When the new congregation, Ligbaken Gemeente or Beacon of Life Congregation, Oakdene, was founded two and a half years ago, one of its primary goals was to serve the community in the southern part of Johannesburg.

As part of its Christian calling, the church made a clear commitment to focus on the youth, which is the future of South Africa.

“The youth are the future of our country and nation,” said a member of the board of directors, Dr Theo Veldsman. “An investment in our youth is an investment in securing a thriving future for South Africa.”

However, the situation facing young people in South Africa today is deeply troubling. According to Dr Veldsman, the country ranked last out of 50 nations for primary school literacy levels, with 81% of Grade Four learners unable to read for meaning in any language. In 2022, 8% of young women aged 15 – 24 were pregnant, and between 2022 and 2023, 150 000 pregnancies were reported among those aged 10 – 19.

Further statistics paint a bleak picture of around 40% of learners who start Grade One do not complete Grade 12;

4.8 million matriculants are unemployed; the first-year higher education dropout rate is estimated between 33% and 60% and youth unemployment stands at 46.1%, reaching 62.4% for the 15 – 24 age group in early 2025.

In response, the church launched a new initiative, the Ligbaken Oase Gemeenskapsentrum or Beacon of Light Oasis Community Centre, a registered non-profit company based at 30 Daleham Road, Alan Manor, Mondeor. The centre is managed by Leo Kirsten, who serves as full-time programme leader.

The Oasis aims to bring hope and opportunity to an estimated 12 000 to 16 000 learners across 15 to 20 schools in the South of Johannesburg. Although Christian-based, the centre will serve all young people in the area. Its mission is to grow them through training, development, remedial and action programmes into worthy, contributing, flourishing South African citizens.

Under the leadership of Dr Veldsman and Kirsten, the centre has set out six main objectives across the entire youth life cycle from pre-school to post-matric.

These include:

1. Providing care, counselling and educational programmes for vulnerable youth.

2. Offering skills training, career guidance and counselling to school leavers.

3. Creating short-term work experience and job-readiness opportunities.

4. Promoting family stability through parent capacity-building programmes.

5. Supporting abused and traumatised youth with counselling and psychosocial services.

6. Encouraging youth participation in community life-enhancement programmes.

“The centre’s philosophy is simple,” said Dr Veldsman. “We want to teach the youth of the South to catch fish, not to give them fish.”

The Oasis plans to deliver its programmes both in schools and at the centre itself. It will work in partnership with Tutela, a professional Christian welfare organisation, and The Skills Compliance Institute, alongside other community partners. “Partnering is going to be the name of the game,” added Dr Veldsman.

The ultimate vision is to change the dismal youth statistics and create thriving communities filled with outstanding schools and flourishing young citizens. To ensure transparency, the centre will share its progress through regular newsletters and community feedback meetings.

To get the centre up and running, several immediate needs have been identified.

These include:

• Equipping the centre with furniture, phones, computers, iPads and web design support.

• Generating revenue by hiring out the venue for conferences, workshops, weddings and funerals.

• Donations and sponsorships for youth attending programmes (R250 – R500 per youth). Applications for Section 18A tax-deductible status with SARS are under review.

• Volunteers willing to work four to eight hours per week assisting with administration, liaison and projects.

“Believing in ourselves, we know this dream is achievable,” said Dr Veldsman and Kirsten. “We can mobilise the communities of the South to make the centre their own, from the bottom of their hearts. We will eat the elephant piece by piece, start small, but with high, focused energy.”

The Beacon of Light Oasis invites everyone to get involved. If you would like to join or support the centre in bringing hope to the youth of South Johannesburg, please contact the programme leader, Leo Kirsten, on 061 907 4778 or email [email protected]