MOT Coaches’ Basic Education: A Powerful Start to 2025

We are thrilled to have successfully kicked off two MOT Coaches’ Basic Education training for 2025! This marks an exciting milestone as we continue to empower educators with the tools they need to positively impact young people.

This particular training group consists of educators joining us through our partnership with the Positive Behaviour Intervention and Resource Centre (PBIRC), a project supported by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). This collaboration strengthens our mission of fostering resilience, courage, and leadership in the youth of South Africa.

What is a MOT Coach, and How Can You Become One?

A MOT Coach is a trained educator, youth worker, or mentor who facilitates MOT sessions to help young people develop mental resilience, courage, self-awareness, and leadership skills. By guiding students through our engaging, interactive programmes, MOT Coaches play a critical role in shaping confident and responsible young individuals.

Becoming a MOT Coach involves completing the MOT Coaches’ Basic Education training, where participants learn about MOT’s core philosophy, values, and methodology. This training includes theoretical learning, practical exercises, and team-building activities to ensure coaches are well-prepared to inspire and empower youth in their communities.

Those interested in joining MOT can reach out to granya@mot.org.za, timothy@mot.org.za and intern.training@mot.org.za.

About the PBIRC Project and Its Impact

This training forms part of our new initiative with PBIRC, which is dedicated to creating safe and positive school environments. PBIRC focuses on behaviour management strategies, social-emotional learning, and educator support to promote a culture of respect, responsibility, and resilience among students.

With support from the WCED, this project enables us to equip educators with MOT’s tools and strategies, ensuring that schools across the region can implement sustainable youth development programs. By integrating MOT into school curriculums, we aim to make a long-term impact on student well-being, confidence, and success.

Highlights of the Training

The first days of training have been incredibly rewarding. We started by encouraging the teachers to build connections, and break out of their usual groups, all the while allowing the educators to get to know each other.

On the second day, participants learned about MOT’s history, mission, and the reasons behind its lasting impact. Understanding how MOT was founded and why it remains so effective has been an inspiring experience for all involved. The third day focused on practical implementation, where participants applied their learning by conducting MOT sessions firsthand.

Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the transformative impact of the training:

“The life shield activity made me realise I still have dreams that I can make possible.”
“I can still be creative and innovative by incorporating these elements into my lesson plans while also bringing in valuable life lessons.”
“Really made you think about things you don’t do on a day-to-day. I enjoyed learning new things about myself.”
“This training has made me aware of learners’ invisible backpacks they carry, different personalities and ways of dealing with behaviour issues.”
“The training gave me tools that I can use in everyday classrooms.”

We look forward to the rest of this journey and to seeing how our newly trained MOT Coaches will go on to inspire and uplift young people in their institutions and within their communities. Together, we are building a generation of resilient, courageous individuals ready to take on life’s challenges!

Read more about our 2024 highlights here:

Reflections on 2024: MOT South Africa’s Year of Impact and Growth

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