School of Hard Knocks: Tackling childhood trauma touch through rugby

Jane Dutton interviews Lana Rolfe, COO at the School of Hard Knocks and Peta Dixon, Head of Sponsorships at Investec.

Listen below.

According to the latest UNICEF South Africa U-Report poll, the global average for negative childhood experiences is five over a lifetime.

In contrast, South African youth face an alarming average of five to eight such events each year.

Over the past year, around 60% of children and adolescents expressed a need for mental health support, with 48% of young respondents particularly anxious about developing skills for future employment.

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"When the kids are exposed to the trauma, they struggle to regulate their emotions, they often act out, they join gangs, they make risky decisions and overall makes it really difficult to keep them in school."

Lana Rolfe, COO – School of Hard Knocks

This situation is concerning, as the inability to cope with trauma in a healthy manner often leads to high-risk behaviours.

In response, the School of Hard Knocks (SoHK) programme has been designed to leverage touch rugby as a platform for teaching essential life skills while addressing mental health awareness and access.

"It's safe, it's inclusive and it's minimal equipment; all we need is a ball."

Lana Rolfe, COO – School of Hard Knocks

Throughout the programme, SoHK coaches build trusting relationships with participants, using that trust to impart valuable behavioural and coping skills.

The results speak for themselves: 97% of participants report improved relationships, 83% use learned techniques to manage feelings of overwhelm, 80% make better decisions, and 79% recognise improvements in gender equity awareness.

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Investec recently announced a two-year partnership with the School of Hard Knocks (SoHK).

This collaboration aims to expand the programme’s services to some of the nation’s most vulnerable children, enhancing their access to essential support and resources.

"It's really a purpose piece that we were looking for to align onto our recent rugby sponsorship."

Peta Dixon, Head – Sponsorships at Investec

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.