Damion started his journey as a Champion (coach) in the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town. His strong leadership qualities and commitment to the CoolPlay Way saw him promoted to Area Manager. He is responsible for the professional roll out of the CoolPlay programme in the Northern Suburbs and has also recently taken over the Cool to Be Me Training facilitation of Champions.

We checked in with Damion and asked him to complete a few sentences for us…

I am passionate about CoolPlay because….

We are able to give the kids in our disadvantaged communities the platform & opportunity to express & explore experiences & emotions that they had never thought of. Our mission is to create safe spaces where kids can share their sad moments, as well as their happy moments.

This programme also equips our kids with the skills needed to tackle certain social issues in our communities.

I began working at CoolPlay…

In 2016 when I lost a very good friend of mine after a gang mistook him for someone else. He was a very good soccer player & had a very bright sporting future. When he passed away I was really shaken and wanted to find some way to help my community tackle issues like the gang culture & to become a positive role model.

Not long after that I got a call from Luqmaan (Operations Manager), he invited me to attend a CoolPlay training day and I’ve never looked back. After learning about the programme & applying my own experiences to the CoolPlay material, I could see that change was possible in my community.

I’ve learned that everybody has a story & wants to share it with someone. The kids in our communities don’t always have positive role models & when we come into the schools, we are a beacon of hope for them as they know we listen, & we care.

I love working in this environment because…

I can teach our learners things that I didn’t get taught, which I think are really important. Things like goal setting, communicating effectively, responsible decision making, and the importance of gender equity.

I use those life skills on a daily basis & it has made my life a lot easier.

CHAMPIONS LIKE DAMION ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF COOLPLAY.
DONATING AND SUPPORTING COOLPLAY MEANS THAT OUR CHAMPIONS CAN CONTINUE TO HAVE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.
Click here to find ways to support: https://bit.ly/Cool2Donate