More than 15 000 pupils from South Africa are being taught through performance how to be their best without the use of alcohol or drugs and while abstaining from sex.
This yearly event is called the Be Your Best Rock Challenge, sponsored by the Industry Association for Responsible Alcohol Use (ARA), and is held in five different cities in South Africa in October.
Andrew Douglas, the producer of this year’s Rock Challenge, explains: ”The Rock Challenge is a major annual event which this year involves 165 primary and secondary schools. The learners have to work together to create a piece of work involving dance, design and drama. They then perform in one of the venues, in front of a screaming audience.”
Pupils are aged between 11 and 18 and come from independent, private, government and township schools.
”This year there are 11 events in five different cities, starting October 4 [and running] till October 27. The cities are Bloemfontein, Durban, Johannesburg, Rustenburg and Cape Town,” Douglas says.
Each of the performances runs between five and eight minutes and can involve 10 to 140 participants.
Says Douglas: ”All the learners will be transported by bus. They will go to the venue in their city and look at the performances. At the same time, during the day, we educate them about health in an entertaining way.”
Although Douglas is still busy finalising ideas for workshops that will educate learners about health issues, he can already say that ”there will be different facilitators giving workshops for 45 minutes at the venue. For example, there is a workshop about using alcohol. We’ll give one of the learners glasses with a garbled view and in this way put him in the mind of someone who is drunk.”
The Be Your Best Rock Challenge is part of the Global Rock Challenge, which has its origins in Sydney, Australia, 25 years ago.
”The Rock Challenge is now produced in numerous countries around the world,” says Douglas, ”including New Zealand, Germany, England, Canada and the United States. I am delighted to add South Africa to this list for the second time.”
This year’s Rock Challenge is supported by Coca-Cola, Xstrata Mining and the Australian government, with the ARA as its main sponsor.
ARA director Pat Govender says: ”Part of our main vision deals with the responsible use of alcohol. This [Rock Challenge] is a nice addition to the [prevention] campaign. A part of our approach is partnerships with other entities. That is what is happening now, and it is amazing.”
Haroon Mohamed, representative of the Department of Education, is ”proud to be associated with the Rock Challenge. Constructive partnerships like this are the key in reaching goals. Any initiative like this must be applauded.”
Schools wishing to participate in the Rock Challenge have to be less than two hours’ driving distance from the venue. This is the most important criterion that the organisers of Rock Challenge use, though it means not every school can take part.
Douglas says: ”In our long-term plan, we of course think about the rural areas throughout South Africa and also the sub-Saharan countries. But we have to make sure there is funding.”
Elizabeth Molefe has been teaching for four years at the Sizwile School for the Deaf in Soweto, Johannesburg, which is participating in this second Rock Challenge.
She explains: ”This definitely boosts their [the children’s] self-esteem and helps the people understand that they [the deaf children] are fine. There is nothing wrong with them, not physically, not mentally. They can perform like any other child of their age by feeling the music [the sound of the bass].
”Sizwile School for the Deaf is the only participating school which caters to learners with special needs. I hope we set an example for other schools [that cater for learners with special needs].”
But township schools don’t have the same budget as schools from upper-class areas do. They need costumes in which to perform.
”It is true we don’t have a budget for the learners’ stage appearance. We don’t pay for their costumes or any type of clothing. I find that children in this type of environment [such as the Sizwile School for the Deaf] get the whole community to help make the costumes. This is nice, because then the challenge expands into the whole community instead of only to the children,” Douglas says.
”When performing, you can’t see the difference between the children from township schools and the children from upper-class areas. This is because we make sure the light show and music are right. All the performances will look good. Of course, we will be looking at this [schools’ financial difficulties] but it also depends on the type of sponsors.”
On the net
Rock Challenge