The NPO Lalela recently received an award for its educational arts for at-risk youth in Pniël and Lanquedoc at the 21st Cultural Affairs Awards of the provincial Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, and was named Best Arts and Culture Programme.
“To be recognised on such a platform as the annual awards, a celebration of the rich cultural, linguistic and heritage excellence in our province, is an acknowledgement of Lalela’s significant contribution to our diverse cultural landscape through the arts,” said Firdous Hendricks, Lalela’s executive director.
“Reflecting on this honour I want to express my immense pride and gratitude. I am so incredibly proud of our team for everything achieved over the last 12 years. We are true trailblazers of change! A massive ‘thank you’ to all our supporters and to the Lalela team. The award is a reminder of the transformative power of art influencing young minds to embrace and grow their potential.”
According to spokesperson Linda Daniels, the NPO provides the youths with educational arts to spark creative thinking and awaken the entrepreneurial spirit.
Lalela’s after-school workshops are held in partnership with the Bertha Foundation at Bertha Retreat at Boschendal and the programme are held with learners from Grade 1 to 7, four days a week (Monday to Thursday) at designated classrooms at Bertha Retreat. The optimal number of learners per class is considered between 20 to 30 learners and they are drawn from nearby Nondzame and Pniël primary schools.
“Lalela’s methodology, in development since 2011, connects the arts to everything important in a child’s life, from core academics to critical life skills,” Daniels related. “At its heart is our philosophy that we do not teach learners ‘what to think’, but rather, we provide experiential learning that encourages them ‘how to think’.
“Our curriculum and facilitation methods are supported by thorough needs assessments, rigorous training of facilitators and diligent implementation. We promote positive classroom behaviour and attitudes by rewarding attendance, collaborative work, respect, courage and leadership.”
They started with the programme in 2019, when Lalela began a new partnership with Bertha Foundation, launching a programme at Bertha Retreat in the Cape Winelands. Adjacent to the affluence of the tourism-rich Cape Winelands, the communities of Lanquedoc and Pniël are adversely affected by poverty and indigence, with a notably high school drop-out rate.
Said Lerato Sitole of Bertha Retreat: “As we use art as a tool to tackle the element of spatial justice, given the area we operate from, the collaboration between Lalela and the Bertha Retreat has also worked as a change of mind and the work done so far has helped encourage positive relationships within the Dwarsrivier valley, which has led to significant community building and we hope that it impacts young artists in a positive way.”
Daniels added they are always in need of art materials and they welcome volunteers during the autumn and winter school holidays. Donations are always welcome and interested people or organisations can visit lalea.org and click on the “donate” button.
