Volmoed Youth Leadership Training Programme

Volmoed Youth Weekly Update: 24 - 29 August 2026

Dear Friends,

One of the things we at Volmoed Youth are known for, is our combination of being both inward and outward-facing. We do our best to hold onto both “Silence and Solidarity”, with “and” being the most important word. From the Taizé community, we learn about contemplation AND action. We are at our best when we act in hope, holding love of God and love of neighbour together. To that, our youngest daughter would probably say “duh!”. Of course: this is the most central definition of what a follower of Christ is: why would we not be at our best when we hold these two things together?

Some of you may remember that one of our outward-facing events we hosted happened exactly a year ago. A group of mainly young Christians and Muslims gathered at Volmoed for an interfaith dialogue. What a special weekend it was, where we observed and learned from each other’s prayer practices.

One of the highlights - which some unfortunately tried to turn into a controversy - was a visit to the local NG Kerk (Dutch Reformed church) on Sunday 31 August, where I preached and presided at the Eucharist (using the UbunTutu Eucharistic prayer).

Everyone, including the Muslims and the Catholic students, attended. It was a really unique “Mandela moment”, where the Muslim aunties and the NG tannies met and embraced and enjoyed koeksisters together after the service. I remember the Muslim delegates saying how welcome they felt. If you have the time or the inclination, you can view the service here: https://www.youtube.com/live/mR9Z76gVqlg?si=Nr1t9xcjUakvyuI_

In other more recent news…..

1. This past week, God-incidentally, on Monday I sat next to Moulana MK Allie at the 30th anniversary event to celebrate our country’s Constitution. And…..this week the local Catholic church in Zwelihle also opened their doors to us to host the isiXhosa version of Mike van Graan’s play “Never, never and never again” to start a local dialogue on Afrophobia (actually criminality disguised as South African nationalism, if we are honest). How do we continue to build and strengthen these bridges with the local churches? The United Church has also been wonderful this year, hosting our young people on June 14 and they are doing more in October when they host a music afternoon in aid of the St Peter’s church organ.

2. On Tuesday, Willow Sauvage of La Pentola came to talk to the young people about “knife safety” in the kitchen. This week she will continue to share her wisdom and skill with us. Her mom shared a vision of a “production kitchen” with me. We will continue to explore these possibilities.

3. Some of us were very privileged to be at Avreq at Stellenbosch university this week to continue the research process on “transgenerational well-being”. We learnt a huge amount: those in Hermanus must watch out for young people with small cameras over the next few weeks. The music of several great South African artists inspired our time together. See especially some of Thandiswa Mazwai’s music: https://youtu.be/P2k834r9Mmo?si=fDXJU-oILNhfwiT1

4. I mentioned above about the isiXhosa version of a play to be performed at the Catholic church. The English version of Mike van Graan’s play, “Never, never and never again” - followed by eats provided by the Institute for the Healing of Memories - as well as a dialogue will be held at Volmoed on Thursday 3 Sept after the 10h00 Eucharist service. All are welcome!

5. We are always very grateful to those of you who support this ministry, and want to strengthen it. We ask for special prayers for one of our supportive friends, Doug Hiza, in London. Other friends in Oregon have now raised the funds that will allow us to engage a “Fundraising Development and engagement officer” to sustain the work. We had interviews with potential candidates this week and hope to make the appointment soon.

6. If you are in the Western Cape and you attended the 10th anniversary celebrations of VYLTP, you are welcome to register for another gathering co-hosted by SACC Western Cape Youth Ministry Desk, happening 17 - 20 September at St Peter’s, Hermanus. The registration link is at https://forms.gle/yZgDszNxuSEMNXkt5

7. Finally… (breathe in, breathe out): something about the Springbok rugby team after their loss to the mighty All Blacks last week. Today I am burning special incense and lighting a candle for the Springboks. If they lose again, I am afraid that even God (or the version of God that I believe in) will have given up on them!

On a more serious note, I end this weekly update by sharing a prayer that I wrote on Wednesday:

“O Holy Spirit,
As Jesus enters the upper-rooms of our hearts:
Proclaim your peace;
Reveal your wounds;
And breathe your breath over us; For Your Name’s sake.
Amen”

Rev. Edwin Arrison
VYLTP Director
Email: [email protected]

SACC-WC & VYLTP Application 2026 The South African Council of Churches - Western Cape (SACC-WC)and Volmoed Youth Leadership Training Programme (VYLTP), through the Youth Ministry Desk, is delighted to invite applications for the Ecumenical Youth Leadership Citizen Programme (EYLCP) and continue the work of the VYLTP 10th Celebratio...

