Life Orientation is a compulsory and examinable subject in all schools in South Africa and is studied in all grades. LEAP devotes one lesson every day to Life Orientation and emphasises the internal dimensions of the subject. By incorporating some of the ideas and strategies of group work and positive peer influence on a daily basis for all students, LEAP’s Life Orientation programme serves as a proactive preventative intervention rather than a reactive counseling response programme.

The students at LEAP (as for most township schools) have an additional set of circumstances to deal with as a consequence of the mess created by apartheid, including the erosion of the social fabric and very real economic hardships. Many of the students at LEAP are facing the reality of disintegrating families, illness- and violence-related deaths. As a consequence, the school actively and consciously creates the space and the relationships in which there is trust.

Life Orientation directly deals with the “voicelessness” of individuals. Often the only voice of township students is a collective one, and there is a great fear of being out of step with the collective voice and this is particularly damaging in a learning environment. What is developed in the Life Orientation sessions is the individual student’s sense of wholeness, identity and belonging, and from this platform each of the students builds an ability to risk, to be open and to identify and process real feelings.

The main goal of Life Orientation at LEAP is to create a safe place in which any issue can surface. In such a place, the young people can find a voice: they can be angry, sad or bitter. They can learn to become comfortable with reflection and introspection, which allows them to deal with these feelings. In a safe place the students can challenge and be challenged, allowing each young person’s unique voice to develop.

LEAP is convinced of the profound effects on the students and their communities that will occur through a combination of the internal empowerment that comes from acquiring true life-skills developing positive values, and the economic empowerment that comes from becoming skilled at Science and Maths.

“I used to be a shy and insecure girl, but LEAP has taught me to find my own voice.”

 Asanda, LEAP 1 (Langa), Grade 12