NEW YEAR, NEW ROLES, NEW COACHES and NEW TRAINING!

I would like to take this opportunity to formally welcome and say well done to all the coaches for making it through their 2 weeks of training and orientation. A special congratulations to new coaches; Zinthle, Anthony, and Athenkosi. On behalf of everyone I want to thank the reserve coaches, Indi, Emihle, and Khanya, for putting in the effort to attend and engage in each session.

A special “welcome back to SoHK” to Yongisa, who is now a Team Lead with me.

I am also very excited about Urshwin being promoted to NxtGenMen Programme Lead!

As the whole team has gone through the training, we have covered many topics. These topics have been in preparation for the coaches to enter the schools and be ready to provide the necessary support to our participants as well as granting them the knowledge and practical experience for their growth.

In week one, the coaches attended sessions covering the organisation's logic, processes and policies, and for some of them, their first touch rugby experience. The week ended with a short course provided and accredited by UCT called PFA (Psychological First Aid). This is a new training element to give all of the coaches the necessary information and skills to manage and deal with the type of situations they may face when entering the schools and dealing with the participants. This course spoke to the psychosocial aspect of working with our participants. The coaches have been equipped with rapport building-, needs assessment-, needs prioritization-, and intervention skills. This was provided through the model known as RAPID.

Week 2 started with the PFA course assessment and roleplays. The new coaches were paired with a coach from previous years and in a scenario where they made use of their new PFA training. Many of the coaches found themselves in difficult positions and realised again that the work we do at SoHK is tough and that we need to be supportive of each other and have a comprehensive skillset to do our work to the highest standard possible. Constructive criticism and information were provided and all coaches felt better equipped and ready to deal with disclosures they might face working with at-risk adolescents.

Nearing the end of the 2-week training and orientation period, the coaches got to grips with the evidence-based SoHK curriculum and received insight into its creation and reasoning for each session. The most important part of the overview was the explanation of the theoretical framework sunderpinning the curriculum. The coaches were shown the aspects of the curriculum that lead to change within the participants. They were also given the chance to experience what it is like to be in a session - acting as participants and receiving the sessions as the learners will.

I am very proud of my existing and new colleagues and am very excited about the impact we are going to have on 600+ children’s lives in 2024. Watch this space!