- ECHO Youth Development
ECHO Youth Development is a
nonprofit youth organization in the Northern suburbs ofPretoria in the Gauteng Province, South Africa.It developed in the late 1990’s from an outreach to youth in need by the
Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk Villieria aDutch Reformed Church denomination. The movement was registered as anonprofit organization in 2001 and is today considered as one of the leadingemerging churches amongstpost modern youth inSouth Africa .Fact|date=May 2008Small beginnings
ECHO Youth Development started with only two paid employees and a few volunteers in a little office in
Pretoria . Jaco Strydom, a local youth pastor, and Rhona Greeff, one of the volunteers, was doing most of the early work. They focused on establishingcounseling facilities at schools, weekly youth groups and youth camps.Holistic approach
Today the organization has programs to help young people in need: mentally, spiritually and physically. Between 2004 and 2007 ECHO Youth Development created houses of hope for boys and girls in need. In 2005 they established the Bounce
Drug program and in 2008 the ECHO YouthArts Theater opened with free guitar, drama and art classes and regular youth shows. More than three hundred teenagers from needy backgrounds attend the weekly Church service called a “Youth Bash”.Motto
"Don’t tell them Jesus loves them ‘till you’re ready to love them too" - words from a song by
Steve Camp on his album Doing My Best (1990,Sparrow ).References
Articles in News 24 Beeld - a South African news paper:
*http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Pretoria-Beeld/0,,3-69_2269187,00.html
*http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Pretoria-Beeld/0,,3-69_2273277,00.html
*http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2232105,00.html
*http://www.news24.com/Beeld/Suid-Afrika/0,,3-975_2231580,00.html
*http://www.news24.com/Beeld/In-Diepte/0,,3-67_1354738,00.htmlNG Kerk Dutch Reformed Church denomination official website:
*http://www.ngkerk.org.za/nuus_artikel.asp?nid=1361&status=0&sinid=8
External links
*http://echojeug.blogspot.com/
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