My new job...a not so short introduction

I am now officially working/interning for Grassroot Soccer, Inc. The first few days have been pretty exciting, I’ve spent most of my time trying not to screw anything up/not make a fool of myself, learning about the organization AND more specifically, understanding how I will be assisting GRS in the year to come. Technically speaking I am a Global Curriculum and Training intern, which means my job is to…well, to be honest, I don’t exactly know what my job will be. I have a pretty good idea (a basic framework) but as everyone at GRS says, the unwritten rule of NGO’s is that you should expect the unexpected. So with that in mind I’m going to try and paint a slightly clearer picture of what (I think) my job will be. Unfortunately, to do this I will need to delve a little deeper into 1) how GRS operates and 2) how our programs/curriculum are implemented in the field.

GRS is based on a relatively simple principle: that children learn best from role models within their community. Traditional approaches in HIV/AIDS education have been ineffective in sub-Saharan Africa for several reasons. Chiefly among these has been an inability to deliver critical information in a culturally appropriate and socially acceptable forum. What this means (to make the point a little more bluntly) is that having a bunch of recent American college graduates teaching HIV/AIDS in the townships of South Africa is about as effective as, say…me teaching a computer science class at MIT (for those of that don’t know, I’m terrible with computers/technology in general.) To expand on that point a little further (based primarily on my limited observations of the townships) there are several key factors that prevent “outsiders” aka ME or my fellow interns, from successfully disseminating HIV/AIDS information. For starters, most of these kids, at least in the townships of Cape Town, speak Xosha as their primary language. Secondly, adapting and assimilating into township life is not only daunting but also, to a certain degree, impossible. Finally, AIDS, as it is in many parts of the world, is a very sensitive subject and navigating the stigmas and cultural associations connected with AIDS can be a virtual minefield, even the most experienced AIDS education practitioners. This however, is what makes GRS unique…

GRS uses local community members within the townships of South Africa as the primary vehicle for delivering our HIV/AIDS curriculum. By teaching/training local community members, with the skills, knowledge and leadership abilities to effectively communicate our “Skillz” (“Skillz” is the sweet name for the GRS youth-targeted HIV/AIDS curriculum) intervention programs. This is essentially where I come in. As a Global Curriculum and Training Intern it is my job to help train local community members to become “GRS Coaches.” GRS Coaches represent the primary (and most important) layer of the Grassroot Soccer organization. Local community members are trained by “Master Coaches” at TOC’s or “Training of Coaches” events. For those of you who don’t know (which is pretty much everyone) Master Coaches are typically our best and most experienced coaches. They are familiar with every aspect of the program, especially how it is delivered at a “grassroots” level.

TOC’s typically happen about once a month at various sites across South Africa. The four Master Coaches that I work with (Derek, Tumi, Allister (Alli) and Tony) conduct these sessions, leading the trainings and helping to ensure that the coaches are well prepared to deliver the Skillz curriculum.
During this first week I have been working very closely with Tony and Allister. Aside from administering TOC’s another vital step (in the ever evolving battle of “quality control”) is developing a system to evaluate the effectiveness of new coaches. To help facilitate and support this evaluation process, GRS conducts CSV’s or Coaching Support Visits. A CSV is a formal evaluation, where a CTC (Community Training Coordinator…basically a more experienced coach but not a Master Coach) sits-in on an intervention (that’s what GRS calls the Skillz sessions where the coach is delivering the curriculum to the children) and evaluates his abilities. This evaluation is, despite how it sounds, not intended to be a stressful process. Usually the CTC is there to offer advice and suggestions for new coaches. Generally speaking, from my limited experience with CSV’s, new coaches are very receptive to these visits and welcome both the praise and advice of the CTC’s and Master Coaches. The advice is intended to help further develop and improve the quality of curriculum delivery. The picture that I have attached is from an Intervention and CSV at Khayelitsha. The other two are of Khaye. I didn't actually take them, someone else did but I thought they were great illustration of Khaye so I wanted to put them up.

Alright, well I guess that can serve as a slight introduction into what I’ll be doing for the next twelve months. I’ll have some more posts later this week about what I’ve been doing in Cape Town, playing soccer in the townships, eating some crazy new foods and hopefully some videos of these interventions/CSV’s.

Later.