Join Bands, Not Gangs is a registered non-profit from Cape Town, South Africa (Reg.2018/341617/08) that uses music to bring change to neighbourhoods struggling with gangsterism. Our slogan is “A New Sound Against Crime”.
Besides teaching music lessons to children (gang prevention) and supplying schools and fellow non-profits in at-risk areas with musical instruments to start their own music programs, we also have a special outreach mission to active street gangs (gang intervention). Using music lessons as a way to spend time with gangsters, we have been able to gain access to the heart of some of the gangs.
Over the last few years our relationship with the gangsters has grown so much in terms of trust, that we now find ourselves in the unique position to help some of the young men get out of gangsterism permanently. In essence, we are a crime prevention initiative, using music as our outreach tool.
In addition to our operational side, we want to position ourselves as a supply chain for new and used musical instruments by encouraging the public to partner with us in this endeavour.
Our mission is to find and bring in musical instruments (new and used), which we then can redistribute to underprivileged communities in a systematic way. We won’t run the programs, but identify the leaders in the communities who can run them and then connect them to resources in their own area, like music teachers etc. We therefore plan to expand our work around partnerships with fellow non-profits and schools in at-risk communities at grassroots level, ensuring that music programs are sustainably and locally run.
Our Flagship program is located in Scottsdene, Kraaifontein at “The Blue House” which is at the heart of our work!
“Our goal is to bring in and redistribute 1 million instruments to empower the next generation of young South Africans!”
IF YOU HAVE AN INSTRUMENT YOU’D LIKE TO GIVE, feel free to get in touch at! E-mail: joinbandsnotgangs@gmail.com
Friends on a mission…
Join Bands, Not Gangs was founded by Berklee College of Music graduate, composer and multi-instrumentalist, Karien de Waal. After meeting with Flip and Nicholine Botha from Scottsdene in the most miraculous way, they set out to bring music to the community of Scottsdene, Kraaifontein, reaching out to youngsters and gangsters alike! Their mission is to be peacemakers, using music as a tool. Through consistent, weekly lessons and the power of friendship, they are slowly but surely winning territory in the hearts of the people.
The core team is made complete by the amazing Reinette Myburgh who handles fundraising and brings years of experience as a certified social counsellor to the mix. Reinette is equally at home in ground operations as she is in the corporate and business side of things, which makes her the perfect partner in (anti)-crime!
Be faithful in the little and God will be able to trust you with much.
Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just one grain; it never becomes more but lives by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest.
How we roll
Saturating Kraaifontein
In addition to being a supply chain for music instrument donations, Join Bands, Not Gangs works on the ground in Scottsdene, Kraaifontein, using a variety of grassroots level music programs to encourage peace in a neighbourhood that heavily struggles with gangsterism.
The plan is to saturate this one neighbourhood with opportunities for young people to get involved in music programs, thereby creating an alternative to joining gangs as a means of belonging –
Belonging in a band, rather than a gang!
We use a PREVENTION-INTERVENTION model to reach our target market:
Prevention
PREVENTION focuses on getting 8-14 year old kids into music programs that are offered after school hours. We offer one to two lessons every afternoon, 5 days a week, in “The Blue House” (13 Park Avenue), a venue in the middle of 3 rival gangs. This is our PROTOTYPE COMMUNITY PROGRAM. We are plannnig a second location in a rival gang’s turf in Heartherly Court in 2021.
Eventually, we hope that a “Battle of the Bands” between satellite programs will replace the current battle of the gangs between the turfs. We therefore “prevent” kids from joining gangs in the first place.
Intervention
INTERVENTION focuses on working directly with street gangs. By using music lessons as a tool, Join Bands, Not Gangs approaches and then offers rival street gangs the opportunity to participate in music lessons, thereby creating an opportunity to build friendships with the local gangsters. By using this approach to peace, we believe, over time, we can create a common denominator between rivals, in that they all participate in music. Counselling services by qualified counsellors are also offered as part of our lessons package, as facilitated group discussions form a small part of lesson time.
We therefore “intervene” in the current gang situation, in a respectful and positive, relationship-focused manner, encouraging changed attitudes over the long run.
Our Vision
1 million instruments for 1 million young musicians. Peace in the Cape Flats.
Starting Point
Cape Town, South Africa, 2018
Our Mission Field
Schools in at-risk communities, street gangs and grassroots music programs.
Early Achievements
Madiba Wethu
In early 2018, Karien produced the song “Madiba Wethu”, in order to call attention to the NGO. It was launched on the 100th Birthday of the late Mr Nelson Mandela – 18th of July, 2018.
