CASE STUDY 6
Activations: SSCN: Giving Inner City Communities a Sporting Chance
“This initiative has helped to open up new possibilities for hundreds of youngsters.”
In 2022, the JICP partnered with the Sport for Social Change Network Africa (SSCN) to launch a sport-based employment initiative under the Social Employment Fund (SEF). Delivered across three consecutive SEF rounds, the programme created meaningful short-term employment for community sport coaches while expanding access to structured recreation for underemployed and unemployed youth.
The initiative addressed a double-headed challenge: high youth unemployment and chronically underused public parks. By activating neglected spaces through organised sport, JICP strengthened social cohesion while creating pathways into work readiness.
Recent graduates and local community members were recruited as community sport coaches, gaining short-term employment and hands-on experience in leadership and community development. Programmes deployed in public parks included boxing, volleyball, soccer, netball, chess and street racket.
As David van Niekerk, JICP CEO, notes: “When we activate public space through structured sport, we are not simply hosting activities. We are restoring purpose to neglected parks and creating entry points into employment, mentorship and community belonging. It is especially important to involve young people in sport early, so that they can be mentored and supported toward a brighter future.”
Complementary interventions — including community gardening, food security support and rally-and-recycle initiatives — reinforced environmental stewardship and practical skills development.
Through sustained activation and structured employment, parks were repositioned as vibrant civic assets rather than dormant spaces. Community members of different ages and backgrounds connected through shared activity, while coaches gained work-readiness skills that strengthened their transition into the formal labour market.
Structured sport, when delivered consistently and locally, becomes more than recreation. It becomes regenerative, strengthening safety, opportunity and social cohesion across the inner city.
