A creative outlet for kids

If you visit theBridges Academycampus in Langa, a township on the outskirts of Cape Town, between 3.30 and 5pm on a weekday, you might be greeted by the sound of ​primary ​​school children singing or the sight of them sitting on yoga mats, busy with breathwork. If you happen to be there on a Friday afternoon, you might encounter a group of highschoolers, happily chatting around the table as they enjoy Nando’s for lunch.

While most of the Bridges Academy programmescater for adultsand are focused on creative entrepreneurship, well-being and music, Creative Club is aimed at school children from marginalised communities within Langa. This afterschool programme has rapidly grown from a small trial in 2022 to a core offering at the campus – soon to be housed in its own building.

Fundi Mbambani, who manages the programme, is a graduate of Bridges Academy. She explains that children who join Creative Club come from schools within the area where Bridges Academy has developed a partnership. There are currently 80 children in the programme. They all receive mentorship from the Bridges alumni, and training in piano, dance, or singing (music classes are on Mondays and Wednesdays, while dance happens on Tuesdays and Thursdays), as well as a nutritious meal.

We created the programme because we could see a need in the community for a safe, creative space for children, Fundi explains.After school, they would be sitting in the streets with nothing to do. Now they come here, where they can find caring coaching and opportunities to learn and socialise.

Children who had graduated from the programme missed it so much that “alumni Fridays” were created, where older kids can come together around a meal.

Link to this headingThe need for Creative Club

Afterschool programmes can provide a range of benefits for children and young people from marginalised communities in South Africa by providing them with access to a safe and supportive environment and with access to opportunities to learn and engage in positive activities, with positive role models. Children have the chance to develop social skills, build positive relationships, and engage in activities that promote emotional well-being, as well as being exposed to new hobbies, and interests, expanding their horizons and helping them to explore new opportunities.

Afterschool programmes can also provide a positive and structured environment, reducing the risk of children and young people engaging in negative behaviours such as substance abuse, crime, and violence.

The Bridges for Music Approach to afterschool programmes is underpinned by four key components: being music-centred, mindfulness-enriched and alumni-powered, and providing access to nutrition.

Children who are part of the programme enjoy it free of charge – the programme is fully funded by Bridges For Music and its donors (Bridges For Music is our official music partner and a non-profit organisation focused on empowering young talent from under-served communities to become creative change-makers.Read more here).

Link to this headingA bigger vision

Working with the kids actually connects us to the community because what we do impacts their families too, says Fundi.We’ve had some really great feedback from parents about how the programme has helped their children, and we’ve also supported families to navigate really challenging situations.

She adds that she is from Langa and has seen that it’s easy for children to feel pulled between “the wrong path” and one of trying to overcome the challenges of a disadvantaged background.

I’ve been fortunate and blessed to have had really, really great support, and I want to be able to offer that to the children in our programme, she says.

Some of her favourite memories of the programme are of seeing children come out of their shell, moving from being shy and reserved to confident in themselves.The journey in seeing the programme growing has been truly remarkable, looking back at the first programme where there were only 20 kids to now having more than 80 and plans of adding even more kids in the future, says Fundi.

Currently, Bridges Academy is working to fundraise for a new building to house the Creative Club (as well as a dedicated working space for the team with a campus kitchen).

If you’d like to donate towards the building project or sponsoring a child, ​​​you can do sohere.​