Creative Collaboration
Some 60 musicians participated in the project, including Loyiso Bala, Elwira Standili, the Berklee Indian Ensemble, the Cape Town Youth Orchestra and the Sekunjalo Delft Big Band. This ignited a spark.
Media
Within 11 days of the song’s launch, Join Bands, Not Gangs received prime-time news coverage on the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation). Since then, the team has been inundated with requests to start programs in at-risk communities across South Africa.
Donations
Within two months of the song launch, they had received donations of new and second-hand musical instruments worth R60 000. This included guitars, drums, keyboards, an organ, trumpets, percussion and woodwinds.
First School Handover
On 09th October 2018, this first batch of instruments were handed over to Scottsdene High School in the presence of government, business, media and community leaders.
First Gang Program
By middle of October 2018, a second music program was launched with the donation of another batch of instruments, in one of the sub-areas in Scottsdene at a small local church. Here, Karien taught music twice a week with a fellow Non Profit teaching Life Orientation to the young men.
A second Gang Program, in a rival territory, was launched in February 2019.
Since then and throughout Covid Lockdown the focus has shifted to building and maintaining friendships with the local gangsters, with or without including music lessons, thereby bringing change through friendship and trust.
In The News
Key Values and Goals
Crowdsourcing Music Instruments
Through our media campaigns, we crowd-source music instruments from retail stores, business and private donors. We collect, repair where necessary, allocate and distribute them as part of the local music supply chain.
Community Relations
Local First
Documentary Evidence
We are documenting our journey from humble beginnings and capturing our story as it grows. By sharing our progress regularly, we also provide accountability to our patrons of the way their instruments and donations are making an impact. We are also excited about meeting and finding the interesting mix of people, stories and places along the way!
Continuous Feedback
We try to update our stakeholders regularly via meetings and social media. Patrons can follow our journey and look out to spot their instruments. Just imagine your “first bright-blue bass guitar” now being played by a prison band member or a future Abe Laborial that got empowered to walk in his or her destiny due to your donation.
Accountability
Changed Lives
Get Involved
7 Ways. 1 Vision.
Donate an instrument directly
The more instruments we receive, the more we can hand out to enrich more lives faster. Plain and simple! Therefore, if you have an instrument no longer in use (but in working order), please consider donating it to us and we will arrange for collection in and beyond Cape Town. No matter where in the world you are, someone is always coming to Cape Town!
Donate via your favourite music store
If you do not have an instrument to donate directly, but would still like to assist us, you are welcome to provide a voucher to your favourite music store. Alternatively, we can send you a list a local music stores to purchase an instrument from and they will hand it over to us on your behalf.
Sponsor a ‘school package’ or ‘gang package’
Having a complete ‘School Package’ of instruments is the most ideal way to start each program. We are reaching out to corporates, government and NGOs to partner with us by sponsoring a complete package or parts thereof. This can include anything from 10-15 instruments. Contact us to find out more.
Cash Donations
You are welcome to make a cash contribution towards a school- or gang package directly with us or via a music store. We will gladly assist you to engage with a musical equipment supplier that will handle your order timeously, cost-effectively and honorably.
Sponsor-a-Gangster Project
Join Bands Not Gangs is in the unique position to engage directly with gangsters on a regular basis. Because of the subsequent friendships that have grown, we are in the unique position to help those gangsters who want to leave the gang life, get help in the form of overall rehabilitaion. When someone approaches us for help, we match them to a rehab and then place them into the care of trusted programs, where they can work through their trauma, addiction and bevavioural issues. So far, we have sent a gangsters to rehabs, and in so doing have given them the opportunity to “start again”. If you would like to Sponsor a Gangster to attend a rehab, please get in touch and we will send you the details! The fruits of this particular part of our work is amazing.
Adopt Us as a Corporate Social Investment Programme
Join Bands, Not Gangs is perfectly positioned to partner with organisations seeking to make a visible, lasting and exponential impact. We are a socially responsible partner in the areas of music education, creativity, youth upliftment, leadership and civic empowerment. We believe our work, with corporate and government agency support, will have a lasting impact on our city and future generations.
Come say hello
If you wanted to come see our little school in action, you are welcome to get in touch and come say hello.
Get In Touch
For general info, comments and questions, please contact us at joinbandsnotgangs@gmail.com
For media bookings, inquiries or donations, please phone Karien via 071 174 2373
Donate
DONATE BY
EFT/BANK TRANSFER
Bank: FNB
Acc Name: Join Bands Not Gangs NPC
Account #: 62769735691
Branch #: 250655
Branch Name: Cape Gate
SWIFT Code: FIRNZAJJ