I have a big interest in our community projects like the soup kitchen and the gardens. Life skills is about empowering yourself and being independent and trying to solve problems that may come your way. In March of 2005 I attended and passed the Youth Futures life skills course, it gave me confidence to speak up in front of people. It gives me choices in each and every situation and helps me take responsibility for the actions I take. I am a good listener. Click here to see my Hero Book

MADaboutART aims to build a programme that is sustainable and replicable and in 2004 created a ‘Youth Ambassador’ programme, a team of full-time peer educators trained to deliver comprehensive, accurate and actionable HIV education and youth empowerment.

 

Our Youth Ambassador programme is essentially a pyramid empowerment programme that creates a network of skilled educators to provide sustainable HIV education locally. Full-time Youth Ambassadors are provided with comprehensive training in all aspect of HIV and AIDS, introduced to MADaboutART's techniques and encouraged to develop their own dynamic, creative interventions. Training is extensive and requires continued commitment and support from peers. After completion of a 3 week residential Life Skills course, external mentorship is available. In 4 years our Youth Ambassadors have taken control of their own community issues and are running programmes that are relevant and show impact.

Peer review by the International Red Cross in 2006 highlighted child participation as a key attribute of the MADaboutART model.

‘Now we see what is really possible when you spend time with children and assist them to reach the point where they make all the decisions themselves. I can honestly say MADaboutART is the only project I have seen where this participation is a reality’.