August has been a month of much excitement for us. We had our first official job and we are in the process of establising partnerships with a corporate company in Cape Town to work with their staff and a school in the city centre to work with their learners and teachers.
From Monday August 9 to Friday August 20, I Am Somebody! was in Cradock, working in partnership with My Arms Wide Open. The My Arms Wide Open Foundation's purpose is to work with Mothers, Children and Young Adults to enable them to break the chain and cycle of their parents past prejudice, to create community and preserve their culture while learning to think and make decision for themselves.
We spent one week working with 18 people to start that process. Click to read more about Day 1 in Cradock.
For us, Cradock was a humbling experience. We were touched by everyone's openness, willingness and their honesty to participate in what we were doing. People relished the chance to paint their River of Life, and then share their lif stories with the group. We were reminded of just how powerful telling your own story in order to own it, really is. We watched people's faces open up as the week progressed, we watched their voices grow louder and clear as they grew proud of who they are. But more than this, we were touched by the human capacity to love and to go on despite life's struggles. This is what realising that we are all somebody is all about.
