YOUTHCONNECTED Inc.

YOUTHCONNECTED is a registered charitable organisation dedicated to the empowerment and growth of the youth who will be leaders of tomorrow. Its members are of all ages and come from diverse backgrounds.

As global change is gathering speed our youth are facing new questions for which former generations have no answers. In the First World we are witnessing the rise of eating disorders, drug abuse and suicide while in the Third World we see the learned helplessness, hopelessness, and powerlessness of young people living with poverty and disease. Youth in both worlds are alienated and at risk.

One of the main objectives of YOUTHCONNECTED is to empower young people who have lost their sense of self to reconnect with themselves and others while enabling them to serve their communities.

YOUTHCONNECTED works actively in South Africa and are commencing work among disadvantaged communities in Australia. The organisations that YOUTHCONNECTED currently supports are:

Hillcrest AIDS Centre (www.hillaids.org.za) – provides education, counseling, income generation projects and hospice- and home-based health care for those affected by HIV/AIDS.

In January 2007, 29 Australians travelled to Hillcrest where we worked in their organic gardens, counselled HIV-positive mothers, and saw patients in the respite centre and on home visits into the valley.

Goedgedacht Farm Trust (www.goedgedachttrust.org.za) - a rural poverty initiative located in the western Cape, not far from Cape Town.

Goedgedacht farm incorporates a pre-school, a youth development centre, an HIV/AIDS programme and home-based care, counselling and educational program.  YOUTHCONNECTED supports Goedgedacht financially, and also participates in its youth development programs.

Educo Africa (www.educo.org.za) - a non-profit organisation that aims to raise the quality of life of people and communities in South Africa. (Educo Africa website)

Educo Africa is a youth leadership program, which facilitates young people to engage more fully with the experience of life through wilderness adventure programs, and then supports them back into their communities in leadership roles.

“Little Travellers” are little, beaded doll pins made by women infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. The dolls are sold for $5 each, and all money raised is returned to Hillcrest, both to the beadworkers themselves and to the Centre, where the money is put towards the construction of a new Respite Unit. The project raises funds but it is more than that, for economic empowerment is a critical factor in the health of people affected by HIV/AIDS – it gives them a reason to live. If you are a school group, community group or business and would like to sell the dolls yourselves, we would be delighted to hear from you.

To find out more about Little Travellers: www.littletraveller.org.za/