Cause Index

The RealStart Trust

Mission
To passionately care about the future of disadvantaged young people, and use the best possible means to:
- Build into their lives
- Help their education
- Enable their vocational course
- Encourage them to become positive role-models and change agents within their nation

Company Overview
Registered as a Non-Profit Trust.
Overseen by a highly skilled Board of Trustees.
Registered NPO (Non-Profit Organisation) with the Department of Social Development.
Registered PBO (Public Benefit Organisation) with 18A status.

General information
A substandard education, social dysfunction, unemployment and poverty; this is the reality facing millions of young people across South Africa.

It is a crisis and not the future we want for young people in our nation. So that is why we exist: to bring hope to disadvantaged young people from impoverished communities and offer them a way out, a chance to achieve their dreams and realize their potential.

Each year, we work with our 'Feeder Partners' to find young people, aged 17-21, who have a real desire and determination to make something of their lives. They then join our unique youth development programme, which is split into two distinct semesters.

1. Holistic Development
We believe that you can only change the lives of young people in the long-term through effective holistic development. Students attend daily lectures where they build a closer relationship with God, start to understand who they are meant to be and learn practical lifeskills. They also become actively involved in the local community and are exposed to new things, such as art, cooking and drama.

2. Career Enablement
Then we prepare our students to take that next step into a career; a career that matches their skills and interests. Using the results of psychometric testing and professional assessments, we stream each student into one of three categories:

- Apprenticeship
- Further education
- Micro-Business Development

Whichever route they take, we teach them the skills they will need to be successful. They are no longer just another unemployment statistic; they are an active member of the economy and a role model in their communities.