December 16th. It’s a public holiday in South Africa – Day of Reconciliation. It’s also holiday time, and the streets of Makhaza are filled with people making ready for their Christmas festivities or their annual pilgrimage to the Eastern Cape. The small children are playing in the streets, the older kids are heading to the beaches, but seven of Makhaza’s inhabitants get up this morning and go to the office.
These seven remarkable individuals (pictured below) are part of a very exciting project called Khan Academy. With a library of over 2,700 videos covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and 253 practice exercises, Khan Academy is on a mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace (www.khanacademy.org).
Project X Team – Top Left: Unathi Smile, Mandisi Gladile, Patrick Zangwa, Andrew Einhorn, Ayanda Gladile. Bottom Left: Athi, Ayanda S, Yanga Zukelwa
This team, however, has a more specific goal: To translate the Khan Academy videos into Xhosa. At present, the videos are being subtitled into 47 different languages around the world in a Wikipedia-style open collaboration. Of these 47, 16 are in the process of being dubbed. The reason? Khan Academy is not truly open to the world until it has been translated into the languages that make it accessible to the world.
When scouting about for a name for the translation project, we discovered that Xhosa is the only official language on the globe that begins with an ‘X’. It followed naturally that we name the operation “Project X”. This is the name that has stuck, and Project X is now well and truly under way.
It is a momentous task, but our translators have so far shown themselves to be up to the challenge. In the space of just two weeks, they have fully translated and edited the first 40 videos, which address topics in arithmetic. This equates to roughly 8000 lines of Xhosa, or 64,000 words. The videos are translated by individuals and then edited as a group to gain maximum simplicity and clarity in the translation. The goal for December is to complete the Arithmetic and Pre-Algebra playlists – two of the three core sets of videos in the Khan Academy math library. So far the team is well on track.
Project X is not only about bringing Khan Academy to the seven million Xhosa speakers in South Africa. It is also about leading the way for other African countries and language groups to follow suit. At present, Xhosa is one of only two African languages into which the videos are being translated – the other being Swahili. Ironically, while of all the continents Africa has perhaps the greatest need for learning tools like this, it is also the continent that has the lowest Khan Academy penetration. Project X is one way we are trying to rectify this imbalance.
If you are interested in getting involved with Project X, or setting up a parallel project for another language group, please contact Andrew by email on andreweinhorn@gmail.com.
Translation in Progress: Khan Academy’s online translation tool (and coffee!)
IkamvaYouth is offering you a unique opportunity to join us at one of 5 branches across South Africa on the morning of 4th January from 11am, when the matric results are announced. Watch the action unfold with IkamvaYouth staff, volunteers, parents and learners. Witness what we hope to be another matric miracle.
IkamvaYouth is a youth-led educational NGO striving to redress the inequalities and inadequacies that exist in the South African education system. 5 core programmes are offered after-school and on Saturday mornings to hardworking, committed high school youth all over South Africa.
In a country where less than 10% of all youth access tertiary education (SAIRR study, 2009), and 41.6% of 18-24 year olds are not in education/training or employment (CHET,2009), IkamvaYouth is constantly battling against the odds.
However, since its inception in 2003 IkamvaYouth has enabled more than 400 learners from disadvantaged backgrounds to complete high school and have continually achieved un-expected results.
IkamvaYouth’s matric classes have achieved pass rates of between 87 and 100% each year since 2005. More than 70% of the last three grade 12 groups have gained access to tertiary education compared to a township average of approximately 5%.
In 2011 there have been a number of setbacks and problems that have threatened to throw learners off course, yet they have persevered throughout the year and will gather on the 4th January to see if it pays off and if the Ikamvanites once again exceed their own and society’s expectations.
These results determine the futures of these young people. Without a matric pass learners are less likely to access employment and if they do so they will on average earn 5 times less than their graduated peers. Passing matric is the first step for learners on the path to further study, employment and for those from disadvantaged backgrounds it is a rare chance to lift themselves out of poverty.
This is the moment we see if it is possible for the matrics of 2011 to succeed when everything is pointed against them.
We look forward to having you there to speak to learners, volunteers and staff, as the action happens.
Contact: Zoe Mann, 0798854388
www.ikamvayouth.org
Please note that IkamvaYouth is closed from 16 Dec – 4 Jan. Happy Holidays!
IkamvaYouth Ivory Park held their Awards Ceremony at which learners were required to vote (per grade) for the iKamvanite that they believe bests excelled in a specific category. With the Motto for the day being: The Future is in your hands, Grab it!”
The categories were:
- Leadership,
- Commitment to Ikamva,
- Confidence,
- Creativity,
- Most Improved and
- Intelligence.
Each category was playfully represented by famous cartoon characters such as Shrek and Boondocks and iKamvanite Shelton Chadya cleaned house with prizes and awards, accepting them with inspirational words filled with gratitude, humility and memoirs into the journey he travelled with IkamvaYouth Ivory Park.
