Human Rights Office, Projects and Progress

YEP! Clan

YEP! Clan (Youth Empowerment Project) is a young dynamic structure within the community of Khayelitsha. Their vision is to see young empowered youths seeking to initiate change in their lives and that of the greater communities. They focus on the empowerment of children by teaching leadership skills and building meaningful relationships. They use diversified ways of encouraging active participation of young people through community development programs.

The organization was founded in 2007 by Sizwe Matoti, after a concern about the lack of active positive involvement amongst young people around his community, whom mostly resorted in involving themselves in gangs, drugs and alcohol abuse and some even dropping out of school as a result.

The project is aimed at resolving these current social imbalances amongst the youth through offering them an alternative to a life of crime. YEP! Clan builds the confidence of these youth, equipping them with the social skills to become active members of society. They are empowered in all aspects of leadership development and encouraged to participate in sports and educational activities.

We work in partnership with YEP! Clan and currently work with a group of young women from the community. Our focus is on personal development and community accountability. We want these women to define their own goals and ultimately get these young women involved with community organisations, to volunteer their time and develop advocacy programs. Volunteers with a passion to make a change to the lives of youth in these underprivileged communities have the opportunity to be creative with their ideas for this project.