Champions continue to support women and children
Champions for Change is a non-profit organisation that supports teachers in picking up problems children are facing through their child protection and safeguarding workshops.
There is often an analogy in the country that teachers are not therapists or mental health professionals to help learners deal with traumas or problems they are facing. Even though that might be true, children spend a massive chunk of their time at school and teachers might be the first ones to pick up on problems.
The Champions for Change (C4C) NPC might have a solution for teachers, social workers, and the greater West Rand community to assist with a variety of problems that are associated with this topic.
Led by Gwen Pretorius, who has a background as a nurse, midwife and clinical instructor, alongside her partner Myrna Thomas, who also has an educational background as a teacher, principal and life coach, they brought together a wealth of knowledge and passion for the well-being of the community.
Gwen and Myrna started C4C in July 2014, and they aimed to bring change in the lives of women and children. They offer child protection, safeguarding awareness and community work support.
In their safeguarding awareness workshops, Gwen works with South African Council for Educators registered schools, and they offer and empower teachers and other school staff to be more aware of what is happening in the lives of learners and what causes them to not perform well at school.
“We explore what it means to be legally compliant in child safeguarding and how to create a safer space where children are comfortable engaging with their learning processes. Through these workshops and the subsequent parent follow-up session, we strive to build safer schools and safer communities for our children,” Myrna said.
Additionally, they also offer legal support to individuals who might need to complete protection orders for the Roodepoort courts, and this particular step stems from when Gwen was still volunteering at the local police station at the victim empowerment centre.
“We offer art and craft therapy for survivors of abuse from 9:30 to 12:00 for women on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and on Thursday mornings we offer support to victims of abuse with the preparation of applications for protection orders.
“On June 19, we will be having a workshop for fourth-year teaching students, social workers, registered teachers, and schools to talk about all issues that our children have in schools, and how they can better respond to that. ” Gwen added.
Their team collects pre-loved clothing, toiletries, and books for local Discovery Clinical Forensic Medicine Unit and schools in remote areas where local libraries are inaccessible or schools lack budgets. For more information, you can contact Myrna on 073 078 7184 or email m.thomas@champ4change.org.
