South African Council of Churches

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South African Council of Churches

• Decade to Overcome ViolenceProgram to Overcome
  crime and Violence

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Vision

• To contribute towards the creation of economic,
  political, social, cultural, educational and
  religious structures to work together from local,
  regional, provincial level towards building a
  sustainable culture of justice and peace.
• b) To facilitate a process of empowering and
  capacitating young people and other targeted
  groups on developing or improving their existing
  and ongoing programmes or projects that are
  related to promoting peace and making available
  the necessary resources and information.
• To enable a creation of a suitable environment
  for social, personal, economic and academic
  growth of young people regardless of gender,
  ethnic group, social background and faith.

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Objectives

• To promote a greater understanding of peace and
  develop mechanisms for crime prevention.
• To explore, learn from and further develop the
  numerous activities by communities.
• To make full use of educational institutions and
  other educational processes to help youths as
  well as adults to learn to live creatively with
  conflict and to find mechanism to manage
  conflicts and provide the means to resolve and
  reconcile the aggrieved communities or groups.
• To build alliances with existing structures, like
  community policing forums, social movements, the
  government departments.
• To overcome civil, ethnic or political divisions
  and build a culture of peace and sustainable
  democracy.
• To promote dialogue, tolerance and develop
  non-violent alternatives to prevent conflicts.
• To create a congenial condition for the
  implementation of the Fire Arms Control Act and
  mobilize young people to support the campaign to
  disarm as an attempt to minimize proliferation of
  small arms.
• To fight drug trafficking and alcohol abuse,
  reduce police killings as well as illicit
  fire-arms.

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Recruitment of Peace Marshals

• This project is aimed to implement the national
  Moral Regeneration Movement (MRM).
• The tasks we are facing require new people with
  new minds. The recruits should be people who are
  prepared to deal with challenges of preparing
  young people and community at large for a social
  life based upon the principles of social equality
  and justice.
• The acquired skills will enable the peace
  marshals to resolve violent conflicts and manage
  as well as mediate disputes that threaten to
  become violent.

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Participants

• Participating groups/organisations will be
  recruited keeping aforesaid objectives in mind.
  The emphasise will be on choosing those
  structures and individuals who are associated
  with actual initiatives to resolve conflicts and
  are therefore in best position to provide
  valuable contribution on launching and adding
  value in the Peace Movement.

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Goals and performance outcomes for 2006/7

• Our goal is to see less youth involvement in
  crime.
• The actively involvement of young people in the
  community development
• Understanding of Human Rights and
  responsibilities
• Reduce of women children abuse i.e. sexual
  harassment, rape, domestic violence and murder

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Youth Service Model Peace Marshalls Community
safety Ecumenical movement

• Operating Principles of the South African NYS
  program
• Learning as part of service.
• Service activity that supports sustainable
  development.
• Appropriate incentives to support the
  participation of young people.
• Site for youth service will be selected on the
  basis of extensive needs and great potential for
  services.
• NYS will develop a culture of self- reliance.
• Effective partnerships, between government, civil
  society, communities and private sector, will
  drive implementation of the NYS project.

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Operating Principles of the South African NYS
program

• Learning as part of service.
• Service activity that supports sustainable
  development.
• Appropriate incentives to support the
  participation of young people.
• Site for youth service will be selected on the
  basis of extensive needs and great potential for
  services.
• NYS will develop a culture of self- reliance.
• Effective partnerships, between government, civil
  society, communities and private sector, will
  drive implementation of the NYS project.

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1 Benefits to young People participating in the
NYS Program

• Accredited training. (certification)
• Personal development and career counseling.
• Life orientation skills
• Service gear (uniform).
• Service allowance (stipend).
• Community recognition for service

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Life skills training and career counseling

• The training focuses on the range of needs that
  young people have in a holistic manner. The focus
  is to enable the young person to develop the
  confidence and the capacity to make informed
  decisions and choices and lives meaningful in the
  changing world and cope with life challenges.
  Areas of training
• Citizenship
• Civic Awareness
• Human rights education
• Community development
• Career Counseling.
• Basic Management Courses.
• Business training etc

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Exit Opportunities

• Participants will identify potential areas of
  opportunities .e.g.
• Forming co-operatives.
• Stating a business.
• Further Education and training .etc

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Beneficiaries

• An identified institution and/ or people who will
  benefit directly from the program. e.g.
• Victims of violets benefiting form the community
  policing initiative.
• Preventing youth from engaging in criminal
  activities
• The general public will benefit direct through
  crime reduction.
• The right to safety will be protected.