*Volmoed Youth Weekly Update: 17 - 22 August 2026*

Dear Friends,

We start this weekly update with the most important religious news of the day: tonight at 5pm SA time the mighty All Blacks play the near-invincible Springboks! Wherever you are, please pause your life for 80 minutes to see this battle of the rugby giants. This 4game series will all end in Baltimore on 12 September 4pm Baltimore time. Be blessed!

Onto other equally important news:

1. For the past two days, I have been leading an amazing group of activist students from St Stephen’s University, New Brunswick, Canada (mostly USA citizens) in a reflective retreat at Volmoed after their 2 week pilgrimage in our country. They started their retreat by drumming with the young people, and ended it with the UbunTutu Eucharistic prayer. We were privileged to also have a Palestinian from Bethlehem (no, not Jesus, but close enough) with us. Steve Schallert asked: “What is the difference between being a tourist and a pilgrim?” He answered it this way: “a tourist travels through a place, but a pilgrim allows a place to travel through her”. Steve also challenged the participants to make a 10/10/10 commitment: to embark on some small action within the next 10 days, another action within the next ten weeks and another one within the next ten months. Shouldn’t all workshops or conferences end this way?

2. On Thursday the young people had their last session for August 2026 on Gender-based violence, led by Hope Africa. Those who attended these workshops found it very helpful and empowering. Thank you, Hope Africa!

3. On Tuesday we had a deep clean of the kitchen at the RDP. One of the young people who features in our 10th anniversary video (Willow Sauvage) who is an excellent cook, will now start some cooking classes with the young people this coming Tuesday. Willow’s family own La Pentola restuarant in Hermanus and they are great supporters of Volmoed Youth. We look forward to this!

4. I was privileged to attend a really well-organised meeting at Lukhanyo Primary school last Saturday. One of the outcomes is that the drummers will now visit the school on 31 August for a teacher wellness programme.

5. All is now confirmed for the launch of Mike van Graan’s play “Never, never and never again?”. It will be launched in Zwelihle in isiXhosa on 2 September at 6pm. The next morning after the Eucharist at Volmoed, it will be launched in English, followed by a facilitated discussion on both occasions. Mike (see https://mikevangraan.co.za )will be present for both, and this will be part of the pushback against the anti-migrant movement in our country. We hope it will be translated into all 11 official languages. Watch this space.

6. The 17 - 20 September gathering of young W Cape ecumenical leaders is now confirmed for St Peter’s, Hermanus. Those who have not yet registered, can do so by 26 August at https://forms.gle/yZgDszNxuSEMNXkt5

We have another Big week coming up! Please continue to uphold us and all we do in your prayers. Pray especially for the young people. Thanks for all your support.

Rev. Edwin Arrison
VYLTP Director
Email: [email protected]

SACC-WC & VYLTP Application 2026 The South African Council of Churches - Western Cape (SACC-WC)and Volmoed Youth Leadership Training Programme (VYLTP), through the Youth Ministry Desk, is delighted to invite applications for the Ecumenical Youth Leadership Citizen Programme (EYLCP) and continue the work of the VYLTP 10th Celebratio...

Volmoed Youth Weekly Update: 10 - 15 August 2026

Dear Friends,

Some of you might know the saying “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous”. Every now and then some coincidence happens and I often wonder why.

Yesterday morning, I went for a long walk. On my way back, I met a parishioner from Zwelihle who greeted me very warmly and said “Mfundisi - that means Revd - I want you to meet my employer. Please wait here.” After a while, a young man (perhaps in his 30s) came out and we had the most incredible conversation for the next 20 minutes or so. He is a professional drummer and plays with a band that will be touring Europe (Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland) soon. He has a studio in Hermanus and has been wanting to meet someone from Volmoed Youth drummers. He wants to collaborate on several levels, especially in planning a concert on 11 December. Watch this space, as I think there could be some great collaboration.

About an hour later, Ayakha from Zwelihle Youth choir also arrived at the RDP in Zwelihle (this is the space where we make the drums and where we are now also building a food garden). What an incredible young leader he is. The choir is a year old now and they are just brilliant. We collaborated for the Mandela Day drumming and he expressed the wish (which I share) that the two groups should work together much more. Somehow the stars are aligning….

Of course there are moments when the stars do not align, and one also has to wonder why? More on this “non-alignment” at another time.

