Youth and After School Programme Office

The Youth and After School Programme Office thrives on collaboration to ensure that learners in under-resourced schools have access to quality, whole child education, after the formal school day ends. The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS) partners with the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), Department of Social Development (DSD), Department of the Premier (DotP) and representative of diverse stakeholder groupings in the After School Sector, namely Sport and Recreation, Arts and Culture, Academic and Life Skills.  The pandemic highlighted that learners in under-resourced communities were not receiving adequate educational support. DCAS, WCED and three Non-Governmental organisations collaborated to connect learners to relevant and timeous learning material to assist learners beyond the classroom. An online repository was established and printable resources were made available. This repository led to Treasure Box booklets, focussing on four key areas, Psychosocial support & mental health; Sport & Recreation; Arts & Culture; as well as Family games and activities.  Project Team members assisted with proofreading content, arranging distribution networks, working with donors to assist with fundraising, as well as warehousing of booklets, keeping the Western Cape Government’s financial contribution to a minimum. Two volumes of the Treasure Box booklets were produced and released to over 600 000 beneficiaries across the Western Cape.