Schools 4 Schools South Africa Team Blog

Be the change!

On Monday this week the Schools 4 Schools team was able to attend a GOLD training session where facilitators were trained on how to deliver the GOLD peer education program to Track 1 (year 10) students/peer educators. It was an extremely inspirational day! The facilitators are young South Africans (aged 20- 30) who generally live in the community in which their particular GOLD school is located.

The facilitators wrote down what their expectations for the training were. (Photo by Emily)

The facilitators in the GOLD training room (Photo by Emily)

The key theme that emerged from the day was that young people have an incredible capacity to instigate a great change in their communities, and that it all starts with self transformation and role modeling.

The day began with a discussion of the GOLD model which asserts that “individual transformation leads to group transformation leads to community transformation.” So what does this mean? The facilitators made various statements about the steps involved:

1. Personal transformation – Change starts within. Facilitators and peer educators experience personal change and make positive and healthy decisions with vision and purpose for their lives.
2. Group transformation – Peer educators are role models for their colleagues. Peer groups and micro communities are influenced to make positive and healthy decisions with vision and purpose for their lives.
3. Community transformation – change in peer groups and micro communities impacts on larger community social norms and these communities are influenced to embrace positive and healthy decision making with vision and purpose

When they were asked the question “what is a facilitator” they had very creative answers:

• We are farmers. We plant seeds in peer educators and watch them grow. The seed is not just for here and now, but it’s something that will be with us forever.
• We are drivers. We must believe in ourselves. We must take others and drive them in the right direction. We must be good drivers.
• A facilitator is the first agent of change.

When they were asked to consider what facilitators believe, they responded with:

• All people can change and should be given a chance.
• It is not only what you say, but who you are that will influence others to change.

The values and beliefs mentioned above are central to GOLD’s strategy to combat HIV/AIDS. Their vision is to see young African leaders confronting the root causes of HIV through peer education.

After attending the training session, I really began to understand that the philosophy of self transformation and role modeling can be used to combat more than just HIV/AIDS. It is a social change mechanism and can be applied in any circumstance to address complex social problems.

There were so many thoughts and ideas buzzing through my head on the drive home from the GOLD training. I believe that the day’s discussion can be summarised by a Mahatma Gandhi quote:

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Just Paul demonstrating how to "be the change! "