1. As you all know, St Peter’s Hermanus as well as the United Church embraced us so warmly for our 10th anniversary in June. This relationship will now continue to be strengthened when they again host about 40 young people from across the Western Cape from 17 - 20 September. This will be a joint VYLTP-SACC Western Cape event. The empowerment process, relationship-building and alignment-building amongst the ecumenical youth will continue. I will soon send a registration link for this.

2. Top highlight of the week was when I went to bless the little house we built for one of our young people. I again read the text of the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15: 21 - 28), blessed some water and then blessed it inside and outside while the young people sang. It was a Francis of Assisi moment! What a joy when the most marginalised amongst us can celebrate! I repeat something I wrote last week: it is one thing to talk about justice for the poorest: it is another thing to actually make it happen and to see the joy when it happens.

3. Really sad news is that a great supporter of Volmoed Youth, Les Clark, passed away this week. She was always so full of energy and ideas. She had a wonderful smile and she came to the Mandela Day drumming in front of the Windsor Hotel. May the angels lead you into paradise, Les! May many more Les Frankens arise! A memorial service for her will be held on Aug 27 at United Church.

4. On that day, some of us will start a two-day workshop with Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela to continue the research project on “transgenerational well-being”. Young people will be given cameras and for the next two weeks, they will capture photos in the community of images that depict well-being. Let’s see what they capture. At some point there will be an exhibition of these images accompanied by voice notes from them.

5. We have now received 3 applications for our “Development and Engagement” officer. We look forward to doing interviews soon! We need someone who is a really good administrator and who can ensure that we strengthen our journey towards sustainability. The work we do requires resources to invest it in the most marginalised, and we thank God for all of you who make this work possible.

6. We look forward to welcoming Mike van Graan to Volmoed on Thursday 3 September. The Institute for the Healing of Memories also plan to be part of this (they offered to provide eats!). The play “Never, never and never again” will be performed after the Thursday service and some discussion about Afrophobia, xenophobia and our South African challenges will follow after that.

7. I will be in Zwelihle today (Lukhanyo Primary) and tomorrow (All Saints), Many blessings for the coming week and all that it has in store for us.

Rev. Edwin Arrison
VYLTP Director
Email: [email protected]

Volmoed Youth Weekly Update: 3 - 8 August 2026

Dear Friends,

Driving through the Overberg in the Western Cape or towards Namibia in the Northern Cape - where the desert blooms during this time of the year- is absolutely magic. Last Saturday I drove to the southernmost part of Africa and once again saw the beautiful canola fields of the Overberg. It is simply spectacular. One begins to understand why South Africa is really special and needs to be stewarded well. If you want to learn 30 new about South Africa that you might not know, feel free to watch this excellent short video: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19AmtS5Ndz/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The missing element in this video is the human diversity found in South Africa. We have so much to learn from and about each other, and we had a glimpse of that yesterday when Dr Thapelo Teele spoke to some of our young people about the Bafokeng (the people from Phokeng) and the rich mixture of Tswana, BaSotho, Khoi and Zulu people found in northern Lesotho and north of that. Ditto for the “coloured people” of South Africa. Absolutely fascinating. Given our rich diversity, I am not at all surprised to hear that some of our young people, the only team from the continent of Africa, went to a NASA competition in Florida and won! Plse see https://mybroadband.co.za/news/science/661508-team-south-africa-wins-at-nasa-space-engineering-competition.html

As we enter Women’s month in South Africa, I salute the women leaders on our VYLTP leadership team: Rene August, Wilma Jakobsen, Thobeka Dodo and Mona Okello. Rene’s surname is a reminder of the enslaved people who were imported into South Africa (I almost wrote “the slaves who came” but Rene would have given me THAT look!) and who arrived on our shores during the month of August. They were then simply given the surname of the month that they arrived….

Now for other news….

1. We were privileged to finish the building of a little house for one of our young women. I am really really happy that we are not a youth movement that simply talks and theorises about the struggles of women, but we actually do something about it, even something as small as securing the accommodation of a young woman and child. We cannot of course do this without your generous support, so once again a BIG thank you to all those who support us so generously.

2. Special thanks to Greg and Heidi in Oregon who have assured us that we can go ahead and appoint a “Development and Engagement officer” to significantly elevate our fundraising capacity. We look forward to doing this soon!

