Rise and shine diversion programme

 

“If you’re going to rise, you must as well shine” – words that still echo in Karabo’s mind, a 16-year-old boy who attended the Rise and Shine programme at NYDO and chanted those very words before and after every session. Karabo acknowledged that the programme came at the right time in his life – a time his behaviour was spiralling out of control. He says that should he had not been enrolled in the programme, he would have either dropped out of school, been homeless, or worse, dead.  Karabo was not doing well in his studies, he had also started experimenting with drugs (dagga) and stealing. He started off by taking money from his mother’s purse to stealing a classmate’s cellphone until he graduated into mugging people in unsecured public spaces. He reported that he wanted money and did not know any other way than taking it from people or stealing items that he could sell for money. He gambled the money by playing a game of dice (a popular street gambling game in townships) and also maintain his newly adopted drug habit. 

When Karabo started experimenting with dagga (cannabis), he minimised his drug habit by describing dagga as “a harmless herb”. His attitude was generally negative, he had no regard for his parents or any adult’s authority and had no dreams. He lived on the edge and did not give any thought to his future. His journey with NYDO started when he was referred by the local magistrate court to attend the Rise and Shine Diversion programme after he was arrested and charged for common theft. Karabo had snatched a woman’s bag at a street corner while she was walking to work in the early hours of the morning. Upon his arrival at NYDO, Ms Lebogang Lebese, a social worker, performed various assessments and learned of his drug habit and his perception of it. He was then referred to SANCA to receive substance abuse treatment. 

Karabo also started attending the Rise and Shine diversion group sessions. Noticeable behavioural changes could already be noted by the third session. A child who hardly spent any time with family and preferred the company of delinquent boys with a reputation of robbing people, abusing drugs, and dropping out of school, he now spent most of his time at home. He understood that keeping the same company would only derail the progress he had made during both programmes (substance abuse treatment and Rise and Shine diversion programme. Karabo also invested more time in his studies. He now had aspirations and dreams. He reported that he wants to study towards a social work degree post-matric, as he wants to impact the lives of young people like himself the same way our social workers’ intervention impacted his life. 

Once he completed all 16 sessions, he was a totally different boy from the one who walked in through NYDO’s doors when he was first referred by the court. His parents expressed their gratitude to the NYDO social service team and are amazed at how their son has changed for the better. Karabo has a different perception of life. He reported that he now understands the value of working for money and other things he really wants in life. He also realizes how dagga was destructive for him. He admits that it made him lethargic and demotivated and impacted negatively on his performance at school.  Karabo’s case was subsequently withdrawn at court as he complied with all the requirements of the diversion order and as a result, he does not have a criminal record. 

The NYDO Rise and Shine diversion programme is a life skills and psychosocial intervention programme aimed at assisting children who are in conflict with the law and at risk. The programme endeavours to empower young people to develop resiliency skills to assist them to “bounce back” from any difficult situations. The programme was further developed to reduce recidivism rates in our country by strengthening the user’s life skills. The programme also assists young people to understand the self-destructive nature of their behaviour and the impact of their offences/actions on their victims and encourages them to take responsibility. 

The Rise and Shine diversion programme is implemented in groups of young people with 16 sessions. It is designed for school going children between the ages of 13 and 18 years. The programme was designed as a therapeutic programme focused on behavioural change. Since its rollout, it has received amazing reviews from service users, their parents and NYDO’s Social Service Professionals. Ms Lebese, a social worker who worked with Karabo recommends this programme to any child with behavioural challenges with renders them at risk of committing a crime. If we are all going to rise, we might as well shine!

P.S. Kindly note that this article is based on true events, the name “Karabo” is a fictional name that was used to protect the identity of the child referred to in this article.