Parliament and Community Service "Heal the Hood" is necessary!

We began the day with a tour of the Parliament of South Africa. It was a high point of the day. The architecture of the buildings was beautiful, and it was an honor to view and walk through the different governmental spaces. We were given a tour by the head authority of guest relations. He allowed us to take pictures of areas that people are not usually permitted to do so. Ultimately, it was an amazing experience to be that deep in the inner courts of government. In the United States, we aren’t allowed to be near the governmental structures like we were here.

After our visit to Parliament, we went to our community service groups. We continued drafting a grant proposal for Heal the Hood Project. As a group, we were able to create an outline and begin to develop different sections of the proposal. We researched many examples of good proposals and created a model as a basis for our own. After doing so, we went to the field to further understand the organization.
We were able to attend and participate in a great workshop on teaching youth how to break dance. We were amazed at the skill level and intensity of the children. They were extremely dedicated and excited about the class session. We were able to also get lessons from the children. Learning to dance from children that do not have a lot for themselves was very interesting. We appreciated the opportunity to learn some “new moves” but what we really learned from this experience is that no matter what economic bracket one falls into one can achieve.

Afterward the workshop we were able to listen to the children’s life experiences and their connection to Heal the Hood. Many of these children were either from townships or communities with high levels of crime. It took a lot of courage from these children to not only venture out of their comfort zone but to choose dancing as an alternative to the negative influences in their communities like drugs and gang violence.

In response to our session with the students we left them with some words of wisdom. Basically, we reminded them that their situations in life do not determine who they are. They have the ability to choose their own destiny and to take their self out of the slums and become something great.

While we were at Heal the Hood, some of our group members broke off and went to the Dusk to Dawn battered women’s shelter. That group helped to paint some of the bedrooms and they also cleaned up sections of the backyard. There was so much disrepair in the shelter that any help was appreciated. At around 12:30, the little school kids came home and they got the opportunity to interact with them. They played games and colored with them. It was very rewarding, even playing with the little ones and making them laugh made a difference. It was amazing to see that even though they lived in such poor conditions, the children were well taken care of and there was a sense of family within the shelter. We look forward to continuing our community service projects and finishing the projects we started.