Ground ZERO Culture CLUB creates excitement with young adults because it creates the platform for them where their skills and talents can be recognized and experienced by their peers. Most importantly it creates a platform for them to be recognized by established film directors, music producers, publicists and choreographers in order to kick start their careers. Ground ZERO Culture CLUB gives those that may otherwise not be heard or seen a voice. It aims to create some equality.
Develop, Engage and Educate Young Adults
AfrA Foundation is a Not for Profit Company based in Cape Town South Africa with a view on making a difference in our communities by developing, engaging and educating our youth, young adults and women for the future. We are a group of individuals who has engaged in youth, young adult and women’s development programs on a voluntary basis for years and have seen the impact this had in our communities. We believe through formalizing the engagements we can impact a much broader population and have a bigger impact both in South Africa and the broader Africa. We believe that for Africa to prosper Africans have to lead the way in investing in Africa whether it is our time or money, we have to take the initiative.
AfrA has a number of programs that speaks to our mission to develop, engage and educate for the future.
Firstly we have a youth tutor and mentorship program aimed to break the cycle of early school drop simply called the “Break Dropout Project”.
Secondly we have a young professionals/young adults program which has two goals:
1. to help develop young professionals careers in engineering, business commerce, science/health, information technology, education and entrepreneurship;
2. to create a platform for young adults where they can showcase their skills and talents in music, art, film, dance and poetry. This platform is called Ground ZERO Culture CLUB. This is one of AfrA’s flagship programs and gives talented young adults a voice. We hope to engage you on assisting this program financially.
Thirdly we have an intergenerational women’s social and health development program called “Stories and Words” where women can learn from each other through their own life stories using written, visual and auditory stimulus. This is a practical program that engages women in their own health and wellness and uses this interaction to impact their homes and communities.
Many young adults have exceptional talents and skills but because they do not all have access to platforms like Ground ZERO Culture CLUB their work is never seen or heard. Ground ZERO Culture CLUB gives them a voice. We hope through this platform we can not only give them a voice but connect them with music producers, publicists, film directors, dance schools and art galleries to kick start and develop their careers.
This platform because it is a safe space for young adults to gather and exhibit helps take them off the streets and provides them some purpose and challenges them to pursue their dreams. In the broader sense with the other programs we run it breaks the cycle of early school dropout and gives youth a better chance to pursue their dreams or develop a skill that can contribute to the country’s economy and social development. Our programs also provide the opportunity for young adults to build capacity in their careers and therefore make them more marketable and better contributors in society. The women’s program also helps promote gender equality and addresses the injustices of the past.
Firstly and most importantly you can help to fund Ground ZERO Culture CLUB. Your donations, no matter how small, helps us give these talented young adults a voice and sustains the Ground ZERO Culture CLUB platform. Your money makes a difference in many lives.
Secondly you can help by being a volunteer in our programs and giving of your time and skill to help develop, engage and educate.
Thirdly you can also help by contacting us at info@africaforafricafoundation.org.za to see where there is a need other than money.
Lastly you can help by being an ambassador for AfrA Foundation in promoting our programs and spreading the word about Ground ZERO Culture CLUB and the needs for funding.
Tipping point (R25,000)
Reaching the tipping point will provide significant sustainability for the Ground ZERO Culture CLUB platform, securing funding for hiring an appropriate venue, securing funding for the appropriate sound technical support and assist in helping performing artists with the material they need to perform at the best of their ability. This will get the ball rolling and secure the next planned event. It will help us to grow the event and provide more young adults an opportunity.
The money goes towards, rental of one venue, payment for technical support for sound and lighting for one event, advertising the event, an honorarium for the anchor band and decorating the venue for the event.
Dream Funding Goal (R250,000)
Attaining our goal funding would be ultimate sustainability for one year. This will allow us to not only give these talented young adults a voice but we will be able to connect them with people that can assist in kickstarting their careers. The ultimate aim of our programme is to allow the musicians to connect with producers, cinematographers to meet with film directors, poet with publicists, dancers with experience choreographers and artist/photographers with art galleries. The dream funding will allow us to provide the logistics for workshops where skills can be transferred to improve and better talented young adults. The dream funding provides us with an opportunity to make a difference and to provide a safe environment for young adults in which they have a voice and their skills are developed and grown. The events are held at different venues to accommodate young adults from different parts of the country. We plan to house 10 event for the initial year and the dream funding goal allows us to pay for venue hire, technical equipment and support for sound and lighting, media to advertise each event, honorarium for anchor band, material to assist artist in setting up for the exhibition, photographers for capturing the event, decor ration of the venues and prices for best artist in each category.
My name is Sebastian Gelderbloem. I have been involved in scientific health research for more than 15 years. Previously I was managing director of Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation and whose board I still serve. I have been involved in youth development for a number of years. I am now also involved in young adult development and the managing director of AfrA Foundation. I completely believe if we develop, engage and educate our young adults for the future they will make a huge difference in their communities. I also believe for Africa to prosper Africans must invest in it. I am a cancer survivor. This has given me the opportunity to reflect on how fragile life is and we have to grab opportunities by both hand and learn to give unconditionally. The rest of our team are a combination of academics who are passionate about giving back to our communities and then most importantly our volunteers who tirelessly work behind the scenes to make the Ground ZERO Culture CLUB a true platform for growth and development of talent.