Then it was the tutors’ turn! The tutors were also given a spot in the limelight as they were acknowledged for the self-less work they put into the organization. The learners had their say in three fun categories:
- Strictest tutor,
- Friendliest tutor
- Coolest/funniest tutor”.
The tutor awards were in collaboration with the cartoon characters theme for the day who epitomized a category value. The tutoring department also handed out awards in recognition of the individual efforts made by tutors at Ikamva. Those awards were “Soul Provider” to volunteers Samuel Suttner and Nthabiseng Mokoena, who have dedicated their efforts to starting up an Ikamva library with book and shelving donations. Kihisha Suleman was recognized for her hard work in co-ordinating the Career guidance and mentoring efforts and was also awarded the “Die-Hard” award for being the longest-standing tutor to date. Other awards handed out were for Most dedicated tutor and Stamp of approval.
In addition, the University of the Witwatersrand commended all volunteers from the university for being part of the Wits Volunteers’ Programme (WVP). The learners and tutors were commended with amazing prizes.
A BIG shout out to those who sponsored prizes: Jetline Wits, Ninos, Spur, Linobe Productions, 7-Eleven, Albeit, Wits Stationers and Wits Cellulars. Together with great entertainment from our very own idols and poets, the event left everyone inspired with a complete sense of achievement and ready to grab the future!
Written by: Talent Mzili and Kihisha Suleman
Editors note: A big shout out also to Kihisha and Talent who organised the event including the prizes, certificates and the presentations. Awesome day well spent and an excellent way to bring an end to a busy year.
On the 3rd of December 2011 the Nyanga Branch celebrated Prize Giving and Year End with our learners, tutors, parents, partners and colleagues from KZN, Makhaza and the Gauteng Branch.
Nombuyiselo, Branch Coordinator, openend the event with a speech about her experiences with IkamvaYouth, in particular the Nyanga Branch, and mentioned different people who have assisted the Nyanga Branch to be where it is today, regardless of the challenges it has faced.
After that, our Director Joy spoke about IkamvaYouth, how it was founded and her experience with the Nyanga Branch, where she also motivated the learners of the Nyanga Branch and encouraged the grade 12s to become volunteer tutors next year.
The speeches where followed by giving Awards and Prizes to different kids: Most improved learners, learners with the highest attendance, Learner of the Year and Tutor of the Year. This was accompanied by prizes from Capitec and support from the Nyanga Library.
Yonelisa and Modjadji (from Gauteng-Branch) entertained us with self-written poems and we finished this nice event with some music and refreshments!
Thanks a lot to everyone who helped to make the day a success! And: Learners and Tutors, you guys worked so hard; we are proud of you!!!
On World Aids Day, December 1, 2011, the Cape Town Information Resource Center invited Ikamvanites to a trans-Atlantic Skype dialogue session to create awareness of HIV/Aids related issues with American teen journalists from Boston University.
The catalyst before the Skype session was the screening of Susan Walker’s film entitled “A Tale of Two Teens” (2005). Walker is Boston University’s Professor of Journalism and a documentary film producer. The documentary follows Margaret, an American teenager, as she travels to South Africa to meet Sine, a 16-year-old girl orphaned when both her parents died of AIDS. Sine lives with her grandfather in the Pholela district, Kwazulu-natal, South Africa, the unofficial epicenter of the pandemic. Through the girls’ friendship (they bond over the music of American Dave Matthews, who was born in South Africa), the film explores how AIDS has been able to ravage an entire continent, while a dangerous complacency has developed in America. It looks at the disparities in the girls’ lives, from access to education and health care to their thoughts on boys, sex, and HIV/AIDS.
Infused with a resilient spirit, A Tale of Two Teens offered an accessible and meaningful appreciation of the global AIDS crisis as well as a powerful tool for discussion, awareness and prevention to kick start the dialogue session.
Guest facilitator, Garrett Rhodes, a major in Film from Penn State University and currently a Peace Corps Response Volunteer working with PEPFAR based at the Western Cape Dept. of Health in Cape Town, excelled at engaging both trans-Atlantic teen audiences in the Q&A sessions with his experience as a Life Orientation Coach and HIV/Aids Peer Group Educator.
Phumza Kibi, explained to the American teens that Ikamva Lisezandleni Zethu means “The Future is in our Hands” in Xhosa and the IkamvaYouth non-profit organisation focuses on the empowerment of youth through education, e-literacy training and career guidance.
After the program, Professor Susan Walker wrote about this initiative: “We are all just amazed at what we can do with the new technology and efforts of dedicated educators. Students were blown away by this experience and I would love to consider this, again, maybe next year during World AIDS Day.”
Results:
By highlighting World Aids Day and in support of the U.S. Mission to South Africa goals in partnering with the South African Government, this IRC program focused on HIV/Aids Education and awareness is moving forward towards an Aids-Free generation of South Africans. The dialogue session was a fun and creative way to carry the message home and to foster mutual understanding among global youth audiences.
Text is taken from Susan Dymond’s report of the event.
To view the Youtube clip of the conversation click here
Lloyd Lungu