Foxfire Introduction 

The African Enterprise Foxfire Teams are the Youth arm of AE’s Evangelistic and Mission activities. Teams are made up of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 who give a year of their lives to the service of the kingdom.

The year begins with 2 months of intensive training for the new Foxfires before they are released into ministry. AE will be sending four teams of young people out into the cities and towns of South Africa in 2009.  Three of the teams will be based in the cities of Johannesburg, Pietermaritzburg and Port Elizabeth, while a fourth team will operate for 3 months out of Cape Town.

Teams visit schools, youth groups, churches, children’s homes and colleges in and around the cities in which they are based, as well as in the smaller towns that are situated in the rural areas around those cities. Using energetic and exciting dance and drama programmes to attract and connect with the youth, the Foxfire teams bring the Gospel message to young people all over South Africa. They also help to identify, train and develop youth as leaders in their community by equipping them with various life skills which enable them to promote development in their communities and to function effectively in society.

This is done through a range of programmes including Youth Camps, Leadership Training, Bridge Building Encounters, Guidance and a Life Skills programme focused on day-to-day issues such as HIV/AIDS, peer pressure, drug abuse, crime, poverty and unemployment. The Foxfire teams also participate in the city-wide and university missions run by the AESA Missions team, and they focus particularly on the young people of the cities and universities hosting the missions.

After hosting a team of Foxfires in his school, one principal commented:

“When approached to allow Foxfires into my school to conduct life orientation lessons, I was very apprehensive. I was astonished at the level of maturity and self-discipline of the team as they very effectively engaged the students and quickly won their confidence and respect. This team was so effective that they not only affected the moral tone of the school but my own spirituality and character was impacted as a result of my encounter with them.”