The Seven Passes Initiative is a community-based organisation in the southern Cape, that operates in the Hoekwil area incorporating the township of Touwsranten and the surrounding farming district. The Initiative serves both the community of Touwsranten and children of farm workers in the adjacent farming district. The Initiative has been in existence since January 2008.

The objective of the Initiative is to facilitate and encourage positive youth development through after-school care, in particular through our homework clubs and other after school activities. In doing so the aim is both to reduce youth involvement in crime and develop a generation of children who can realise their future goals.

The Seven Passes Initiative was established by commercial farmers and members of the community of Touwrsranten/Hoekwil who were concerned by the increase in anti-social behaviour by youth in the area, in particular an increase in gang activity on the farms. It was our understanding that there were a number of factors contributing to the increase in gang involvement by the youth, including:

• Boredom caused by an absence of interesting or stimulating activities

• Absence of adult or parental supervision during daytimes and weekends

• Absence of positive role models

• Children were struggling at school and were not able to get adequate supervision of their homework, this led to low self-esteem and a loss of hope for the future or lack of positive ambition

We support, facilitate and develop the education of children in the area as well as provide after school activities that foster a sense of belonging, fun and build skill in other areas such as drama and sport.

It has been shown by a recent survey undertaken by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention that completing Grade 12, placing priority on excelling at school and wanting to study further beyond school; and working hard to obtain good marks were extremely influential factors in creating resilience amongst youth to involvement in crime.

Over the past two years the organisation has grown and developed incrementally, as have expectations from youth and parents in the community.
The organisation has gained the trust and support of the community and has a more mature understanding of the needs of young people than it did when it started. It is now necessary for the organisation to grow and become sustainable. This is particularly necessary since it has created expectations amongst the youth that they can receive support and assistance.

In 2010 the organisation seeks to establish an office staffed by a fulltime office manager, supported by a financial manager and fund-raiser to ensure sustainability and improve our services. We wish to employ three fieldworkers with educational backgrounds to oversee the homework clubs and provide academic support to students; continue to employ the area co-ordinator; employ a social worker and the computer centre manager. An assessment of our service has shown that a number of children do not make use of the homework clubs because the support that the student volunteers can offer in term of assistance with maths and content subjects is limited. We believe that if we offer a more professional service we will be able to increase the size of the homework classes. Currently 64 children regularly attend the homework classes. There are an estimated 2500 children in the area that we could be assisting. Our objective is to provide support for a far larger percentage of children.