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Girl Talk! 
Girl Talk Project
In 2011 the WHEAT Trust implemented an extensive Girl Talk Project. WHEAT Trust had a youth session on June 16; a Girl Talk Workshop on July 5 and 6; a gathering of 1000 teenagers united against violence and abuse on July 16 and also hosted another Girl Talk Workshop on August 6, at the Artscape Women’s Art festival. In 2012 WHEAT Trust had a Girl Talk workshop at the Women's Arts Festival.
Youth Day 
This year on the 16th of June, WHEAT Trust celebrated Youth Day by partnering with Planet Production to host a makeover and self-confidence workshop. Twenty lucky girls between the ages of 13 and 18 were invited by Cavendish (a local shopping centre) to be pampered with a fun makeover session. They also became inspired through confidence building exercises and workshops providing valuable techniques that can be used to address difficulties within everyday life. The girls mostly came from children’s’ homes or were dealing with major socio-economic challenges in their lives, therefore the workshops sought to successfully provide the girls with tools and self-confidence to overcome these challenges.
The next series of Girl Talk Workshops took place during school holidays on July 5 and 6. The 20 girls in attendance on Youth Day were encouraged to join an additional 30 girls to gain further skills and confidence at the next event. 
The Girl Talk workshops last year had time for sharing feelings, learning not to judge each other and speaking positively into their challenges. Some of the exciting activities on the programme were:
  • Completing a vision and dreaming exercise for the future
  • Do-it-yourself (DIY) fashion, and how to make the most of your wardrobe with very little money.
  • How to make a CV and conduct in an interview
  • Self Defense with a real life SA Kong Fu Champion
  • Boys
  • Your changing body and health matters

For more information and an invitation, contact Eugene Hermanus at communications@wheattrust.co.za 
Two-day Workshop 
This two-day workshop focused on providing a safe environment in which girls could openly share their feelings without judgment, and also identify positive aspects of the challenges they face. The girls completed several activities aimed at providing practical, everyday advice and tools. Firstly, they completed a dream board exercise in which they created visual roadmaps by using images representing their aspirations and goals in life. Of particular interest to the girls was the session on Do-it-yourself (DIY) fashion, which taught them how to make the most of their wardrobes with very little money. Another activity utilized role-playing to teach them how to conduct themselves in an interview. They also received advice from a professional on how to make a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and tips on how to dress for interviews. Lastly, a SA champion in Kung Fu taught the girls some very useful self-defense techniques. As mentioned earlier, the 60 girls present, represented some of the most socio-economically challenging areas in Cape Town. For example, we had a group of 21 teenagers from Hanover Park, which is a hub for gangster activities. It also suffers from severe unemployment, among many social ills. 
As we were working with these vulnerable youth, incidents occurred that highlighted how broken and angry some of the girls are. On day one, we experienced some disruptive behaviour from the girls, to the extent that we had to spend some additional time talking about peer pressure and dealing with anger in life. Most importantly, an emphasis was placed on the ramifications of our actions and their ability to negatively affect others. 
Mandela Day
In celebration of Madiba’s birthday on July 18, 1000 teenagers gathered in Cavendish square to sign a wall and pledge their support against violence and abuse. On the day there were DJs Solly Philander and Ayanda Tini were present and many other celebrities sent inspirational quotes and messages of support. The girls were asked to bring a pair of shoes for girls that are less privileged. Cavendish Square, AVA Secrets, CLUB X Magazine and Cell C were sponsors for the day and provided SIM cards, cup cakes and tampons for the girls.