VRYHEID KZN: A project that leaves more than just a legacy among the youth
All three would definitely advise young people to apply to be part of the project
Freedom Life Church pastor Mark Naicker and his wife Shammel had a dream, a vision and an initiative for young people in the church. Even before Mark was ordained as the pastor, he had a burning desire to lead, to disciple, enable and empower the youth through practical theology. This, Mark says, will prepare them as a whole through spiritual maturity, character development and skills empowerment to carry these virtues into the world. Project Legacy is an in-house initiative that went into full force during the middle of May, with three candidates: Danielle Greef (19), Tanya Dunn (24) and Marco Hagen (19). The project is aimed at unemployed youth within the context of the church targeting the age group of 18 to 25 years old. Shammel gives a short overview of the thought process behind the project: “We’ve noticed that before Covid, guys were finishing matric but they had nothing to actually do and some of the families didn’t have money to send their kids to go and study. So, as a church, we wanted to equip our guys. It is a basic in-house project to give them what we wished we had had when we were in that position. The project itself is to empower the youth spiritually with integrity, God decision’s, honour and respect. That is what they will learn. In them, we build values, how to work hard, how to serve, and how to become individuals who can work in the corporate world with integrity.
For now, this is a six-month project that we’ve put together. The church doesn’t have that much financial backing right now to actually carry the guys through, but they are getting a small stipend at the end of each month for all they do. But with the project, they will be going for their learner’s and driver’s licences, and they will also be doing a computer course, which they’ve just finished. We are also trying to get them into first aid and firefighting. It was myself and Mark’s dream to do this; we don’t really have the funds for this project, but we trust in God for the funds and God has been good. This project is also there to build them up to be better people to work with or to work for. I am doing a weekly foundation course with them, and that is basic Biblical foundations on how to be a better person in what you do. We’ve said to them, doing it under the church context is greater than doing it under any other context, because here you are working for God. And you have to give God your best. If you learn this, you will know that when you walk into a company, you cannot think about what you will get from that company – you need to think what you can offer the company. And even with people, ie how to handle your colleagues. At the moment, they have to work together as a team – we have put them in projects, for instance doing general maintenance at our baby home, Inkululeko Children’s Home. With this, we want to teach them that you start from the bottom and work your way up. And work your way up with humility.”
The three candidates responded very positively to Project Legacy by saying that they are excited to be part of the project. Danielle gracefully told the Herald that after the six months, she would go wherever God plants her. They all agreed that Legacy has so far been very enjoyable and they learned a lot in the few weeks it has been running. “It is also a way to get you more involved with the church and get more out of it, because sometimes we aren’t really motivated to go to church, but with this, we have to be around the church and it motivates you in more ways than one. It gives you something to do and not be stuck at home. You get experience, you do something with your time and you get to worship God. I cannot see how this project can’t be beneficial for any young person, both mentally and physically,” Marco explained. The pressure is on for these three, since this will determine whether the project will work. “We need to set the bar high,” all three of them responded simultaneously. The synergy between the three of them is undeniable and they add to each other’s attributes. Tanya is the oldest one in the group, but she says there is no competition between them for leadership. “Each day, someone will ‘lead’ the group in what needs to be done and that depends on the task at hand.” All three would definitely advise young people to apply to be part of the project. And once the project grows, hopefully it will be available to the youth of the entire community of Vryheid. Any businesses that want to be part of the project by offering training in a specific field or give candidates experience in a working environment are welcome to contact Mark or Shammel.
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