Scouting-in-Schools (SiS) mentor Ayasanga “Aya” Ben’s story begins in Khayelitsha on the outskirts of Cape Town where she grabbed an opportunity to help children grow, gain the valuable experience needed to find employment, and discover her own potential. Years later, she is using her skills and insights to open doors for other young people.

“I’m a very bubbly and loud person who loves to explore nature but enjoys being at home more than hanging around”, says Aya excitedly. “I was raised by a single mom who taught me to be independent and make smart choices in a community with lots of unemployment and therefore crime. Because of this, I was mostly at home or with my cousins growing up. I was not exposed to camping and hiking and did not get to interact with lots of new people.

Just like a lot of young people who graduate from high school, you get told to go to college or to university to study and then get a job. I studied HR Management and Level 1 in Education. But just like my peers, when I graduated, I could not find a job. You apply everywhere and they need experience. Most companies never even respond! Because of this, lots of young people in Khayelitsha don’t even know where to start to find opportunities. It was really hard and I suffered from depression. As a young person you have plans and dreams. You plan your life, work hard to get there, and then things just don’t go your way. The opportunities are just not there. My mom is a librarian, and I often joined her to use the computer to look for opportunities. That is when I saw the Year Beyond website and the opportunity to join the programme. The best part was that no experience was needed. From the moment I joined the Scouting-in-Schools programme, I found people who were passionate to give young people opportunities to grow and help them find direction”, explains Aya.

“As a YeBoneer Scout Leader I learned so much! We were trained to run the programmes, but also to plan, to manage projects and to empower young people. I was a Cub YeBoneer at Isikhokelo Primary School in Khayelitsha. It was a very different experience to the Scout programme. Within the Cub programme everything was more structured and often what they learned tied into what they were seeing in class. After Cubs, I would sit and watch another YeBoneer run the Scout programme. I was like, oh wow! In school they focus on the academics of the learners and then Scouting helped them learn values, how to work in a team and be leaders. When I then saw how confident Scout learners were in class, I was very proud. Their answers were not always correct, but they tried to answer, would be helpful and very active. Having both Cubs and Scouts in school was so good as it also helped the learners with other skills like reading and stepping up to help. Another important part of the Scouting-in-Schools programme was that it gave our learners a place to belong, even if they were not great achievers. Often the learners that don’t stand out academically get lost and start feeling that they don’t belong anywhere. That is when they go to the wrong places to find somewhere to belong. In the SiS programme, every term, learners are given awards for good behaviour or for something they achieved. They feel seen, recognised for being good at something, and see a brighter side of themselves outside of their academics. They then have the confidence to try more and to be themselves.

Another part of the programme that is so important is the exposure you get from travelling outside of the townships and communities in which we live. I got to go to Cape Town, to the CTICC, to hike up Lion’s Head, to see Table Mountain up close, and more recently we went to Intaka Island. For many of us it was the first time we were on a boat! Being exposed to people, to new ideas, and to be able to travel has opened my mind so much! I have found that programmes like Scouting-in-Schools really bring people together around a common goal and gives them exposure to new things. You get to do something meaningful that changes lives. I had studied HR, but when we got trained in community work I developed a big passion for helping people and decided that was what I want to do with my life. I enjoy seeing young people entering the programme and seeing them become a different person.”

Aya’s own experience in the programme changed the way she saw herself and what she believed she could contribute. After graduating from the SiS programme, she joined the team of Scouting-in-Schools mentors and now uses what she learned to give back to young people within the Khayelitsha Cluster.

“When I look at the new leaders that come into the programme I think back to the version of me who joined in 2023 and compare her to who I am now. I can really say that the confidence and bubbliness I have now grew through the Year Beyond Scouting programme. I found myself; I learned that I can actually speak in public and facilitate with the learners and YeBoneers. This really hit home for me in the beginning of the year. I thought I had confidence and then I arrived at the Hawequas Scout Adventure Centre to help train the new intake of YeBoneers and saw I had to speak to hundreds of young people! I pushed through and now I know that I can do it. I can facilitate sessions with huge numbers of people who hear me, listen to me and learn. That is a great feeling.

It is also very rewarding to see hard work pay off when spending time with the learners. Recently, we went on hikes up Lion’s Head. We were providing lunch to the children and YeBoneers present. In-between they needed to bring snacks for themselves. There were a few kids with no snacks, and I was worried about what they would do. But when the time came for snacks, everyone put theirs in a circle and shared. No questions asked. Scouts share and that was that. That really hit home for me. I was so proud! Within the schools we can also see the change in behaviour of the Scouts who come back for a second year. They help the new YeBoneers with energisers and the Scout Promise and Law. It is very nice to see how the learners live the values and inspire the YeBoneers who then teach new skills to the learners.

I believe that being a mentor is not only about achieving the programme goals, it is also being there for the young leaders when they struggle at home and are unsure what their futures hold. But, I tell my YeBoneers that skills they learn during our Friday training sessions and in the schools might seem small now, but when they graduate from the programme and move on, they will realise just how many skills they have gained. If you implement your smart goals, the outcome will be good!”

When asked how important programmes like these are to help young people step outside of the box, and perhaps even break the poverty cycle, Aya thinks for a moment and says: “It is important for young people to gain exposure so they can see a different side of the world, and a better side of themselves. Sometimes we underrate ourselves because of the community we grow up in. We put ourselves in a box and think that is where life ends. Life is bigger than what you see. Open yourself for learning and say yes to opportunities and you will find that there are things out there for you. The Scouting-in-Schools and Year Beyond programmes give people that exposure and the opportunity to try something new and find new passions. As a mentor, I remind my YeBoneers that they shouldn’t see ‘not achieving things’ as a failure, but as a learning opportunity. That is how to you grow and build your skills to become something in life. Growth is not about waking up taller, growth is about experiences, facing challenges and learning from those. When you failed at something and it comes around again, you will get it right because you have learned how to do it. Learning by doing is the Scouting way and a way to develop yourself in the process.”

So, whereto from here for Aya? “During my time in SiS, I realised that I could take initiative and do things on my own. Sometimes you would want to hide behind others, but now I start to initiate things more. I also learned discipline and that you need to account for your actions. As part of the programme we did a “be money smart” course. It was there that I learned how to budget and manage money instead of just spending it. Recently, I decided that with all this knowledge it was time for me to try to stand on my own two feet and implement the lessons my mom and SiS taught me. So, I moved into my own place and I am now living life as an independent young adult and SiS mentor. If I had not learned the skills I have today, I would not be where I am now.”