Fire Fighting Cadet programme for children from 12-18 Years old
’Preparing our future leaders today for tomorrow through fire education’.
“The Southern Africa Firefighters Youth Development Association (SAFYDA) is a formidable example of what happens when passionate career professionals want to positively impact their surroundings while imparting some life skills through their vocation,” these are the words of Priscilla Ferris, the marketing director at SAFYDA.
“What started out 15 years ago at the Florida Fire Station as a programme that was meant to keep FireFighters’ children occupied on Saturdays has turned into a fully-fledged Youth Development Programme,” she added.
The founders of the Cadet programme, Jocelin Flank and Deon Esau are career Fire Officers who between them have more than 50 Years of Fire Fighting experience.
“You can find these two gentlemen putting the kids through their paces every Saturday at the Florida Fire Station or Florida Lake on Sunday from 09:00 -14:00 during school term,” said Ferris.
“The programme accepts children from 12-18 Years old, and there are no set entry requirements we take all children from all backgrounds. We have been fortunate enough to recruit 200 kids a year into the programme through pure Word of Mouth,” she added.
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With the growth of the programme over the last few years, there has been a strain on resources especially with the officers having to consistently fund the programme from their own pockets. This has led to a formal formation of a Non-Profit Organisation to try and build the profile and access funding avenues to grow and sustain the programme.
“At SAFYDA we aim to create opportunities that support, build and grows the youth to be first responders through mentoring, education, training, development programs, networking and recognizing excellence,” said Ferris. “We would love to get the message out there and recruit children from all communities,” she added.
The Cadet Programme takes place every Saturday and during school terms at the Florida Fire station and Florida Lake. Anyone who likes to join the programme can contact Priscilla Ferris on 073 404 7742.
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