My name is Christopher Titus, I am the social worker at the Deaf Community of Cape Town (DCCT). We offer various programs for the Deaf Community, and in particular we do life skills programs at 3 Deaf schools. I always believed that sport is an outlet for any child not matter their disability. I came across CoolPlay through Juandre Davids (Operations Manager), and the conversation we had was about the Deaf and Hearing Community coming together through sports. We both agreed this would be a great platform to encourage inclusivity and raise awareness at the same time. CoolPlay invited the Deaf Schools to participate in a Netball tournament as part of their inclusive spaces. I managed to get Noluthando School for the Deaf to participate. The kids had so much fun as this was their first netball game and tournament they played in. They were over the moon, their first game they struggled to find their feet. However, when they played their 2nd game, they got into the swing of things. They enjoyed every moment of it and the teachers were very happy. The learners were so grateful for the opportunity and for their goody bags from Periods for Hope. The engagement with the CoolPlay champions and learners was the important factor for me. The commitment and dedication that the Hearing learners and champions showed to the Noluthando learners was exceptional and welcoming. It shows that communities can come together to form a relationship through sports no matter the ability or disability. Thank you CoolPlay for allowing Noluthando to participate at your Netball tournament. For them they gained an amazing experience.  I wish for more opportunities not only for these learners but for the Deaf Community.

Lourenzo Carlse – CoolPlay Champion

“The experience of working with the girls from Noluthando was one of those highlighting moments personally. The theme for the day was our CoolPlay Coaching Card 8: Good Decision Making.

Communicating the material was obviously going to be the tricky part, but the process went very smoothly. The girls appreciated the fact that I could introduce myself in sign language, which kicked things off beautifully.

Working through the material and seeing how responsive and engaged they were was heart-warming. In the end, we did an activity to apply the stop, think and do message. I adapted our CoolPlay activity slightly so that it would be more inclusive with the girls, and they were able to problem solve.

I learned a valuable lesson about communication, whether it be verbal or non-verbal. Sometimes, to communicate effectively, we have to stop and calm down, think about what we want to communicate, and then do so in a way that brings across the message we want to say.”