Take Control! aims at impacting 1'000 boys and girls (aged 10-15) living in the slums of Nairobi. Through life skills camps held during school holidays, students will learn how to strengthen their internal resilience and character to overcome their daily challenges. Participants are introduced to skills of Self, Others, and Decision Making through sport. They are challenged to think differently and live differently, not becoming just another statistic of the slums.
According to the World Population Review (2018), there are 2.5 million slum dwellers in Nairobi. The city is home to 5 of the worst informal settlements in Africa, including the largest on the continent: Kibera. Children and youth living in these areas are exposed daily to negative peer pressure, early pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, physical/emotional/sexual abuse, drug and substance abuse, and local gangs. Many fall victims to their environments, and make life limiting decisions.
Participants are educated on skills of understanding self, others, and decision making and are introduced to topics related to abuse and sexuality. Take Control! is designed to highlight tools of internal strength and character building that can be used to overcome current risk factors. Beneficiaries are able to challenge their mindsets and build more prosocial thinking skills. When students think differently, they act differently and increase their chances of living more fulfilling lives!
Many children fall victim to the slum environment, living a life that perpetuates current risks, challenges, and antisocial behaviors. Through this program, 700 children will be able to challenge how they view life and begin to write a different narrative for themselves and their communities. Beneficiaries who already participated in similar programs in the past, volunteer in other projects of the foundation showing the first steps towards a long term impact.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
