When learners are offered a safe space
A staggering proportion of learners are living in a state of fight, flight or freeze due to witnessing or experiencing loss, neglect, violence or abuse.
If this trauma is not addressed, there is a risk of individuals becoming trapped in a downward spiral where they begin to engage in high-risk activities, self-harm, develop a motivational deficit or, tragically, repeat the patterns where the victim becomes the perpetrator. Trauma is a barrier to mental well-being and most mental health issues develop before the age of 18.
Instead of expecting vulnerable children to find their way to a social worker or psychologist, we establish our rooms on the school premises, providing a safe space for people to tell their story, without judgement.
At Community Keepers we offer therapeutic interventions and psycho-social support. We table difficult conversations where we create a platform for learners and their caregivers (parents/guardians and educators) to build resilience, self-efficacy and agency as we jointly build a culture of well-being.
We currently reach over 25 000 learners across 29 schools in the Western Cape.