Archery development is currently active in most of our Provinces through the Archery schools project that started 2010.

The main emphasis is placed on developing the child holistically using archery as a medium, focusing on fundamental characteristics of a child and the disciplines of an archer such as:

confidence, respect, concentration, self-discipline, patience, problem solving, decision making and visualisation skills. We focus on giving children recognition within their schools using the indoor archery circuit as the starting point because of the shorter reachable distances and safe enclosed environment, although channeling them through to shoot at international level remains a challenge. The project is successful in developing over 10 cub and junior world champions every year since 2010 and aiming to escalate to Commonwealth games and Olympic participation within the future.

We have successfully introduced archery the past few years within over 50 schools and reached over 5000 children using the SRSA support to engage our project within 6 Provinces. Some schools allowed our project to train educators within the school and also infiltrate the physical education periods at foundation phase and intermediate phase and use our designed safe archery target and stretching activities to teach children the basic knowledge and skills needed within the sport of archery. Our challenge to make archery a sustainable sport is in the parents and educators hands and we hope to grow and gather support for archery development in South Africa.

The National Federation is involved in a number of projects for the youth, providing skills, coaches, technical officials and equipment to schools and other outreach programs. Beside the obvious benefits of talent identification and bringing our sport to underprivileged areas, it allows us to nurture talent and to make our sport more representative of the demographic nature of our country. Some of our schools who are actively participating in our formal programmes are C & N Meisieskool Oranje, Willem Postma, Universitas Laerskool, Eunice, Grey College, St. Andrews, Jim Fouche and Hoerskool Sentraal.

Our outreach programs to schools involve taking mobile ranges and equipment to schools on a rotational basis where we take our sport to the youth.

We also have ongoing projects in schools for the physically disabled, where over 1,000 youth participate in our Feathers and Arrows program on weekly basis as part of the schools curriculum.

Our Archery in the schools program have been broadcast on national TV and appeared in both national and regional newspapers. Regular reports about our schools project appear in our official publication, The SA Archer.

The program is coordinated by Rohan Botha, an IFAA accredited Level II Instructor and educator. For more information on the schools project, contact Rohan.

The first school we visited was Universitas Primary (Tjokkies) where a lot of kids showed up just out of curiosity. The children each made turns to shoot and really enjoyed themselves. We also have several archers from this school who permanently shoot and also whose parents have bought them their own bows.
Wat ons die jaar bereik het? Die getalle van die aantal kinders het gegroei vanaf 0 tot en met 35 wat op n gereeld basis kom skies. Meer as 100 skuts was bereik, daar was meer kinders op die kompetisielyn as voorige kere. Hiervan het twee die SANIFAA indoor geskiet, waar albei goud in hul afdelings gewen het, een skut het goud by die Vrystaat Field gewen. Twee skuts het die Vrystaat 3D geskiet waar hul albei ook goud in hul afsonderlike afdelings gewen het. Agt skuts het deelgeneem in die SANAA Indoor waar hulle almal medaljes in hulle afsondelike afdelings gewen het. Vir ‘n nuwe jaar het dit afsondelik goed gegaan en kan ons net daarop voortbou in 2014. Alhoewel ons na verskeie skole gegaan het vir die blootstelling van die sport is ons baie dankbaar vir die “word-of-mouth” verpreiding van die beskikbaarheid van ons fasiliteite
Wat wil ons bereik? Ons beoog om onderwysers aan boort te kry om met die kinders te help, ons beoog om gekleurde skuts meer suksesvol te benader wat die sport volhoubaar kan beoefen en te verteenwoordig. Meer skuts op die kompetisie lyn te betrek. Min of meer tien persone op te ly as hulp tydens skiet dae. Daar is reeds sewe geidentifiseer in die Welkom-Odendaalsrus streek en drie in Bloemfontein. In 2014 om die sport as n geheel te bemark, beoog ek om die volgende drie maande, twee dae per week af te staan vir afrigting en om meer skole te besoek (soos per lys aangeheg) Ek beoog om nog 750km te ry tot en met Maart 2014. Tans gebruik ek 8 van my eie field butts, 6 Genesis boogies en 2 van my eie recurve boe net om die aantal skuts te akkommodeer. Ek benodig dus nog 62’’ en 66’’(25#) recurve boe en 3 SANIFAA/Kalula butt “inners” wat vervang moet word.