Agent of Change Faizel Newman will cycle 109km this Sunday 13 March in the Cape Town Cycle Tour to raise funds for the Amy Foundation Sports programme Gangs, drugs and violence, are the words often associated with the Bonteheuwel community. Faizel Newman wants to raise awareness for the Amy Foundation that runs two after school programmes at Mimosa Primary School and Bonteheuwel High School. High-risk youth are often referred to as the disconnected. Despite this, all youth have strengths to build on – the youth have resilience – and programmes that focus on building youth resilience will enable them to implement a strengths-based approach in making and implementing life choices. Years of research exploring healthy development and successful learning from various social science disciplines have found a strong relationship between healthy behaviours and academic success. Youth development is defined as the process of promoting the social, emotional, physical, moral, cognitive, and spiritual development of young people through meeting their needs for safety, love, belonging, respect, identity, power, challenge, mastery, and meaning. Youth from disadvantaged communities like Bonteheuwel face enormous challenges, plagued by high crime rates, high levels of drug-related crimes and the use of drugs, inadequate recreational facilities, single-parent families, high unemployment, gangsterism and pandemic diseases such as HIV/Aids, TB and now COVID. Additional further barriers to learning that the average school learner has to deal with include overcrowded classrooms, poorly maintained and equipped buildings, poor literacy and numeracy skills, a shortage of appropriate learning support materials as well as limited or no opportunities for social and cultural enrichment. Poverty and social exclusion are seen to have significant outcomes on Youth’s lives both in the short and long term, across a variety of physical, cognitive, behavioural, emotional and economic outcomes. Civil Society and Governments need to develop and implement strategies that can transform entire societies, strengthen local communities and forge a sense of identity and belonging for people of all ages. As a vector for youth development and civic engagement, sports programmes play an essential role in promoting sustainable social development for future generations. Sport can be a powerful tool to promote youth development. By providing opportunities for young people to develop transferable life skills – characteristics such as leadership, perseverance, social and moral character, self-esteem, commitment to teamwork, problem-solving, problem-solving and organisational ability social sports builds resilience. Sports command a proven power to cross barriers, create communities and unite nations, to affect the heart and the mind, from the richest man to the poorest child. The Amy Foundation after school sports programme approach is one where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems – including youth; parents, stakeholders and all other relevant role players and resources. Through various sports programmes like soccer, the foundation becomes of beacon of light and hope for the youth who attend the programmes. The Foundation also provides educational, cultural activities that offer students healthy alternatives to all the negative influences within their society unlock their creative talent and create future emotionally well-rounded individuals, positive role models, leaders and entrepreneurs for South Africa. “I am cycling my first Cape Town Cycle Tour this Sunday because I believe that through the Amy Foundation sports programme, where I am a soccer coach, I can become a catalyst for change. Our Sports Programme develops feelings of competence, connectedness and empowerment among youth and is skills-based, team-focused and learning-rich. I also believe that organized sport can prevent youth crime by developing capable, mature and responsible youth. The Programmes provide positive role models to youth. I am one of those community role models,” says Faizel Newman. “I am cycling for Amy Foundation to continue doing what they do; we are in the business of changing lives. Please help me to achieve my goal. Donate today via BackaBuddy” continues Newman. Become an agent of change and help Faizel raise R9000, which will keep one youth off the streets and in his after school soccer programme for the next 12 months. Donate here: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/faizel-cycles-for-amy-foundation