Men recently raised the importance of father figures in societies during the launch of a movement aimed at highlighting the key role that men play in societies. This is according to Florance Vermeulen, an educator and a member of the senior management team (SMT) at Apex High School.
The movement was co-launched by Apex Stellenbosch and its sister school, Apex High, on Apex Men’s Day, according to Vermeulen.
The launch event was hosted on 24 May at Apex High School in Eersterivier. SMF News was in attendance.
Vermeulen said regaining men’s confidence in fatherhood starts with having fun, using activities like games and skill-building. These games were led by Reverend Brent Melvin du Toit, a life skills coach who has worked with Apex High for the past four years.
A group of attendees at Apex Men’s Day event, preparing to break into teams for social activities, including the ‘Human Ladder’ game, where a group carries a single member on a string that forms a ladder. The game aims to teach perseverance and finishing what you start. This is according to Reverend Brent Melvin du Toit, a life skills coach, in an interview with SMF News at the event. PHOTO: Aubrey Phungo
“This is not just another event – it is a call to action,” said Jayson-Lee Jansen, Apex Stellenbosch educator. “A moment to remind our boys that you are not alone. You matter. Your future is worth fighting for.”
“The movement will be carried forward by making Men’s Day a consistent and evolving part of our school culture,” said Vermeulen. “This is not a once-off event. It is the start of a tradition that shapes values and builds men of integrity.”
Reverend Brent Melvin du Toit blows the whistle to disqualify those breaking the rules during a marshmallow game at Apex Men’s Day, an event aimed at highlighting the key role that men play in societies. In this game, players catch a marshmallow with their mouths without using their hands. SMF News was in attendance. PHOTO: Aubrey Phungo
“The reason we focus on social and emotional well-being is that we do have, in the majority, many of our learners in public schools that come out of either dysfunctional homes, where the economy of that household is perhaps on the bread line or under the bread line,” said Du Toit. “Dysfunctional in the sense of single-parent-run homes and, in some cases, child-run homes as well, and so we find that the child, the boy and girl child, are not able to cope well with the academic part in school.”
‘We need more of these initiatives’
The event is symbolic and demonstrates the power of teamwork through activities that contribute to the dream of building real men, according to Luyolo Pappagai, a resident of Mandalay, whose brother attends Apex High School.
“We need more of these initiatives in our communities,” said Pappagai.
“I still believe that men are supposed to be the leaders of the households,” said Andy Matroos, a resident of Eersterivier and a guest speaker at Apex Men’s Day. “We need to teach the kids about manhood at a very young age.”
Paul Festus, a resident of Cloetesville in Stellenbosch, said he was overwhelmed with joy to see people of different races coming together to combat all the stereotypes linked to men.
“We need each other,” said Festus. “My child is someone else’s child. My dad is someone else’s dad.”
Attendees at Apex Men’s Day, an event aimed at highlighting the key role that men play in societies, leave their thumbprints on a painted board. Each thumbprint signifies a personal mark – a promise that every individual is part of something bigger and has a role to play, according to Florance Vermeulen, an educator and member of the senior management team (SMT) at Apex High School. PHOTO: Aubrey Phungo