Over 320 abstracts were submitted to the SA Basic Education Conference from teachers, principals, academics, government, non-government organisations, and the corporate sector, and IkamvaYouth’s submission has been selected as a poster presentation on 2 April. Zamo Shongwe and Joy Olivier will be representing the ikamvanites at this event, and are looking forward to learning, sharing and connecting with the conference delegates from all sectors. Professor Metcalfe, the conference chair, said that “it is very encouraging to see the creative and innovative ideas coming from teachers and principals at the coal-face of basic education”, and we’re looking forward to being a part of it.
IkamvaYouth’s poster presentation will be uploaded here in the coming days, together with background information, references and acknowledgements. We hope that readers will engage with it and send us your comments and questions via the facebook comment functionality below.
To download the report from the Afternoon Brain-Storming and Action Plan Click here.
Both the Ebony Park and Ivory Park branches in Gauteng came together on Saturday the 17th of March from 12:30pm to 3:30 pm. The reason for the afternoon Strategic Planning Session was to introduce IkamvaYouth to all new volunteers and also brainstorm on how we can improve the IkamvaYouth experience for the learners and the tutors.
We had over 50 volunteers attending, including the Branch Committee members for both branches, and the topics that were discussed that afternoon were:
- What can we do to make the tutoring experience better for both the learner and the tutor?
- What ideas do we have for the Matrics given that they cannot come regularly on Saturdays?
- In what ways can we show some tutor appreciation?
- How do we improve the career guidance programme?
- Do you have any ideas for side-projects (either: tutor or learner-driven)?
One of the volunteers Paul Khokololo said, “The planning session was such an informative session and would definitely help the tutors to become better at helping the learners. Participating and working together to make suggestions and additions to IkamvaYouth has been an awesome experience.”
We are moving forward!
For a report of the Afternoon and Action Plan Click here
IkamvaYouth is speedily setting about garnering the support and partnerships we need to establish more branches across the country. Our results come with the responsibility to replicate, and while our high impact model is also low cost, scale is nevertheless expensive.
IkamvaYouth is also very fortunate to be supported by visionary donors who’re providing the means we need to grow in the face of the overwhelming need for our services. However, in looking far forward into the future of our organisation, we’re planning to create an income stream that is directly related to our key assets: the wonderful ikamvanites. Our first step in this direction was a brainstorming workshop held in April last year, facilitated by Freda Gray.
Now, with generous support from the Bertha Foundation, IkamvaYouth is working with Mindstir, an innovation company, to develop a social enterprise who’s aims align with the organisation’s key mission of enabling ikamvanites to access post-school opportunities, which would also generate profits, to be donated to IY.
The current thinking is around linking BBBEE Skills development contributions to student loans, bursary programmes, learnerships and internships. Business struggles to find the right students to support: they mostly recruit students via campus exhibitions/ advertisements but receive loads of applications and it is costly to sift through them, get aptitude tests done and eventually when they select the students they will sponsor, they are not sure if the relationship will work. Businesses have to spend money on “institutional based theoretical instruction” as it contributes to the Skills Development points they can earn to make up their BBBEE score.
As IkamvaYouth works closely with committed learners who prove themselves over many years, the organisation can provide these businesses with an attitude indication and develop a way to match students with corporates.
One potential solution is to provide a service to corporates similar to that where foundations manage CSI spend for companies, but focused on bursaries and student loans. Corporates would pay us a small management fee and this enterprise takes the pain and cost of recruiting students as well as reduced risk that these learners will drop out of tertiary.
On 3rd February, Freda Gray and Anneke de Bod facilitated a scoping session where ikamvanites and key supporters collectively brainstormed the concept and set the scope for the pre-feasibiliy study. Ikamvanites were lucky to be joined by IY Chair and MD of TSiBA education, Leigh Meinert; Amrik Cooper from ikapadata; Prof Darren Lorton, Executive Dean of Applied Sciences at DUT; Charles Ainslee from the Learning Trust ; Lolita Barends from Capitec and Susan Godlonton (IY board member and PhD fellow at the University of Michigan); each of whom contribute significantly to supporting and growing IY.
The scope for the pre-feasibility was set, and interviews are currently underway. IkamvaYouth is grateful to all those who’re giving their time to participate, and we’re looking forward to finding out whether our ideas have wheels to hit the road towards self-sustainability.
702_radio.zipIt was not an ordinary Sunday morning for the Ebony Park Branch Coordinator and three eager Ikamvanites on the 11th of March 2012. This is because by 5:30am the four were at the Talk Radio 702 studios ready to tell South Africa on live radio, how being Ikamvanites has changed their lives drammatically.
The talk show host, Quereshini Naidoo, was so excited to see all these bright faces surrounding her and immediately began to ask a series of questions concerning what IkamvaYouth does and how they achieve their goals.The learners were asked why they joined IkamvaYouth, what they struggled with at school and how they have are giving back to society after being given such an opportunity.
Some of the listeners called in and sent messages asking the Coordinator and the Ikamvanites questions and it became very apparent that there is so much more work to be done to help the South African township youths to get good education and ultimately access into tertiary. The conclusion of the interview was a profound message from the Ikamvanites, “If you want change, it begins with you. Change is up to you, you can be whatever you want to be”
Initiated in July 2010 by the World Teach volunteers, the Masi Man Club’s has been created for answering youth concerns, promoting personal development, supporting collective actions within the Masiphumelele Community.
In 2011, the Masi Man Club’s members have been really active in supporting people who have been affected by the fire in May 2011. In fact, they volunteered their time to help carry building material and rebuild houses.
The format of each session answers 3 requirements:
– To be outside of the Library or outside the Community,
– To have a physical activity through sports or collective games,
– To provide time for a topic discussion.
Nick Jones, history teacher and tutor at the Masiphumelele Branch, took over the Masi Man Club to propose a space where Ikamvanites can raise their concerns, express their opinions; propose solutions in a safe environment.
Members proposed the following topics to be discussed and developed along the year:
– What does that mean to be a Man for me today?
– What are the different kinds of relationships? And how a young man will deal with them?
– Peer pressure and peer support?
– Drug abuse and risks behaviours
– Protected sex.
– Dealing with my emotion.
– Get more information on fire safety, and get skills to answer this issue in the community.
– Career choices
– Hiking
– Repartition of tasks within the members
– Fundraising for the Masi Man Club activities and outings.
To be continued… 🙂
Lloyd Lungu