3. This week we also started cleaning out the garden area of the RDP site in Zwelihle where we are based for most of the week. We are re-imagining the site for a long-term stay there as various NGOs unfortunately come into townships, create huge enthusiasm, and then disappear again. We aim to create “stabilitas”, an oasis if you like, where the young people can draw sustenance, dance, sing and drum, affirm their innate dignity and humanity and where older people can share wisdom. Please dream with us so that we create a “little Volmoed” in the townships.

4. Hope Africa came to facilitate the first of 3 sessions on the crisis of Gender-based violence in South Africa. Those who know us, will know that this is always our focus in the month of August. For September, our focus will be “Creation and Creativity”.

5. We were privileged to have two staff of The Rainbow Trust (Bathandile and Olo) visiting us and working with the young people on Friday. At the same time, we had the researchers from Stellenbosch University (Thapelo and Mel) with us to reflect on what we did last week. This research is really fascinating, and have now attracted the attention of an amazing project called “The Open Table” under the leadership of Jon Katov. Please read more about this at https://www.theopentable.org/about/ I will share more as this develops.

We cannot thank you enough your support, your prayers and your love. I am privileged to witness this close up. We can safely ignore some people (looking at you, Trump and others with similar views) and simply celebrate and build on who we are in all our wonderful beauty and diversity. And then not stop hearing the words of the Arch: “Go and make life beautiful: especially for the poor”. God bless!

Rev. Edwin Arrison
VYLTP Director
Email: [email protected]

About - The Open Table® Look beyond the hats. Through our eyes. And into our hearts. That is where you will find the story of the Open Table Movement.

Volmoed Youth Weekly Update: 27 - 31 July 2026

Dear Friends,

I begin this weekly update with a special note and plea to young South Africans reading this: if you are not yet registered to vote, please do so this weekend at https://registertovote.mtndatafree.co/ and encourage your friends to do so as well. Once the voters’ roll is declared, and you are not registered to vote, you will not be able to participate in the Nov 4 local government elections. I encourage all young people 16 and above to register. Your participation in our civic life is of utmost importance and value.

Also: young adults in the Western Cape: please diarise 17 - 20 September. It looks like at least 40 of the Western Cape ecumenical youth leadership will again gather in Hermanus over that weekend to continue the empowerment process we started in June. We will soon send out a registration form for this.

In other news…

1. What an incredible week we had! On Monday I was able to speak to Dr Michael Battle on an online call. His recovery has been steady and he hopes to be fully recovered soon. Please continue to uplift him and also our beloved “Tata Mkhulu” John de Gruchy in your prayers as they both continue their journeys of healing.

2. Then….Drumroll….. On Wednesday we welcomed back Mahalia Naicker and Indiphile Mkhubelweni after their 3-month stay at Taizé in France! It was so good to hear from Indiphile about his time there, and the Naicker family in Jhb is more than happy to have their daughter home! She has written some very creative weekly reports that will soon be available on our website. Thank you both for your work and presence there.

3. Yesterday, the amazing Dr Thapelo Teele, who is leading the “Transgenerational well-being” research project at AVREQ at Stellenbosch University, shared his own story, one that stretches from Lesotho to Makhanda to Cape Town. Thapelo means “prayer” and he certainly is an answer to many prayers.

He exposed us to the music of Sipho Hotstix Mabuza (search for “Thabo Bosiu” on Youtube), the poetry of his own Bafokeng clan and the artworks of Nelson Makamo. It was so inspiring! We look forward to working on building the puzzle of well-being with Thapelo and the team at Avreq for many years.

4. This week also saw the near-completion of the little house that we are building for Whaylene in Mount Pleasant. It is so good to know that we were able to do this, under the leadership of Siya Vonco.

5. We are trying to build the capacity of Volmoed Youth, and have now handed a proposal for an “Development and Engagement officer” to friends in the USA who offered to help with this. Thank you, dear friends in Oregon!

6. Big thanks to Mike Mineter for reconnecting me to an old friend, Dr Leslie Milton, in Scotland. Leslie and Mike will see Mzi Damesi from the Boxing club in Hermanus at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland today.

