Quick read

• Streetwise is a Polokwane-based mentorship programme for boys in Grades 6 to 10, founded by Gapenyana Mphahlele and Bianca Ledwaba.
• It offers quarterly camps with workshops on identity, leadership, and resilience, supported by volunteer mentors.
• The programme is planning a mentorship hike in September and is calling for community support and donations.

Full story

POLOKWANE – “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

This truth is the heartbeat behind the Streetwise Mentorship Programme, a grassroots movement in the city dedicated to shaping the lives of young boys.

Founded by Gapenyana Mphahlele and Bianca Ledwaba, Streetwise operates under the umbrella of Vahluri Reading Club NPC, a non-profit organisation originally focused on promoting literacy.

As the reading club’s vision expanded, so did its founders’ awareness of a deeper, growing need: to create a space where boy children could feel seen, heard and guided.

“There’s a silent struggle happening among our boys. And we realised we couldn’t just keep building readers, we had to build strong, purpose-driven boys too,” Mphahlele said.

That realisation led to the birth of Streetwise, a safe and empowering space for Gr 6 to 10 boys, where mentorship is about identity, purpose and hope.

Currently, 30 boys attend the programme’s quarterly mentorship camps held during school holidays. With the support of five volunteer mentors and teachers, the boys engage in life-changing sessions that include interactive workshops on identity, leadership, and resilience; guest speakers and professionals who inspire and educate; group activities and open discussions; and small prizes, confidence-boosting moments and team-building fun.

While formal sessions take place once per term, the mentorship and support continue all year, ensuring that these boys are not left to walk through life alone.

“There are many vital programs for girls, but boys are quietly falling through the cracks. They’re growing up in single-parent homes, raised by grandparents, often without father figures, and facing trauma, peer pressure and identity crises as early as primary school. When I returned to Polokwane after three years in Pretoria, I saw it clearly – in their eyes, in their silence, in their pain,” according to Mphahlele.

To help boys reconnect with themselves and the world around them, Streetwise is now planning a special mentorship hike in September.

“It will be a powerful outdoor experience, with a guided hike, group reflections in the open air and participation by an NGO that works with addiction or youth development. It’s about dreaming again, breathing deeply, and realising they’re not alone,” Ledwaba said.

To bring this hike to life, Streetwise is calling for community support.

The programme is in need of:

• Transport, meals, and hiking supplies for the September hike.
• Donations of snacks, stationery, books, and small prizes.
• Volunteers who can offer their time, life experience, or skills as mentors.

“Whether you’re a parent, teacher, business owner, or community member, your involvement can change the course of a boy’s life. We are building a generation of young men with vision, value, and strength and we can’t do it alone,” Mphahlele urged locals to get involved.

Mphahlele can be reached at 072 175 4445/ 0718762412.