In South Africa- Comedy meets science to build resilience in youth facing adversity ‘HaHaHelps’

HaHaHelps is a trauma-informed, comedic improvisation (improv) based programme that uses laughter to grow emotional safety, resilience, confidence, and belonging in youth. It is low-cost, culturally adaptable, and built for train-the-trainer handover.

Prohibited by cost, many SOS programmes cannot consistently source on-site psychologists. HaHaHelps is a community-run, evidence-informed aide, a guided group play that works even in rural settings. It does not replace therapy; it complements existing care and referral pathways.

Comedic improvisation means making everything up on the spot with partners—no script, no props—guided by simple rules: listen closely, accept offers, and build together (“yes, and”). Because there’s no script, improv forces collaboration. To make scenes work (and solicit laughs), teens practice active listening, give-and-take, perspective-taking, turn-taking, emotional self-regulation, and reading consent cues.

Why it lowers stigma: Many teens avoid anything labelled “mental-health group” due to stigma, shame, and fear of being seen. Framed as a comedy class, it’s socially acceptable and fun.  It helps young people build interpersonal and regulation skills which will be critical in their lives.

After each game, a short, trauma-informed reflection connects the play to real life (e.g., trust, boundaries, belonging), then resetting is done with a new game so that the space stays light and hopeful.

Founder

Youness Robert-Tahiri is the founder of HaHaHelps, qualified with an Honors Bachelor of Science in Psychology Research from the University of Toronto. As a teenager, Youness fled an abusive home and experienced homelessness. Comedy became a lifeline—a way to connect, be seen, and cope. He later turned that lived experience into this programme grounded in research.

Youness will begin an MA in Psychological Research at the University of Cape Town in February 2026. As part of this degree, he hopes to pilot and rigorously evaluate HaHaHelps across multiple SOS South Africa locations.

Launch and Expansion at SOS Children’s Villages South Africa

In 2024, Youness launched the first HaHaHelps pilot at SOS Children’s Village Cape Town through a Laidlaw Foundation Global Leadership Scholarship. The initial six-week programme for youth aged 12–17 sparked national interest after staff reported reduced aggression, greater kindness, improved school attendance, and a lighter village atmosphere; 10 of 15 participants were reunified with their families alongside other village supports.

Because of its success, the Programme Director invited Youness to return in 2025 to expand the initiative. He then led an eight-week cycle for older youth and later piloted a four-week condensed version for a younger group (8–11), while mentoring six Laidlaw Scholars from top universities around the world who ran complementary youth programmes in literacy, storytelling, dance, STEM, and mentoring. Each HaHaHelps cycle is evaluated via pre-survey, weekly check-ins, post-survey, and facilitator observations, tracking hope, belonging, humour-as-coping, confidence, resilience, and agency. Data collection concluded in September 2025; analysis is planned for November 2025, followed by an impact brief summarizing key findings and outcomes.

Sponsorship

The Laidlaw Foundation funded the initial pilot (2024) and this year’s evaluation (2025). By design, their programme cannot continue long-term without funding at this level. Sponsors and partners are needed to continue and sponsor the programme.

This programme has attracted various local and international media interest and coverage. Click here to view the coverage:

For more about Youness, he can be reached on here and at youness@hahahelps.org.

More about the initial project pilot in 2024:

Please reach out to SOS Children’s Villages South Africa for more information.

https://www.sossouthafrica.org.za/

End.