Up 4 Africa

Borne out of Centrepoint’s and Tusk Trust’s shared values of education, responsibility and participation in the local community, Up 4 Africa will give the UK’s disadvantaged young people the opportunity of their lives and help to facilitate their transition to independence. HRH Prince William, who is Royal Patron to both Centrepoint and Tusk, agrees the charities can work together to achieve a common goal:

‘I am delighted to see that two charities very close to my heart, Centrepoint and Tusk Trust, are working together through The Princes’ Charities Forum on projects such as ‘Up 4 Africa’, a superb volunteer scheme. It will be a wonderful and inspiring experience for the young people involved – I only wish I could join them!’ HRH Prince William, Royal Patron

In 2008, Centrepoint and Tusk worked together on the Cycle of Life, an epic cycle expedition across Africa, raising £165,000 for the Tusk projects visited on route.

The Up 4 Africa team will live and work with the local community to affect real local benefits. Rural African communities will profit from the scheme by increasing their capacity to secure sustainable economic value from wildlife and local natural resources.

Tachila Nature Reserve
A group of homeless young people from Centrepoint, along with support staff members and an expedition coordinator will travel to the Tachila Nature Reserve project in Botswana. There they will take part in a series of challenging activities including conservation and community assignments. The young people, all of whom have experienced exclusion and marginalisation in the UK, will be able to make a real impact on the community that they stay with, and gain valuable insight into the different hardships faced by rural Africans.

During their 6 week stay on the reserve, the Up 4 Africa team will be challenged to complete the construction of a wildlife orphanage. The orphanage will provide sanctuary for local animals, including jackals, monkeys and ostriches. It will be built alongside an education centre and will serve to explicitly link the wildlife to local community education. The team will work alongside local labour – getting up at the same time, eating together, and working hand-in-hand to achieve common goals.

Alongside the main project, young people will also get involved in other aspects of Botswanan life. This will include education (teaching English and contributing to pastoral education); wildlife conservation (monitoring animal populations with the game wardens); and community work (sharing ideas and increasing the capacity of local people to manage the nature reserve as a profitable operation). Sport, particularly football, will be a great bonding opportunity with local people, complemented by total immersion in the community through ‘shepherding’ of young people with locals for the day.

In addition, the team will have the opportunity to travel and experience more of the country they are visiting, including weekend trips to established Tusk projects in the Okavango delta, and visiting an HIV/Aids orphanage. Young people will document their experiences through film, photography and blogging.

Long Term Value
Ensuring young people make the best use of their experience is a crucial long-term goal of the programme. A celebration event, where young people can show their documentaries and photos and demonstrate their achievements, will advertise the benefits of the project to future cohorts. On their return, Up 4 Africa young people will be linked into Centrepoint’s established volunteering, mentoring and befriending projects to ensure that their experiences can benefit a wider group of young people.

In addition, Centrepoint has a number of learning and employment programmes which young people will be able to access going forward. Increased self esteem, confidence and experience will enable them to secure college places or jobs that previously may have been too challenging or they didn’t have the motivation to obtain.
 

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