Our Programmes
Our work at the Alternative Prosperity Foundation is to empower leaders from different walks of life. We want these leaders to experience the freedom of being fully human, and to move other South Africans towards this dream.
In a world marked by rising tensions, we need leaders who can unite people, celebrate diversity, and effectively navigate the complexities of psychosocial and financial well-being, evolving workspaces, entrepreneurship, and emerging technologies. This is why we collaborate with resilient, driven, and optimistic individuals — especially young people and women who lack access to the opportunities protected in our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Our mission is to support these leaders by equipping them with the tools they need, connecting them to meaningful networks, and championing their journeys.
We therefore focus on these key areas:
Youth Empowerment
We equip youth to drive transformative agendas in their communities and contexts while facilitating access to opportunities that enhance their holistic growth, entrepreneurial ability and employability.
Women’s Empowerment
We seek to address systemic barriers to leadership by providing tailored support to young women.
Fiduciary Empowerment
Through partnership with Atleha-edu, we build the capacity of retirement fund trustees, shop stewards, and fiduciary leaders to navigate financial and governance challenges.
“This year saw the expansion of key interventions, including mentorship and employability support, financial education, and the integration of a more holistic service offering.”
Youth & Women Empowerment
We equip youth with the tools to drive transformative agendas in their communities and work contexts while facilitating access to opportunities that enhance their holistic growth and employability. In all interventions, we give additional focus to women empowerment to address the additional systemic barriers to leadership which exist.
Our approach focusses on holistic and sustainable impact by supporting and running interventions at various life stages as shown below:
Copyright – Alternative Prosperity Foundation NPC
With more than 10 years of experience, the Alternative Prosperity Foundation has developed various interventions targeting key areas for youth empowerment.
The DLL workshops are designed to develop youth leaders who can thrive in and contribute to the evolving world of work. The workshops focus on:
oEntrepreneurship: Equipping participants with the knowledge and skills to identify opportunities, start businesses, and solve local challenges sustainably.
o6 R’s of Leadership: Resilience, Relationships, Responsibility, Reflection, Resourcefulness, and Results, fostering a leadership mindset grounded in values and impact.
oFuture World of Work: Preparing youth for the dynamic workplace by exploring emerging trends, digital transformation, and adaptability in an increasingly automated economy.
oInclusivity and Collaboration: Training participants to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion as core elements of effective leadership.
Focused on preparing youth for the digital economy, these workshops cover AI basics, social media marketing, and branding strategies. Participants gain the technical skills needed to innovate and thrive in a digital-first world.
Our mentorship is aimed at empowering under-served youth leaders by supporting their transition to independence and well-being. Encompassing both peer mentorship groups and one-on-one mentorship, the intervention is customised to advance each participant’s personal and professional trajectories.
In partnership with Atleha-edu, we deliver workshops that empower youth with critical financial skills, such as budgeting, saving, and investing. These sessions enhance financial independence and preparedness for employment.
An intervention designed to holistically empower youth leaders for successful careers through:
- Psychosocial Support: Structured workshops that enhance emotional resilience and well-being.
- Career Exposure: We collaborate with various professionals, businesses and educational institutions to host a Career Panel, exposing participants to diverse career paths.
- Tertiary Education and Industry Collaboration: We facilitate direct access to scholarships, bursaries, and academic opportunities by partnering with educational institutions to provide tailored guidance on application and enrolment processes. Simultaneously, we collaborate with corporates and industry leaders to create opportunities for internships, job placements, and learnerships, bridging the gap between academic preparation and meaningful employment.
Pathways to Opportunities
In 2024, we piloted the Pathways to Opportunities initiative, whereby we combined the above interventions to ensure maximum impact for participants. The success of the pilot quickly turned this into the Alternative Prosperity Foundation’s flagship model.
The model includes four strategic direct interventions:
- Gold-youth Feeder Programme: APF partners with gold-youth financially to support their existing schools programmes. Once youth graduate from the gold-youth programme, they form part of the gold Grads alumni support group. Dedicated gold-youth staff collaborate with APF to form Pathways to Opportunities cohorts, ensuring the below interventions build on a strong foundation.
- Pathways to Opportunities Intensive: Participants gather for three days in person, to attend workshops covering psychosocial skills, financial literacy, workplace skills, and diversity and inclusion principles. In addition, there is structured practical assistance to access education and work opportunities aligned to individual’s areas of interest.
- Mentorship and Accountability: We partner with individuals and organisations to provide mentorship opportunities relevant to each group of participants. We mobilise the APF network to volunteer as mentors to support participants with career insights, network connections and emotional support for longer-term impact.
- Tertiary Education Sponsorship: A select group of qualifying students are supported with tuition funding and a living allowance to help decease the barriers to tertiary education and ultimately improve their employability.
To read about the impact made through the Pathways to Opportunities pilot, you can access the 2024 Annual Report.
Fiduciary Empowerment
Our fiduciary development work is conducted in collaboration with Atleha-edu, a non-profit organisation providing accessible, quality consumer financial educational content via multiple platforms. Through this partnership, we build the capacity of retirement fund trustees, shop stewards, and fiduciary leaders to navigate financial and governance challenges.
Our key initiatives include:
- Workshops and Training
Comprehensive training on fiduciary responsibilities, governance, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles. Topics include the Two-Pot System, Section 37C death benefits, and personal financial management. - Accessible Educational Content
Atleha-edu delivers free, accessible educational resources such as infographics, videos, and virtual reality modules, ensuring fiduciary leaders have ongoing support to fulfil their roles effectively.
We work across most provinces in the country, hosting workshops in the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State, and KwaZulu-Natal.
