Helderberg Academy

The Helderberg Academy is a Non-Profit Organisation based in Somerset-West, South Africa. The aim of the Helderberg Academy is to teach life-skills through sports in underprivileged communities in the Somerset-West area. The Helderberg Academy was started after a massive need was identified in South Africa for the fatherless generation:

Statistics of South Africa

1. 40% of children live without their biological fathers. In the cities this figure goes up to 80%.
2. 85% of children with behavioral problems come from fatherless homes.
3. 90% of homeless children come from fatherless homes.
4. 71% of children that don’t attend school come from fatherless homes.
5. 63% of children attempting sucide come from fatherless homes.

(www.fathersforlife.org)

A father establishes authority, confers identity, provides security and encourages potential. Without an active father, children are at risk of all of these things and more.

The Helderberg Academy aims to teach life skills through sport, so that children from a fatherless generation can be fathered in essential skills and receive the encouragement and support they need as they grow up and reach their true potential. Children often do not get sufficient physical exercise at school, which means they lack the emotional and social development that comes from being an active member of a team. The Helderberg Academy also seeks to build inter-community relationships through monthly sport competitions and holiday clubs.

Primary aim

• Empower and encourage children’s potential & self esteem.
• Help the children build relationships with other children from different cultural and racial backgrounds.
• Help with physical, mental and social development of the children.
• Give children an opportunity to play like children and have a break from all responsibilities at home.

Method

• Sports coaching: teaching children the skills needed to play soccer, netball, rugby, dance and other sports, and also to keep fit and healthy, fighting obesity.
• Life-skills mentoring: teaching many values such as respect, responsibility, courage and empathy.
• Leadership development: teaching children to be role models in their communities by giving them experience in leadership/coaching.

Through strategic partnerships we have been able to gather a number of sports coaches to assist in the projects we are running, and believe that as we empower these coaches to work with young people the sphere of influence of the Helderberg Academy will grow, seeing a steadily increasing number of children and young adult lives influenced for the better.