Our base is at the Joza Youth Hub, a community center in Joza Township which is located in Makhanda (Grahamstown), South Africa. The Joza Youth Hub is a registered non profit organisation in its own right with a board consisting of representatives of five member organisations; our own organisation the Village Scribe Association Trust, Rhodes University Community Engagement, Access Music Project, the Centre for Social Development and the Joza Reading and Chess Club.
All the member organisations of the Joza Youth Hub work in the area of youth and education, mostly serving school learners from around 15 primary schools and five secondary schools in underprivileged areas of our town. For the majority of the learners the Joza Youth Hub is the only opportunity for organised after-school activities, offering an alternative to spend the afternoon in the street.
The awarenet team uses two computer labs at the Joza Youth Hub to train its learners. The Hub is buzzing with learners in the afternoon who participate in the programs offered by the different organisations.
Rhodes University Community Engagement buses up university students every week who volunteer to contribute in the different programs taking place at the Hub. They also train teachers in the use of digital resources for the classroom at the Hub.
Access Music Project trains learners to play instruments and musical theory with the goal of creating professional musicians.
The Joza Reading and Chess Club has a room full of books where children can dive into any book they like, either in organised groups with trainers or individually. They also offer the children a chance to play chess.
The Centre for Social Development has a toy library where pre-school children can borrow toys and participate in organised play groups.
The Joza Youth Hub is therefore a fun space full of learning, art and creativity which has become an institution in the local community.