Bokamoso Youth Foundation The Bokamoso Youth Foundation was established in 2008, as a U.S. tax‐exempt, 501(c)(3) charitable organiza‐
tion, to provide support to the Bokamoso Life Centre in Winterveldt. Vision – to create a sustainable Bokamoso Life Centre, whereby all youth have access to the education and training they need to be successful and the Centre becomes a model for empowerment and leadership in the Winterveldt community. Mission – to transform the lives of youth and empower community leadership in Winterveldt, by coordinating assistance with the Centre and facilitating its sustainability through scholarship, training and resource develop‐
ment. Board ‐ The Foundation is run by a volunteer Board of Directors, who set program priorities, for the Foundation, and raise and administer donations to achieve the Centre’s goals. Fund‐Raising – The Foundation receives donations from individual and institutional contributors and uses these funds to support the Centre’s operating and program expenses as well as the scholarship program. The Foun‐
dation also sponsors an annual trip to the U.S. Exchange Program and Performing Arts Tour Each year, in January, 12 youth from the Centre travel to the U.S. for a month‐long exchange program and performing arts tour. The youth au‐
dition for an opportunity to partici‐
pate in the exchange visit and are se‐
lected based on their demonstrated leadership abilities, communication skills, citizenship and performing arts abilities. For three weeks, they are hosted by families from the St. An‐
drew’s Episcopal School (SAES) community and for one week by students from The George Washington Univer‐
sity (GWU) Department of Theater and Dance. Performances – during the exchange program, the youth appear at churches, schools, and other sites to speak about the challenges they face, their dreams and hopes, and their plans for a better future. They speak through song, drama, dance and poetry. While at SAES and GWU the youth participate in classroom activities. Travel to Winterveldt – each year, students from St. Andrew’s travel to South Africa and visit Winterveldt. Each summer Foundation Board members Roy Barber and Leslie Jacobson travel to Winterveldt to work with the youth on creating new material for performances and to conduct auditions for the Tour. Students from GWU often accompany Professor Jacobson and mentor Bokamoso youth in drama, poetry and other art‐related activ‐
ities. Travel funds for U.S. participants do not use Foundation financial resources Partner Organizations – opportunities for the youth during the Exchange Program are provided by:







St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
The George Washington University Department of Theater and Dance
Seekers Church
Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church
Westminster Presbyterian Church
First Baptist Church of Brentwood
All Souls Unitarian Church
3927 Military Road, NW, Washington, DC 20015 USA
Email [email protected]
Web Site www.bokamosoyouth.org
Bokamoso Life Centre Registration # 64‐547‐NPO 1345 Nyamakazi Stand, PO Box 516, Winterveldt, Gauteng, South Africa Mobile: 083 696 1640  Email: [email protected] The Bokamoso Life Centre is a community development center that empowers youth to become positive role models in their community through education, music and drama. Serving vulnerable young people between the ages of 17 to 25 and who long for a hopeful and secure future, Bokamoso encourages youth to envision a better life and to develop the skills they need to achieve their dreams. Bokamoso is the Tswana word for future. The Centre is located in Winterveldt, a sprawl‐
ing township 35 miles north of Pretoria, South Africa, comprised of over 750,000 people. For decades, Winterveldt has been plagued with an unemployment rate of 50%, crime, abusive relationships, drugs, and overcrowded sub‐
standard schools. HIV/AIDS has orphaned a large segment of the community’s youth and closely touches the lives of 25% of Winter‐
veldt’s population. Bokamoso has served the community continuously since its founding under the Episcopal Diocese of Pretoria in 1999. It became an independent registered South African Non‐Profit Organization (NPO) in 2008. Currently it operates with a staff of 12 and an annual budget of approximately R 1,176,000; of this amount, R 300,000 pro‐
vides between 30 and 35 post‐secondary educational and vocational training scholarships per year to Bokamoso youth. The Centre provides counseling services, health education, life skills training and support for self‐improvement through its various programs, including the Adolescent Development Program (ADP), Love Life Program, drama and choral programs, youth mentoring, sports, computer lab, and creative writing. The Centre uses song, dance, drama, poetry and story‐telling as a way to help the youth better understand and overcome the chal‐
lenges they face and to set career and life goals for their future. Since its inception, more than 1,000 youth have graduated from Bokamoso’s Adolescent Development Program and 80 youth have participated in Bokamoso’s Love Life franchise. 250 youth have had the opportunity to visit the United States through the Bokamoso Exchange Program and Performing Arts Tour. Since 2008, Bokamoso has awarded more than 300 scholarships benefiting some 170 Winterveldt youth who otherwise would not have had the chance for post‐secondary education and vocational training. Bokamoso graduates have ob‐
tained employment in nursing, education, social work, banking, skilled trades, youth work, computer technol‐
ogy, business and industry.