Newsletter January 2025

Happy New Year from Creative Skills Factory!

As we step into a new year, we are excited and committed to our founding vision: using creativity as a powerful tool for transformation.

This year, we return to our roots with a deep focus on the individual – one child, one creative spark, one meaningful change at a time.

In 2025 we reaffirm our belief that by focusing on the unique potential of each young person we work with, we can ignite a wave of positive impact that ripples out into families, communities and beyond.

Each child carries their own strengths, talents and dreams, and it is our mission to help them discover and nurture those qualities through the transformative power of creativity.

Our Intentions for 2025: Transformation Through Creativity

This year, we’re turning our attention inward - not just to what we can achieve as an organization, but to what we can achieve together with each individual child or young person we serve. Whether through art, music, play, dance, movement, storytelling or other creative expressions. Creativity offers children the tools to explore, challenge and change the world around them and build valuable skills for life.

We believe that small moments of inspiration and focused attention can make the biggest difference. By investing our energy and resources in each child we work with, we can create lasting change that goes beyond the immediate classroom or programme experience. Each Individual we work with offers an opportunity to shift perspectives and break barriers, and to foster resilience.

We make the road by walking small steps and focus for lasting impact.

When we focus on one child at a time, we:

Cultivate a sense of belonging:

Each child feels seen, heard, and valued, creating an environment where they feel empowered to express themselves and explore their full potential.

Foster personal growth:

Through creativity, children learn to problem-solve, think critically, and develop emotional resilience. They build self-confidence and gain the tools to navigate challenges both inside and outside the classroom.

Create lasting change:

Small, incremental steps lead to sustainable growth. By focusing on the child’s unique path, we set the stage for long-term transformation.

What’s news in 2025

We are thrilled to announce a range of exciting new projects for this year - all designed to engage children and youth in creative learning experiences. From interactive art workshops to collaborative storytelling projects, we’re committed to offering opportunities that allow children to express themselves in meaningful ways.

2025 started with a ROAR - the Youth Group leadership went on a wonderful outing to the Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary in Stanford. BIG Thank you Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary.

The group of young talented artists from Stanford and Zwelihle (Hermanus) who participate in our STAR Search Programme, had the opportunity to attend a beautiful leadership session with the Sanctuary's team.

Nolundi Nonono is a talented vocalist who was one of the winners of STAR Search 2023 and she has been awarded with a life-changing opportunity. Nolundi has been accepted by Bridges for Music in Cape Town to attend a six months training course. 

Click here to read more about how you can support Nolundi.

Our patio in progress.

The Learning Tree team have been preparing and planning for the year ahead and the centre's doors are open and ready for the children of Stanford to do creative activities, arts and crafts, music, puppetry, literacy and more.

The Learning Tree now has an new outside covered patio that provides us with much more space to do our workshops with the children, outside in the fresh air.

This extension to our centre was made possible with the help received from generous donors and we are very excited about the new patio, we love it.

Thank you to the donors for your support!

Join Us in Making a Difference

We can’t do this work alone.

As part of the community, we need your support to help us achieve our mission. Whether through volunteering, donating or simply by spreading the word about the importance of creativity in education - every action counts.

If you are passionate about making a lasting impact on the lives of children through creativity, we invite you to get involved.

Together we can ensure that this year, and every year, creativity becomes the spark for transformation - one child at a time.

Join our Circle of Friends in 2025

Thank you for being part of the Creative Skills Factory family. 

We are excited to continue this journey with you, focused on making a real difference in the lives of the children we serve. Here’s to a year of creativity, transformation and meaningful change!

Our "Circle of Friends" initiative is for anyone who would like to make regular monthly deposits by debit order or scheduled payments. These payments can be made via our our Payfast account accessible by clicking on the "Click to donate" button below, or directly into our bank account (details below).

Our bank account details are:

Nedbank Limited
Account name: Creative Skills Factory NPC
Type: Current account
Account number:  115 897 0595
Branch code: 198765

Ad-hoc donations can be made to our bank account or via our Payfast account.
 
As we are a Public Benefit Organisation - Creative Skills Factory can provide our donors with SARS Section 18A tax receipts for donation tax deductions.

CLICK to donate.