THE ACTIONISTS PROJECT

Arnold is the founder and director of the Black Male Positivity Project, which runs a collection of programmes that aim to inspire, empower and support black men and boys in their journey to become positive members of society. They want to redress the tired stereotypes and provide the tools needed to create a more positive example of what it means to be a black man in South Africa.

Their values of family commitment, leadership and support are achieved through:

- A mentorship programme which pairs 10 boys with positive male role models.

- An after-school homework program.

- A literature program at schools.

- A curated online book shop that focuses on books by black, African authors telling relatable stories.

They also host various support groups that deal with issues such as sexual health, new fatherhood and paternity rights.

The inspiration to create this program came from a painful loss for Arnold. His father passed away just before the birth of his son. His father was his role model and his greatest supporter. A principled man with strong values who had Arnold’s best intentions at heart.

When he passed, Arnold realized that he needed a support system to navigate fatherhood and bring up his son in a way that his father would be proud of. It was from this that the Black Male Positivity Project was born.

Through the project, they want to support fathers to raise boys who are emotionally balanced, confident communicators, who can articulate their fears in a healthy way. Young men who can pursue their dreams safely in the knowledge that they have support.

You can probably tell that Arnold is also passionate about books. He gets that from his dad.