Short description

Gold Peer empowers youth peer leaders to become positive role models and motivators of community change.

Need

Youth make up a significant proportion of the South African population. Youth is a period that is generally associated with low death rates and a low incidence of disease. Youth is however also a time of exploration, opportunity and risk.
The youth of South Africa are constantly exposed to risks, which may promote substance use, unprotected sex, unhealthy eating habits and violence. In addition to resulting in an increased rate of disease and death, these behaviours simultaneously result in many of the social and educational problems that confront the nation, including failure to complete high school, unemployment, and crime.

Interventions tailored to these “at risk” youth would require a combination of health support strategies which take into account not only the actual behaviours and their causes but also the environmental and social context. For meaningful change to occur, these strategies cannot be addressed within the field of the health sector alone but need to be managed in a multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary manner and include mentorship, capacity building and the establishment of community partnerships.

Overview

Gold Peer Education Agency was established in 2004 and uses the method of peer education to influence youth to become good peer role models. Gold Peer aims to grow young leaders with character and integrity to equip their generation with the tools and support to reach their full potential, despite the circumstances and obstacles in their lives. They aim to reach under-resourced communities with high rates of youth at risk, HIV, poor education, poverty and high numbers of orphans and vulnerable children.
Gold is currently working with 12 South African implementing partners in three provinces and five implementing partners in Zambia, reaching approximately 5 145 young people in total.

Selected young leaders in high school receive peer education training. This is achieved through a three year skills training and mentorship programme. Peer Educators become role models who are able to discuss and positively influence their peers in issues regarding alcohol drinking, truancy, teenage sex and career guidance.

As part of their Facilitator Training programme, they also train young adults to become influential community leaders, youth work practitioners and experts in peer education practice. They are key agents responsible for delivering the training and mentoring of school-going age Gold Youth Peer Educators on the ground in priority communities. As part of the Future Forward Programme, Gold also works with programme graduates to help them find information on bursaries, jobs and career opportunities.
In addition Gold Agency also established a separate for-profit company, Gold Consulting (GC), in early 2011, which leverages the innovation and good practices of the Gold Model. Gold provides specialised training and consulting services in the areas of leadership and social change empowerment to private sector cCompanies, the Government and non- governmental organisations.

What we like about this organisation

  • Gold Peer works with implementing organisations, therefore reaching more youth. The organisation has a qualified managing team and sophisticated information management systems and is not only reliant on one person for direction and leadership.

What difference can your money make?

  • R10 000 will buy a laptop for the Gold training and support team
  • R250 000 will be used to train and mentor 10 out of school youth in KZN and employ them as Peer Educators for six months with a monthly stipend
  • R750 000 will assist with updating of education manuals, other media resources and access to a MXIt platform for peer educator to peer communication

Volunteering opportunities

  • Assistance with fundraising, career guidance and job shadowing opportunities