PATIENT SERVICES

Much attention is being focussed on supporting our members. This support includes individual counselling, webinars, specialised WhatsApp groups, mentoring by our youth committee and a Youth seminar in Gqeberha.

The WhatsApp groups and webinars are focussed on specific groups of patients e.g. Youth, parents or adults with RD. The youth group leaders have decided to lower the age of patients on the WhatsApp group to 16+. Please contact the office if you would like to be added to an appropriate WhatsApp group.

WHATSAPP GROUPS

RSA Youth Parents is a group for parents of any child with RD. RSA Youth 16+ is for young people with RD from 16 to 35 years. These 2 groups are monitored by the Youth Committee.

Adults with RD is a group for adults over 35 with any form of retinal vision loss. The success of an WA group depends on the participation of the group members. It’s up to you to create a dynamic forum for exchange and support.

WEBINARS

Two Targeted Zoom meetings were held in July – one for the parents and one for the youth. Please let us know what topics you would like featured in upcoming Zoom meetings. These meetings are not recorded to ensure privacy but all our webinars are on Youtube. Subjects covered include many aspects of retinal vision loss. See www.retinasa.org.za Learn Tab, select webinars or follow this http://retinasa.org.za/learn/webinars/

GQEBERHA YOUTH SEMINAR

Siyamcela and Thando – 2 particants at the youth seminar)

A very successful Youth Empowerment Conference was hosted by the PE Office in July. This inspirational event highlighted our young members and their many talents. The conference also equipped them to find their purpose, cope with vision loss, deal with the pandemic and their financial and social circumstances.

The young attendees were taken on a journey of self-discovery by Michelle Brown from Browns PR, and Nomalungeso Ntlokwana Career Coordinator from the Nelson Mandela University.

Gail Cillié and Yonela Hofu from the PE Office team focussed on entrepreneurial skills, the pursuit of career goals and pathways, their right to understand their condition and its impact as well as coping with the challenge of fulfilling their destiny. 

The young participants were able to network with their peers, the guest speakers, their teachers and social workers. The success of the day led to a decision to arrange a follow-up in September. This will deal with Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats by Garth Austin from Zifundise Training and Consulting who specialises in Business Solutions and teambuilding. These initiatives will help in changing attitudes and perspectives and improve the lives of our PE Office Youth.