7. Migration: the anti-African immigrant movement in South Africa continues. Our Wednesday evening gathering listened to the plans for nationwide Ubuntu marches on 8 August as well as to what the SACC has been doing to counter this evil. Here’s the thing: we have a situation where millions of SOUTH AFRICANS are undocumented. We know this to be true because we have helped young South Africans get their birth-certificates and IDs. And we know how difficult and time-consuming that was. So we are in for a challenging time ahead. To counter some of this, the playwright Mike van Graan has developed a script to begin some deep conversations about this crisis. Plse email or send me a whatsapp for a copy. We hope to have this translated to all 11 South African languages. Please pray that we may be delivered from this evil, and that citizens will begin to do what government seems unable or unwilling to do. Many thanks for your support and prayers. The struggle continues… but we press on, continuing to sing the cold and broken Alleluia… God bless

Rev. Edwin Arrison
VYLTP Director
Email: [email protected]

Voter Portal - Home

Greetings, dear friends,

With joy in our hearts, let us extend a heartfelt welcome home to Mahalia and Indiphile, returning to South Africa after their time of service abroad.

Through their journey, they have gifted us with news from Taizé and shared the richness of their volunteer experiences — stories of faith, fellowship, and discovery that continue to inspire.

May you be uplifted as you read their reflections and glimpse the beauty of their path. Their voices carry not only memories, but also a reminder of the light we share when we walk together in service and hope.



Taizé

Volmoed Youth Weekly Update: 13 - 18 July 2026

Dear Friends

Today is truly a BIG day for us. It is global “Mandela Day”. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani gave an excellent speech on Wednesday evening on the true legacy of Nelson Mandela. It is worth reading in full at https://www.nelsonmandela.org/news/entry/full-speech-new-york-mayor-zohran-kwame-mamdani-inaugural-nelson-mandela-global-leadership-forum

Unfortunately, We, South Africans, do not fully live up to Madiba’s values and legacy, and South Africa is not currently all that he desired and worked for, but he remains our north star (I almost wrote “even if some history illiterates call him a sell-out!”)….But Lead me not into temptation….

My own sister (Tania) worked for him, as one of his personal assistants. Here is a piece she wrote about him: https://share.google/oZbUlVWeXGpNV4gMV In South Africa, we are probably the only siblings who worked closely with and for two historical greats: Tutu and Mandela. We might write a book about it one day. (Again: Lead us not into temptation).

1. So: At 12pm today we will be led by the multi-talented Siya and Meredith in 67 minutes of non-stop drumming, singing and dancing in front of the Windsor hotel in Hermanus. This is a completely unique event, and it is our 4th year of doing it. We shall be joined by the Zwelihle youth choir! Participants will be encouraged to pay R67 per person, if possible. We look forward to seeing many of our friends and supporters there, as well as meet new friends.

2. The little shelter we are building for one of the young people has progressed significantly but might only be ready for occupation by Friday or early the following week. After an incredible conversation with the manager of the Windsor hotel, she offered to find carpets and furniture for the shelter, and also pledged to tell tour groups about us.

3. Friends: your generosity towards us on the GlobalGiving site this week, went through the roof! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Two incredible friends, Janie and Ron, who visited S.Africa in 2023 and fell in love with the Volmoed Youth and hosted the drummers in the USA in 2024 said that they were honored to be able to contribute generously to our mission. Others who contributed so generously are Dan, Nigel, Steve, Meredith, Mary Ellen, Libby, AC, Gerti, Sandra, Danny and Terri, James, Nina, Anne, Dale, Barbara, Michael. May the good Lord bless you with the spirit of Madiba!

4. This followed on our incredibly insightful meeting with the nephew of the Erskines and founder of betterfundraising.com, Steve. One of the participants in the meeting even offered to try and raise funds for a VYLTP administrator! Wow. Watch this space…

5. Some of you have asked about Michael Battle’s health: thank you for your prayers: he is on the mend. Please continue to pray that he may recover fully.

6. Finally: a group of us met online to talk through the migration crisis in South Africa and to discern the best ways forward. We will continue to meet weekly, but some deep insights have already emerged: eg: how can we, while correctly elevating the humanity of other continental Africans not somehow create the perception that the humanity of poor black South Africans is somehow “lesser than”?; how can we work more effectively in contexts where perception is stronger than facts?; etc. We hope to come up with some kind of plan of action.

The challenges are many; but so is our faith, hope and love. May it increase!

From:
Edwin Arrison
VYLTP Director
Email: [email protected]

FULL SPEECH: New York Mayor, Zohran Kwame Mamdani | Inaugural Nelson Mandela Global Leadership Forum – Nelson Mandela Foundation The following remarks were delivered by New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani at the inaugural Nelson Mandela Global Leadership Forum, hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation at The Town Hall in New York City on 15 July 2026. For more than a century, The Town Hall has served as a civic and cultur...