On Wednesday 20 November six children graduate from the Children of Light Educare. This is our first group of graduates! Jacqueline started with us at the beginning of 2018 when she was 3 years old and lives in the Hadji Ibrahim informal settlement in Rylands. Due to neglect and suffering complex trauma she had difficulty relating to others, adults and children. Attention seeking behaviour such as tantrums, resistance, and lashing out at others for no apparent reason was typical of the interaction we saw from her. The school provided a safe and stable environment for her and over time the staff gained her trust. Slowly she was able to develop the capacities for relationships and self-regulation.

The other five graduates are all from Pook se Bos informal settlement and started at the school late in 2018 or during 2019. Jacqueline has been with us the longest, we’ve seen her sad when her friends from Hadji Ibrahim left the school, we’ve witnessed her struggle to adjust when new children arrived from other informal settlements and we’ve smiled with her as her confidence has shone through. She will be attending Christel House next year, with most of our other graduates, and we know that she is well prepared for this next big step.

Today we received the stunning glass mosaic that Tara Raymond (far left) has created for our Peace garden. The sunlight bounces off the pieces of coloured glass and mirror making it a dynamic piece of art to sit and gaze at. Hidden in the work are colourful stones and tiny heart-shaped tiles which the children will enjoy discovering while outside in the garden. As this small patch in the garden is developing we find that the children are drawn more and more to spend time here.

“The memory of a place where all is whole and complete remains with us all our lives” Julia Onken

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On 17 October we celebrated our 2nd Birthday! It was a fantastic morning filled with joy, love, visitors, and of course a special cake. The children were keen to participate in all the special proceedings and sang the South African anthem beautifully for everyone. It was clear from their attentive behaviour that they also experienced the significance of the day in the history of the Children of Light Educare.

Taking the children to explore nature in the Alphen greenbelt this week gave them time to feel the sun, fresh air and cool water on their bodies. Away from their troubled home environments they were free to play in clean water and wonder about the creatures that live in the streams and forests. Lameck was thrilled to discover that he could balance on a fallen log and jump into the water. Encouraging a child to see the beauty of little things in creation helps to keep the sense of wonderment alive. From this new ideas, creativity and talents emerge.

We have just started the last term of 2019, a year of tremendous growth and dynamic change at the school. We feel confident that our therapeutic approach to address the troubling behaviour of our traumatised children is bearing fruit. Healing stories which teacher Nushfeekah creates for the children reaches them on many levels by touching their hearts. Two staff members recently attended training on using the persona doll approach with children. This life-like doll is a way to engage the children in a non-threatening way to learn about diversity through story and discussion.

Regular hatha yoga sessions are held at school for teachers, volunteers and also the children. Simple breathing exercises are an effective tool to help break the cycle when emotions throw us off balance. The children experience how it feels to be quiet and peaceful, even if just for a few moments. A peace garden is being created at the back of the school which invites staff and children to spend time alone if they’re feeling unsettled. There is a small, smooth stone figurine which they can hold in their hands, or they may just choose to look at and smell the fragrant plants to experience a sense of extended calmness.

Our Family Spring Walk fundraiser on 1 September was a great success with parents, children, teachers and friends all stepping out along the promenade. It was a wet morning, but that did not dampen the excitement and enthusiasm of anyone as we met for the start at Mouille Point Lighthouse. The walk ended in Green Point Urban Park where the moms served refreshments and treats to all the walkers. Playing outdoors in the rain helps children develop good motor skills. Walking on slippery paths and wearing different shoes in wet weather improves and strengthens their balance. The children know that when they feel the rain on their skin it means that the trees and plants are getting water which they need to grow.

And when the sun and birds came out during the week it was time for some spring cleaning!

  

As we walked into school today we were surrounded by the colours, creatures, and sounds of Spring. During the week the children had worked hard at learning new spring songs and creating the decorations for the classroom. They arrived at school this morning dressed for the festival in their most brightly coloured clothes. The large activity table in the classroom was beautifully set for a 5 course feast of freshly prepared fruit, pasta, salad, cake and ice lollies.

It was a busy fun day inviting us all to think about renewal, growth, balance and vitality. Seasons are introduced to the children as a celebration, a time to celebrate the natural cycles of living things.

 

 

On Sunday 25^th August trustees, volunteers and teachers came together for a strategic meeting. Our facilitator, Ananda Cresswell invited us into a Thinking Environment by reading a quote by WB Yeats – “We can make our minds so like still water that beings gather about us that they may see, it may be, their own images, and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps even with a fiercer life because of our quiet.”

The input and comments that were shared at this meeting once more brought our mission statement to the fore – ‘To provide education that focuses on the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual development of children and youth based on the principles of Integral Yoga.’ This is what makes the Children of Light Educare unique – it is a centre of healing that is being provided for children who have suffered complex trauma. A heart-warming example is to observe one of our young girls, who frequently threw tantrums-thrashing out on the floor, now able to self-regulate and she is always keen to help new arrivals settle into the school routine.