The People

Usiko consists of various levels of involvement. The first is the trust, then there is the board, followed by the full-time staff, and the volunteer mentors.

Usiko Trust consists of:

Don Pinnock is a founding member and chairs the Usiko Trust. He is a criminologist and was one of the co-drafters of the Youth Justice White Paper for the Mandela government, which led to the creation of the Child Justice Act (Act 75 of 2008). His research and book, Gangs, Rituals and Rites of Passage, was the foundation document upon which Usiko was founded. He is the editor of Getaway magazine in Cape Town, South Africa. Don has a PhD in political science, an MA in criminology, a BA in African history and has published a post-doctoral study on gang rituals and rites of passage. His books include The Brotherhoods: Street Gangs and State Control, Gangs, Rituals and Rites of Passage, Natural Selections and African Journeys.

Andrew Muir is a founding member and trustee of Usiko. He is Executive Director of The Wilderness Foundation of South Africa, and has more than 17 years experience providing wilderness and leadership courses for over 35 000 youth leaders drawn from previously disadvantaged communities. Andrew is also the former operations director of both Open Africa and Ithuba charities.

Tony Naidoo is a Usiko trustee and is Professor of community psychology and current Head of the Department of Psychology at the University of Stellenbosch. He has researched and published extensively on community interventions, ethnic identity, political torture, community psychology, sex education, school guidance, and student counselling.

Peter Henochsberg is the financial manager and executive secretary of Usiko. He is trained as a social worker and holds an MBA degree. With over 15 years of NGO experience in various senior management positions, Peter now consults to a number of NGOs and small enterprises. He specialises in financial systems and controls, organisational development, strategic planning and training and coaching.

Andy Dawes the latest addition to the Usiko Trust. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Cape Town, after many years of dedicated service at the Human Science Research Council. His fields of interest include, but are by no means limited to, the study of adolescent responses to political change, violence to children, and the needs of children affected by HIV/AIDS.