Knox breaks barriers in Alex

The Rays of Hope Knox project which prepares unskilled people for employment had a remarkably good year in 2015.

In fact, it was so successful that there were far fewer attendees at the end of year coaching sessions than usual. Gary Seath, project leader said, “That was a good thing because this translated to the fact that quite a few of our members had graduated into employment.”

The project involves men from Alex who are given essential life coaching and counselling so that they are able to get employment. The ‘Knox Brothers’, as they have become known, meet every Saturday afternoon in Alex together with a dedicated group of business-minded individuals who support and tutor them through their challenges.

“There is a huge need for basic skills training to make these men ready to seek employment and hold down jobs. At Knox, we have a structured programme that addresses key life issues in three specific areas – those being the spiritual, emotional and intellectual. We believe that spiritual growth plus emotional growth plus intellectual growth equals personal growth,” Seath said.

The programme was full of activities last year. “Apart from our regular meetings and one-on-one coaching sessions, we had a number of motivational speakers talk to the brothers. Most of these people have courageous success stories that were fraught with severely disadvantaged [backgrounds]. They are role models for our guys,” added Seath.

The group also worked through Fireproof, a DVD telling the story of a fire captain who transformed his life and marriage through the healing power of faith. “Another highlight was Getaway, the Rosebank Union Church camp, which 10 brothers attended. Knox is also involved in the Cycle Tour of Hope, raising funds for our parent charity, Rays of Hope. Finally, we had a successful year-end event where we handed out our Spirit of Knox awards.”

But the real success of the Knox endeavour was the number of members placed in jobs. “We partner with a number of employers and were delighted to graduate 15 of our guys into learnerships and internships; the first steps to full-time employment. Four members went to Hyde Park Corner Shopping Centre and three more to the Bryanston Country Club. The rest went to various companies, mainly in the logistics industry,” Seath said.

Details: Andrea Dienst 086 100 0000; andrea@raysofhope.co.za