Dedicated to impacting and transforming the lives of the next generation
What’s in a name?
We have often been asked; “Why One Million Strong” To be honest we would like to reach many more lives than one million. Maybe the numbers aren’t that important. What is however extremely important is that as many lives as possible are transformed. Initially a million seemed a distant goal but as more and more countries come on board and more and more partners join in, one million becomes not only feasible, but possible.
It’s important to note that our peer facilitators and mentors spend quality time with these young people. Every individual spends at least 15-20 hours, spread over three to four months on our programme. This allows us time to bond and for meaningful relationships to be established. It also allows these young people to “learn” valuable life skills as opposed to teaching life skills – there is a huge difference.
We love the word “strong” as this is what we want young people to learn. Strong enough to say “no” and mean it, strong enough to say “no” when you don’t want to have sex, strong enough to say “no” to bullying, strong enough to say “no” to abuse, strong enough to say no to drugs, strong enough to speak truth irrespective of the consequences. We also want young people to be able to “yes” to principles, to say “yes” to their values, strong enough to make the right decisions irrespective of how difficult that might be. We want our youth to be “strong”
Methodology
1 Million Strong, along with our partners are currently actively engaged with many schools throughout South Africa with projects rolling out in Johannesburg, The Vaal Area, Cape Town, East London and Pietermaritzburg areas. Although we are excited with what we are experiencing, we need to reach many more millions of young people if we are going to make an impact or make a difference. Some of our partners are taking this initiative beyond the borders of South Africa into the rest of Africa. We are also rolling out projects in Kenya, Haiti and Honduras. As you can imagine this is unbelievably exciting.
The 1 Million Strong initiative has a vision to reach and touch millions of young people all over the world.
This is a huge challenge but we believe with God’s help, the power of collective will and synergy this goal is achievable. We are often asked; “How can I help?” The bottom line is that not everyone has the time to actively get involved as they may just be too busy or logistically it may be a problem – and that’s fine. We however feel there are hundreds, if not thousands of people, who could partner with us in any way they see fit. These “partnerships” however become significant when compounded. We are all aware of the miracle of compounded interest when we invest or save. Our goal is to raise 1 Million young leaders throughout the world who would be committed to making a difference in their communities.
