The Girls and Boys Town journey has been a tale of everyday life in most societies of the world – the tragedy of fear, loss, despair, abuse, neglect and the triumph of faith, courage and hope that changes the way we care for children. Its legacy is about fulfilling dreams and bettering lives.

In 1958, Magaliesburg saw the first Boys Town residential home established – borne out of the compassion, altruism and social consciousness of its founders, initially providing a home for nine youngsters from a local children’s home who had been destined for a so-called trade school. These boys were soon joined by 17 others from children’s homes throughout the country and, since then, the organisation has continued to expand exponentially over the next 53 years – including focusing on work with girls.

Girls and Boys Town focuses on children ‘at-risk’ and families in difficulty by providing aid to youth, families and communities who we believe are South Africa’s strength and future. Through various workshops and programme our mission is to create opportunities for youth to grow and develop into responsible citizens, able to contribute to family and community life in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, equality and solidarity with others.

Over the past 53 years Girls and Boys Town has developed with such depth and richness and such inspirational stories of strength, courage, dedication and goodwill. This youth focus has taken us all from those humble beginnings to an organisation that has grown to one that today consists of four major national service divisions:

Division I:

Residential Services – provides residential care to over 300 youth – girls and boys – on any given day from all communities in eight nationally located residential centres. Girls and Boys Town is the only child- and youth-care organisation in South Africa offering youth two alternative residential programme options: Four Youth Development Centres (each setting with up to 70 youth in a more structured environment) where the unique Peer-Group System of Self-government operates. This model significantly involves youngsters in decision-making concerning their own affairs. Youth elect their Mayor and Council and then govern themselves under the guidance of adults, where they are taught to take responsibility for themselves and others.

Four Family ‘Group’ Homes (caring for up to ten boys or girls in regular houses in the community with a husband / wife team as Family Teachers) where the Family Home Model, is unique in its focus on family-style living with emphasis on social skills teaching and meaningful self governance by youth.

Independent Living Skills Programme which is designed to divert violent youth from lawbreaking activities. Through this the Girls and Boys Town builds the individual’s self-esteem and helps him / her make the most of his/her abilities through self-reliance.

Division II:

Training and Education Service Division – provides:
Structured training workshops, via two national Training and Resource Centres (that provide training services in their regions and surrounding provinces) to parents (Common-sense Parenting), educators (Education Model – having trained over 200 schools), and all professionals working in the field (Consultation and Care Models).

Commonsense Parenting Workshops which empower parents who feel they are failing their difficult children. The workshop also further promotes a ‘whole-school’ approach to the education, discipline and development of learners. This workshop has through the department of education and professional family workers and organisations managed to help over 900 parents across nine provinces.

Well-Managed Classroom Workshop designed to aid all educators. It promotes positive learner behaviour in the classroom, enables educators to focus on teaching and builds strong learner/educator relationships. Teachers are equipped with the ability to take control and calm unruly/ violent school pupils. To date this workshop reached over 700 schools; 9 089 educators and impacted the lives of 268 536 000 learners.

Consultation Workshop This professional development workshop is designed to accommodate all types of programmes and schools. It is skill-based training that gives you and other supervisory staffs the tools you need to enhance your management skills and to ensure successful implementation of the educator skills learned in the Well Managed Classroom or Specialised Classroom management Workshop. For senior personnel that ensures retention and continuing skill development of educators trained – including developmental behaviour planning (in synchronisation with Individual Education Plans).Recommended for senior personnel who supervise/consult to educators.

Administrative intervention workshop follows the WMC workshop. Focuses on techniques to de-escalate volatile behaviour and prepares learners for re-entry to the classroom after being referred to the office. Learn practical strategies for developing a consistent office referrals process. The ultimate goal is to reduce the number of office referrals. Recommended for senior staff.

Direct youth education services via four national Girls and Boys Town operated Learning Support Centres (small intensive ‘remediation’ class settings) for learners who are struggling in mainstream educational classes, either due to educational/remedial difficulties or challenging classroom behaviours (thus at risk of losing their school placements). The intention is to mainstream these learners, back to the school from which they were initially referred, as soon as possible following intervention.

The computer-based intervention evaluates and enhances learners’ educational needs in two critical areas – literacy and mathematics. These have consistently been identified as core challenges facing South African learners, but are the building blocks for all other learning.

The programme helps identify learning difficulties, such as attention deficit, and recommends remedial actions to address problems that the children experience.

Each centre consists of four connected services: assessment and counselling, library, computer lab, and facilitator and teacher training. These specialist units will also admit learners from community-based schools that have completed the Girls and Boys Town Well-managed Classroom workshop.

Division III:

Family Services Division – The Girls and Boys Town national mobile Family Services Units comprise family workers who work directly with families in all communities, including the most deprived, in ensuring stronger family relationships and bonds and avoiding family disintegration and separations.

The uniqueness being that Family Workers are no longer office bound – they meet families where they are, provide them with the necessary motivation and skills they need to rediscover their strengths and empower them in reclaiming responsibility for their futures. This team also facilitates regional multi-disciplinary assessment panels – assessing the needs of youth and families (referred via the State, agencies, Girls and Boys Town Hotline or self-referrals) – and then ‘matched’ to an appropriate Girls and Boys Town service option or, where necessary, to an external service.

This division also manages and operates the Girls and Boys Town National Hotline (0860 58 58 58) where Children, families, and communities experiencing difficulty are encouraged to take a step forward and seek help.

Division IV:

Research – This nationally functioning team is charged with the responsibility of being guardians of the quality, integrity and effectiveness of all Girls and Boys Town models, services and programmes. Thus, ‘is implementation what we and others intended?’ and ‘are we doing what we say we do?’ – a focus on practitioners and programme operations. These activities include comprehensive annual assessments of implementation (process) and outcomes (multiple data sources).

Evaluation – This developing and evolving division is also responsible for researching needs and effectiveness – these results, in turn, directly influence, inform and impact on Girls and Boys Town programme and service developments, adaptations and relevance to service beneficiaries. The work of this division is considered critical since it is Girls and Boys Town’s intention to offer the highest levels of service excellence in as professional and accountable manner as possible. Thus, the work of all sponsors, donors, volunteers, those within Girls and Boys Town South Africa and the four service divisions, continues to contribute to the 50-year-old organisation being viewed as the leader in helping youth and families, and all those who impact on the healthy growth and development of young people, where others have failed or given up!

Operates in: , All of South Africa
Established in: January 1958

Non-Profit Organisation Number: 009-244
Public Benefit Organisation Number:
Section 21 Company Number:
Trust Number:

Contact person: Neo Cindi
Phone: 011 482 2655
Fax: 011 482 6059
Email:

Website: www.girlsandboystown.org.za

Physical address: 11 Lemon Street, Auckland Park, Johannesburg
Postal address: P O Box 91661, Auckland Park, 2006