Support a class of at-risk South African children

Dear Friends of YOUPSA,

We hope you enjoy this brief update, stories and photos about our work.

In October YOUPSA started its Literacy Volunteer Training and Creative Youth Empowerment Volunteer Training. We had participants come from all over the Gamtoos Valley area to take part in these personal and professional development programmes. During these trainings volunteers learned to lead workshops for children and youth to unfold their potential and promote literacy in their communities. Volunteers learned techniques for reading with children, how to inspire children to read books, and how to set up and run a reading club.

YOUPSA also runs Youth Leadership & Team-Building Programmes at each of our partner schools, with two students from each Grade, 4 – 7. The motto that we have adopted is: "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams

Thanks to your support for YOUPSA's weekly Creative Youth Empowerment Programme. the children enjoyed many new experiences, like creating their own beaded arm bracelets and experimenting with different musical hand instruments.

Among the childrens' favorite activities were learning to write and illustrate their own book, as well as making friendship bracelets on a cardboard loom. The children so much appreciated the chance to be creative and to express themselves. They were absolutely delighted to have a chance to use real arts materials, made possible by our kind donors, which they otherwise never have access to.

We can only support these children through your help. Please remember YOUPSA and our vulnerable youth in your end of year giving. Please donate generously so that we can continue providing at-risk youth with the necessary conditions they need to flourish.

We'd love to hear from you!

Best regards,

the YOUPSA Team

Dear Friends,

Here is an update about what's been happening at YOUPSA - made possible through your kind help!

During the recent South African National Book Week, YOUPSA was featured in 3 media outlets: The Herald, Kouga Express, and Good News Daily!

We launched a 'Book Buddies Program' at all of our partner schools. You can read all about it in the newspaper article featured here in this report. 

One of the most moving things for us to see is children, who have been known to be very weak readers, quickly gain confidence and increasingly enjoy reading when reading together with their Book Buddy. The children glow afterwards and are so excited to share the stories they read!

The low level of literacy is a real crisis in South Africa. In fact, in many of the classrooms where we work, about half of the children cannot yet read or write. For this reason we at YOUPSA are so passionate about helping children to gain access to books for reading for pleasure and growing their love of reading.

Please continue to keep YOUPSA and our children in mind and consider making a once-off donation or becoming a monthly donor, to ensure that our programs can reach more children.

We hope you enjoy this update. We'd love to hear from you!

Best regards,

the YOUPSA Team

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