We encourage you to consider partnering with MID Social Development for event clean-up and set-up support. Giving a hand-up, not a hand-out.
Herewith a letter received from Cape Mental Health (CMH) in recognition of the cleaning and set-up support services facilitated by MID, creating job opportunities for local residents living on the streets of Muizenberg.
9 November 2017
Street People
Muizenberg Improvement District
Muizenberg
Attention: Marion Wagner & Kevin Rack
Dear Marion and Kevin
23rd Cape Town International Kite Festival
We have just hosted our 23rd Cape Town International Kite Festival at Muizenberg with kiters from South Africa, England, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and Malaysia participating. Our theme, #RightToFly, built on last year’s theme of #BornToFly and enabled us to highlight the human rights of mental health care users and their potential to develop the skills necessary for greater independence and improved mental health.
Some of the festival highlights included:
- three community fly’s prior to the festival to Heideveld, Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain where many of our service users with mental health needs and mental disabilities reside
- two-fun-filled days with many thousands (13 400) of people from across Cape Town’s spectrum of communities enjoying spectacular show kites, free kite-making workshops, live entertainment, various food/craft stalls, children’s rides and a toddler zone, as well as a Pocket Money Market for young entrepreneurs
- incredible media coverage on radio, television and in the printed media, enabling us to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and to highlight the rights of persons with mental disability to inclusion in society. The value of the media coverage is still being calculated
- promoting the heritage and history of the traditional ‘swallow’ kite through our Heritage kite competition, and including learners from mainstream primary schools and from schools for learners with special educational needs in the Edukite Schools’ Competition
- busing in people at no cost to themselves from the Mitchells Plain community, and giving a number of complimentary tickets to other non-profit organisations including those in rural areas
Our festival is diverse and rich and we are especially proud of the opportunities created not only to include persons with disabilities, but also to provide work opportunities for homeless persons and persons with mental disability. In addition, there were 150 Cape Mental Health staff members and a huge number of people from the greater Cape Town area and from educational institutions such as False Bay College, Muizenberg High, Zeekoevlei High and Ocean View High offering their voluntary services.
With depression fast becoming the leading cause of mental health disorders worldwide and the greatest burden of disease, the impact on families and communities, our overall health and even our economy, is devastating.
Our organisation appreciates your support and assure you of our ongoing efforts to run best-practice, inclusive and sustainable mental health care service.
Again what a difference the Street People Team from MID has made to the Kite Festival. There was never a moment when they were not looking for something to do and kept the festival village and surrounds spotless at all times. The team is a wonderful group to work with and will certainly make use of their services in 2018. A special word of thanks To Kevin for his leadership of the team and gentle and respectful way he managed the whole process.
The 24th Cape Town International Kite Festival takes place 27 & 28 October 2018 and I hope that we can grow this partnership.
We hope you have a bumper festival season.
Many thanks
Kind regards
                      Â
Greg Damster
Event Organiser
https://www.facebook.com/MIDMuizenberg/posts/2039354842949994