Empowered to Feel.
Equipped to Lead.
Ready to Thrive.
Empowered to Feel.
Equipped to Lead.
Ready to Thrive.
Prevent GBV, Bullying & Burnout by Teaching Emotional Regulation at Scale.
We train leaders, youth and communities to regulate emotions, build accountability and transform behaviour, creating safer workplaces, schools and homes across South Africa.
Corporate Training & Leadership Programs
Transform Your Workplace: Prevent GBV, Bullying & Burnout at the Root.
Your training = community impact:
For every staff member trained, Thrive trains three youth or learners in vulnerable communities.
Thrive Initiators & Youth Entrepreneurship
Building a New Generation of Emotionally Intelligent Leaders. They bring these tools into youth spaces, empowering young people to regulate emotions, break cycles of violence, and build healthier relationships.
Community, School & Faith-Based Workshops
Where Connection Begins, Transformation Follows.From GBV and bullying prevention to emotional literacy and nervous system regulation, our workshops give communities the skills they need to create safety and connection that lasts.
Welcome to
the Thrive Initiative
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Our Mission
The barriers we face aren’t structural, they’re emotional.
We equip and empower people with the emotional and somatic tools needed to address GBV, bullying and leadership burnout at their root. By developing emotionally intelligent leaders across corporates, schools and communities, we drive meaningful behaviour change and create lasting social impact.
We go to the root: unregulated emotions. Our somatic method transforms the emotional patterns driving GBV, bullying and burnout.
We develop emotionally intelligent leaders across corporates, schools and communities, creating lasting behavioural change.
Every training creates a ripple effect, empowering youth and communities with the emotional tools to heal, relate and lead.
Watch the impact of our first group of Thrive initiators
Our Mission
The barriers we face aren’t structural, they’re emotional.
We equip and empower people with the emotional and somatic tools needed to address GBV, bullying and leadership burnout at their root. By developing emotionally intelligent leaders across corporates, schools and communities, we drive meaningful behaviour change and create lasting social impact.
We go to the root: unregulated emotions. Our somatic method transforms the emotional patterns driving GBV, bullying and burnout.
We develop emotionally intelligent leaders across corporates, schools and communities, creating lasting behavioural change.
Every training creates a ripple effect, empowering youth and communities with the emotional tools to heal, relate and lead.
Watch the impact of our first group of Thrive Initiators
The Thrive Difference
For every corporate team we train, three youth or community members receive emotional-regulation training. Your investment creates immediate, measurable social impact.
We don’t just train, we multiply impact through Thrive Initiators who carry emotional intelligence skills into high-risk communities.
We use a somatic, root-cause approach that transforms the emotional patterns behind GBV, bullying and burnout, not just the behaviour.
Social Impact that Starts With Connection
The Thrive Initiative is equipping people with somatic and emotional-regulation tools, we empower them to respond differently to stress, conflict and trauma. Our facilitators work across schools, churches, youth groups, townships and corporate offices to ensure that healing, leadership and emotional safety are no longer privileges, but shared human rights.
Reducing bullying and school violence by teaching learners and educators how to self-regulate and communicate safely.
Breaking cycles of gender-based violence by addressing the emotional root causes that drive harm.
Strengthening families through emotional-awareness tools that rebuild connection, repair and trust.
Reducing addiction, gang involvement and high-risk behavior by building emotional resilience in youth.
Restoring community cohesion by helping people regulate fear, anger and distrust.
We are building a South Africa and a World Where...
Every individual learns to lead with empathy, awareness, and connection starting in their own relationships.
Cycles of pain are broken as healing becomes a collective practice, not a private burden.
We equip facilitators to lead purpose driven businesses and partner with companies & communities.
Thrive Initiative Philosophy
Connection heals. Connection leads. Fear drives disconnection. Through practical somatic methods, we transform internal fear into connection. As we experience this change within ourselves and our communities, we create sustainable opportunities and foster deeper connection. By teaching these practices through our Thrive Initiatives, we empower others to create meaningful impact. This ripple effect is how lasting social and economic change begins.
Our Philosophy
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Why Now
Healing our trauma is our responsibility, not because we caused it, but because we have the power to end its cycle.
