we brought them to the Teatro. They had never been to a theatre that huge, they had never seen ballet shoes, etc. They didn’t know what an orchestra was, that this is the pit where the orchestra plays.”
“This shows them that if they don’t become a performer, they become an appreciator. So it’s both sides.”
Tell us about the Award Concert?
S.P.:
“So that day, we had the kids in the community perform for their parents and learners in the Community, we didn’t want to take them out of the community. We wanted their community to also enjoy it, which is important. The response from the parents was phenomenal, especially in Diepsloot, and for the kids to show their achievements to the community. Then we had another in Mayfair.”
“What you saw, at the Awards Show, were the winners of those shows.”
“Those who didn’t perform were audience members and got to see the shows.”
“We also get professionals involved. Like getting PJ Powers as our patron was phenomenal and all the kids know her as ‘Thandeka’. When she walks into the school premises they all scream ‘Thandeka’. They go nuts for her and love working with her and she loves working with them.”
“A lot of celebrities have shown an interest in this too. They all want to meaningfully give back. A lot more want to get involved.”
What has come out of this?
S.P.:
“One thing, was that PJ Powers also watched the young rapper, who blew everyone away, and has now decided to take him under her wings. This is a story that we are going to watch, which will be great. She told him to lose the American accent, to work local. She is starting to work with him. She found some young dancers that she also wants to work with. These kids also perform at their own schools as well, they perform during lunch breaks etc.”
“It is amazing how through art, these kids have found a way to express themselves. For example some kids don’t 
express themselves through the class room, it’s just not their way. At one of the schools we worked with, one of the teachers came up to us after seeing the show and said that the one little girl on stage, never speaks in class at all, then she gets on stage and she comes out of her shell. It is amazing. She actually cried.”
“Another youngster who is not academically strong, who is in the programme and is so talented has become a leader amongst his group, in helping the facilitators and team leaders, and he has found his strength. He doesn’t miss a day of the school, so that he doesn’t miss out on the programme. These are the things we are trying to encourage, to find other talents not in the mainstream way. If you give someone that kind of confidence, who knows what you can achieve. So we are hoping for great things.”
“Our goal is to create great young South Africans who make great choices. That’s the long term goal. This gives them the platform to do this.”
“I am a fan in changing this country and you cannot change it without the youth of this country. They have to be given the platform and opportunities.”
S.P. = Shanda Paine
Please see the PJ Powers interview, on the music site, where she also talks about her involvement in this incredible inititative.
