In February 2011, Mthente was commissioned by the Department of Sport, Recreation and Amenities (SRA) of the City of Cape Town and Monaco (an international funder) to conduct research that will identify and provide information on the state of existing community development initiatives in the community of Protea Park in Atlantis, how they can be supported and what the Department’s new project should look like. The research will involve a baseline survey, as well as the development of key performance indicators that can be used to measure the impact of the SRA’s project in the designated area.

Previously, the Department partnered with the Office of International Cooperation in Monaco on a project in Gugulethu. Mthente’s study forms part of its application for further funding for a similar project in Atlantis. The project concept, as articulated by the Department, is to provide activity hubs, run by the Department’s Recreation Officers, which will provide residents with positive and beneficial activities. To assess the feasibility of such a project, to build buy-in within the community and to help the Department ensure that the project concept has an impact in the community, Mthente will carry out a quantitative and qualitative study that will dovetail with the findings of the larger Recreation Study that Mthente recently completed for the Department.

The main aims of the research are:

• To identify community development initiatives that currently exist in Protea Park;
• To assess the state of these initiatives in terms of what has been successful or unsuccessful;
• To carry out qualitative consultations with community members and stakeholders to generate buy-in;
• To conduct a baseline survey that will identify the main social problems that persist in Atlantis and whether they require or are receiving attention;
• To assess how the SRA can effectively commit resources to Atlantis based on the findings from the baseline survey;
• To develop key performance indicators and impact measures to monitor and evaluate the project after it has been implemented.