IT was a combination of personal life experiences and witnessing the social challenges like gangsterism and various addictions among youth in Verulam that inspired the Jump Youth Mission being founded in the community.
Pastor Kevin Pillay founded the rehabilitation centre with his wife, Valerie.
Pillay said: “Reformation and restoration have been the running themes of Jump Youth Mission since its inception in 2008. As an ex-gangster, drug lord and businessman, I decided to give my life to Jesus Christ, and was restored and reformed to be who I was really meant to be.
“My wife and I have persistently and consistently emphasised that through the word of God, prayer and refraining from sin, a person can be exhumed from the darkness of addiction.
“The term addiction covers a variety of vices, including drugs, gangsterism, prostitution, sexual addiction, etc. These were the initial reasons for starting the centre. The Jump Youth Mission has also been actively working in Phoenix since 2010.”
He said they were led to open a discipleship (Christian-based mentorship) programme.
“Though lacking in funding, the inception of the centre was enthusiastically tackled to make things happen and succeed. The budget was regulated to attain our current premises and maintain our day-to-day running.”
Pillay said the rehabilitation helped those who were impoverished and battling drug usage or any other form of addiction.
“People from various walks of life are part of the current intake. We are currently only facilitating full in-house programmes, but we have an outreach programme whereby we integrate ourselves with the local communities and try to impart various safeguard methods against drug usage and abuse.
“From 2008 to 2016, the intakes or students were not required to pay a fee for the duration of their stay. Self-sustaining projects and capital-generating projects, such as selling scrap metal and general buying and selling, sustained and kept the mission afloat.”
But, he said, the situation was never certain.
“Some students pledged financial aid, but they did not always follow through. Sometimes there would be no electricity for three to four months until we set up a payment plan to function adequately.”
In 2016, the centre began to charge R750 per month to recover financially and be able to continue. This increased over the years.
“Our programme is not funded or sponsored, so we charge a nominal intake fee of R3 000, and thereafter, for each month for the duration of their stay, the students pay R2 500. For those who cannot afford it, we have certain pre-requisite. To be admitted on a non-payment basis, they must participate in a seven week outreach programme for the Jump Youth Mission to establish their situation. After seven weeks, the individual will be admitted in the programme.
“In an age where the economy and businesses are still suffering from the after effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, looting, floods, and a general tough economy, we, unfortunately, also face the lack of funds to run and maintain the facility. Sponsorships are few and far between, and it is a constant struggle to cater to intakes basic needs.”
Pillay said the Jump Youth Mission currently had 48 students from the men’s and women’s centres ranging in age from 18 to 53.
“A detailed practical programme has been composed of counselling for past experiences, educational literature, pastoring, and a phenomenal amount of referencing from the Bible.
“The day is filled with activities and introspective group meetings. Group meetings and participation are the mandate of the day, coupled with personal counselling sessions. Pastors and inspirational figures are routinely outsourced to impart life skills, educational values, and basic life principles and precepts.
“Drug awareness and prevention methods are instilled throughout the 6 to 12-month programme. At both centres, the Jump Youth Mission equips our students with the tools to become functional and appreciated members of society.
“After a certain period has elapsed, the students become part of our outreach programme, where they begin to reintegrate into society by ministering to others who are in a similar predicament. It is a form of ascertaining whether they are progressing or still need to work on cravings or character defects within a normal social setting.”
Pillay said their current strategies have worked to a certain extent, but as the times changed, they tried to adapt to the changing social landscape.
“We have been working in the youth ministry for more than 14 years. The problem has always been wayward living. Family structures are in shambles, and the unimaginable flood of substances is overwhelming. Unemployment is rampant, and the communities’ social morals and ethics have deteriorated.
“If these situations are not faced, there will be a reckoning in trying to fix these problems. Violence and crime are on the increase. There needs to be more interaction between government, community and church leaders, and school authorities.”
For more information, call 074 306 7269 or 067 794 3217.