Q3 newsletter to the AT UK website

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Q3 newsletter to the AT UK website

Published on: October 19th, 2023

With summer turning into autumn in the United Kingdom, we reflect on the year’s progress and set our sights on what awaits us on the final stretch of the year. At Afrika Tikkun, our commitment to making a real difference in the lives of young people and communities across South Africa is stronger than ever. We are excited to share the latest updates, stories and accomplishments during the months of July, August and September.

Starting off with our biggest funding raising event of the year – the Spirit of Belron Challenge (SOBC).

We celebrated 22 amazing years of our corporate partner Belron and the Belron community rallying behind Afrika Tikkun at SOBC. The virtual Round the World event took place from the 13th – 23rd of September with the in-person Day at Dorney event taking place at Dorney Lake on the 23rd of September. An incredible 10,500 people from around the world joined the Challenge virtually, with a further 2,000 taking part in the Day at Dorney.

This year’s Challenge saw over 12,000 participants swim, cycle, run, walk or travel by wheelchair to fundraise for Afrika Tikkun with a combined total of over 385,000 kms! Our Afrika Tikkun centres in South Africa also clocked in an impressive 74,000 kms!

Funds were raised through a combination of individuals raising funds, donations from Belron employees, partners, and suppliers across the world and for every 1 km travelled by each participant, Belron donated €1!

Four fabulous young people from our centres in South Africa travelled to the United Kingdom to participate in the Day at Dorney event. These young people joined Olympic triathlon relay teams and played pivotal roles in the competition. Two of them cycled 40kms, while the other two conquered the 10km run.

While in the UK, the young people spent time with Belron International, Belron UK, Renaissance Foundation and KSR Architects. They had a wonderful time meeting, experiencing and understanding more about life outside of South Africa, the people that support Afrika Tikkun and the potential careers that exist that may be different to what they had been exposed to, to date.

A special thank you goes to Belron and the Belron community for helping us turn our mission into a reality. Your support has played a pivotal role in transforming the lives of young South Africans and ensuring that many young South Africans become economically empowered and independent.

Carglass France Cycle from Paris to SOBC

Included in the 385,000kms was a team of dedicated cyclists from Carglass France and Thabo from Afrika Tikkun South Africa who travelled by bike, from Paris to the UK, covering an impressive 270kms. A huge congratulations goes to them for completing the challenge and making it look so easy!

Carglass Germany Bike Challenge

Carglass Germany hosted their annual bike challenge in September at the Carglass headquarters and service centres around Germany. Another group of four young AT people were selected to travel to Köln, Germany to participate in the challenge. On the day, stationary bikes ran for 12 hours to rack up kms for the Carglass Giving Back Foundation. The combined kms were also part of the virtual SOBC Round the World Challenge. The bike challenge had incredible energy and fun was had by all our young people.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award (DOEIA)

Year two of our partnership with DOEIA at our centres is underway! We are now running the programme for both silver and bronze participants with the silver participates taking the role as mentors to the new Bronze cohort.

Success Stories

“I joined the Duke of Edinburgh program this year and I am currently in the Bronze cohort. My experience with the DOE has been difficult at first but now I am getting used to it. My experience so far has taught me to balance my schoolwork and the time I spend exercising. Doing something new is difficult until you get used to it, and now I have made the programme to be part of my life. Being part of the Award has also been enjoyable because I learned to do teamwork and how to communicate with people.” – Bukho, Bronze Participant.

Belron Canada Ralph Hosker Technical Training Programme

Supported by Belron Canada, the Belron Canada Ralph Hosker Technical Training Programme provides automotive window Llumar film and paint protection training to four candidates. The training includes both theory and practical components and covers assisting customers, safety in the working environment, performance of the film and film installation. To date, the learners have completed their training centre phase of the programme and are now placed at Llumar Accredited Fitment Centres where they will undergo practical on-the-job training in different areas of film fitting.

Key Events at Afrika Tikkun

Talent Day

Talent Day is a day when Afrika Tikkun celebrates the unique talents of its young people through its programmes. In addition to showing off their skills, they also express their artistry while having fun. This year’s talent day took place in July at the Zolile Malindi Centre in Cape Town and the Imperial Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

Young Urban Women (YUW) Sanitary Product Drive

In commemoration of Women’s month, the Young Urban Women from the Arekopaneng Centre in Orange Farm raised funds to purchase sanitary products to distribute among their fellow young girls in their community.

Young Urban Men (YUM) Leadership Training

In August, Young Urban Men from all Gauteng-based Centres gathered in Pretoria for a weekend-long training on leadership. The training was aimed to further empower the young men and foster a sense of solidarity and collaboration among them to create positive change in their communities.

Young Urban Women and Young Urban Men are initiatives aimed at young people to discuss issues impacting their communities.

Wing of Life Sports Soccer Tournament

In celebration of Women’s month, Afrika Tikkun’s Wings of Life Centre in Diepsloot held a Young Women in Sports Soccer tournament. The event was specifically designed to empower and showcase the talent and strength of young women in the world of sports.

Internships at Afrika Tikkun

Last quarter we introduced you to Emma but this quarter, we are excited to introduce you Fabienne from Germany. Fabienne is currently working closely with our Marketing department at our Head Office in Johannesburg. Check out her reflections on her experience so far!

Centre Visits

Thank you so much to the following groups for visiting our centres! If you would like to visit any of our five centres, please contact us at infouk@afrikatikkun.org.