Our children are entering schools with heavy emotional wounds and our schools aren’t equipped.
Violence, addiction, and anxiety are rising, and connection is the antidote.
Why Now?
Healing our trauma is our responsibility, not because we caused it, but because we have the power to end its cycle.
Our children are entering schools with heavy emotional wounds and our schools aren’t equipped.
Violence, addiction, and anxiety are rising, and connection is the antidote.
Thrive News
Thrive Initiative’s Philippi Workshop Sparks Strong Commitment to Six-Week Programme
PRESS RELEASE
December 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thriving Youth Take the Lead: Thrive Initiative’s Philippi Workshop Sparks Strong Commitment to Six-Week Programme
The Thrive Initiative has marked a major breakthrough in youth engagement and gender-based violence (GBV) prevention, with 50 young people attending its recent youth workshop in Philippi Village and 25 of them committing to continue into a six-week personal development programme.
Held during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (25 November - 10 December), the workshop responded to a growing sentiment across Cape Town’s townships: “We are tired of GBV talks.” Not because the crisis has ended, but because traditional awareness approaches often miss the lived realities of young people, particularly young men who feel blamed rather than included.
On Friday, 5 December, Thrive hosted a free, human-centred workshop for youth from Nyanga and surrounding communities, opening a new kind of conversation, one grounded in listening, understanding and dignity rather than shame or fear.
Community members shared a clear message with Thrive facilitators ahead of the event;
“Please, not another GBV event where we feel shamed or blamed. We’re tired. We’re overwhelmed.”
In response, Thrive created a space where “raw, unfiltered, real township youth” could explore the emotional and social pressures that often sit beneath violence, including stress, identity struggles, emotional overload and a lack of belonging.
“We are not excusing violence. We are addressing the root causes,” said Brian Segal, Founder of the Thrive Initiative. “If we want lasting change, we have to start with the human being behind the behaviour.”
The workshop served as the entry point into Thrive’s six-week programme, designed to build emotional resilience, strengthen communication skills and foster healthier relationships. Rather than focusing on what not to do, the programme offers young people a safe space to talk honestly about what they feel, fear and hope for.
The strong response speaks for itself;50 youth attended, and 25 have already committed to continue the journey.Communities are no longer looking for more lectures or warnings.
They are calling for connection, respect and real solutions.Thrive is answering that call with a reset, a bold, youth-led, human approach to preventing violence by first understanding the person.
For information, check the Thrive website on www.thrive-initiative.com or email [email protected].
For media queries, contact Candice Jansen on email [email protected].
Ends
Issued by:
Heads Up Communications
On behalf of Thrive Initiative
About The Thrive Initiative
The Thrive Initiative is a South African non-profit organisation committed to transforming lives and strengthening communities through stress-release, somatic-based healing, and communication training. Thrive works with schools, youth, and community leaders to address the root causes of bullying, gender-based violence, and disconnection by teaching practical tools for self-regulation, empathy, and healthier communication.
Through a powerful train-the-trainer model, these young changemakers don’t just heal, they multiply healing.
With your support, a young leader could step into their power.
A family could begin to rebuild.
A community could start to breathe again.
Join as an Angel Investor
Become a foundational supporter of long-term transformation.
From just R100 per month, you can stand behind the heart of this movement, our Thrive Facilitators, and walk alongside a young leader as they grow, lead, and ignite healing in their community.
Fund a Community Workshop
Each workshop costs just R800 and reaches 40 participants, that’s R20 per life impacted.
Help us bring these healing experiences to schools, churches, and adult support groups.
Join as a Corporate Partner
We’re looking for bold brands and organizations who want to stand for more.
By partnering with Thrive, you’ll gain:
Branding rights across high-impact events
Storytelling exposure across our channels
Community activation with parents, educators, and change-makers
A seat at the table where real change is happening
OUR MEDIA
STORIES THAT MATTER
We believe in storytelling as medicine.
Our short films, documentaries, and behind
the scenes content show real people healing, reconnecting, and rebuilding their futures. Watch facilitators go from survivors to leaders. Follow the journey of youth transforming their communities.
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