Annual Report 2024

As we reach the end of 2024, the School of Hard Knocks can look back on a year well spent. Our team has done important, impactful work across our three projects – projects that use sport to help people improve their mental health, helping them to be better placed to address the trauma that they have faced.

Our SoHK for Schools programme continues to go from strength to strength, the team building strong relationships with our participants, their educators, and our partner schools. Through our curriculum, and the vital work of our safeguarding team, we’ve helped our learners - more than 650 in 2024, from 350 in 2023 - learn and practice essential mental health skills, and have intervened when our participants have faced acute threats to their mental or physical safety - in 2024, our improved processes allowed us to make nearly 100 advanced interventions.

Our NxtGen programmes, NxtGenMen and NxtGenWomxn, have both had significant impacts on the more than 2800 people who attended. These programmes introduce vital tools to help the participants improve their mental health, and NxtGenMen introduces a range of gender transformative content, designed to empower participants to be empowered to stand against gender-based violence, and to be role models in their community.

The SoHK team will grow in 2025, and this bigger team will help us to reach even further, while maintaining the quality of our interventions. The team will be led by our new CEO, Lana Rolfe, whose dedication to impact and to our participants and our team will ensure that SoHK continues to move closer to realising its vision - a South Africa where people are better able to fulfil their potential and be active citizens, by understanding and addressing trauma.

As we reach the end of 2024, the School of Hard Knocks can look back on a year well spent. Our team has done important, impactful work across our three projects – projects that use sport to help people improve their mental health, helping them to better placed to address the trauma that they have faced. We have been able to reach more people, while maintaining the high standards and drive for impact that the School of Hard Knocks has become known for.

Every member of our team has gone beyond expectations – a huge thank you, to each of them. Thank you too, to each of our Board members, for the time, energy and guidance that you provide to the organisation. And thank you, too, to the organisations who partner with us, as we deliver our programmes, and to our funders. The trust that so many people and organisations place in us is something that we take seriously, and that drives us to excellence.

I will be leaving the School of Hard Knocks at the end of 2024, but I’m happy to announce that I’ll be handing over the leadership of the School of Hard Knocks to Lana Rolfe, who has been our COO for the last 2 and a bit years. Over and over again, Lana has shown her dedication to mental health interventions, to our participants and to our team. I have no doubt that her strategic and empathetic leadership will lead the School of Hard Knocks to even greater impact in the years to come. I am grateful to be able to leave the organisation in such safe hands.

It has been an incredible privilege to lead this team since 2022, and this opportunity is something that I will appreciate for the rest of my life. I’ll continue to be involved with the organisation, formally and informally, and look forward to hearing about the team’s work, in 2025 and beyond.

To 2025 and beyond!

Jon Hunter-Parsonage

SOHK FOR SCHOOLS

Despite South Africa’s large investment in basic education, about 40% of Grade 1 learners will exit the South African schooling system before reaching Grade 12 and less than half will gain matric. Without matric, youth are more likely to remain unemployed and stuck in poverty for life as extended joblessness can lead to chronic unemployment and mental health issues. A more emotionally regulated child, shows prosocial behaviour, can retain knowledge, and make better decisions.

NXTGENMEN

With a growing gender equality movement, it is possible that the next generation of young men in South Africa will grow up in a society where mutual respect, support and a shared sense of responsibility between partners is the norm?

School of Hard Knocks (SoHK) recognise the urgent need to address a pandemic of violence against women in South Africa. Project #NxtGenMen, supported by the Irish Embassy, will use the power of sport to deliver workshops to shift attitudes around traditional gender norms to improve relationship health and ultimately reduce harmful behaviours towards women.

NXTGENWOMXN

NxtGenWomxn is designed to provide adolescent girls and young womxn (AGYW) with the mental health resources to deal with the challenges they face today.

In 2022, our partner schools were reporting higher levels of self-harm, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy and suicide attempts, than ever before. There was an urgent need to develop a shorter, focused intervention for adolescent girls. After consultations and focus groups with topic experts, SoHK SA created a 6-part evidence-based curriculum, which we have piloted with over 600 women and girls.

FINANCES

Money stuff here