IkamvaYouth: Branch Coordinator
IkamvaYouth is a township-based non-profit organisation, established in 2003 and formally registered in 2004, with branches in three provinces, operating from Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Masiphumelele in the Western Cape, Ivory Park in Gauteng, and the greater Cato Manor area in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. While learners enroll at IkamvaYouth when they are in grades 8, 9, 10 and 11, the programme’s success is ultimately determined by the number of grade 12 learners who access tertiary institutions and/or employment-based learning opportunities when they matriculate. IkamvaYouth in the Greater Cato Manor area of Durban (comprised of Cato Crest, Cato Manor, Ridgeview, Chesterville and Bonela townships), has grown from the Maths Support Programme that was started in 2007 by students from the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Howard College campus for learners from the nearby Cato Crest informal settlement.
IkamvaYouth in Durban seeks to fill the position of Branch Coordinator for its flagship office, which will be based in the township of Chesterville. S/he will be a solutions orientated social entrepreneur who is passionate about the power of education to transform lives and communities, and wants to make a difference. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in a by-youth for-youth educational movement that empowers young people to take our future into our own hands. Previous exposure to volunteer work or an NGO environment preferable but not essential.
Responsibilities:
- Work closely with the Directors of other branches in a coordinated and collaborative way to ensure alignment of policies and processes, and prevent duplication of effort;
- Recruit, coordinate and support volunteer tutors and mentors;
- Liaise with the schools, parents and other community stakeholders;
- Fundraise to build the branch (meeting with funders, writing proposals and reports);
- Manage an office and ensure accurate and up-to date data collection and administration for monitoring and evaluation;
- Budgeting, financial management and reporting;
- Coordinate the organisation’s communications (website, group e-mail discussion lists, newsletters, etc.) together with other ikamvanites;
- Lead the team of volunteers to implement the supplementary tutoring, career guidance and mentoring and holiday programmes. Requirements:
- Post Matric qualification
- Project management skills
- Conflict resolution skills
- Financial management skills
- Report writing and presentation skills
- Organised and efficient;
- Enjoys working with young people;
- Able to work alone and take initiative;
- Adept at using computers and able to work virtually (many discussions, meetings and document development occur collaboratively online);
- “Can do” attitude and belief is very important (IkamvaYouth achieves great results despite challenging environments and minimal resources);
Send resume with covering letter to: zamo@ikamvayouth.org
Closing date: 29 July 2011
The Cheetah Sanctuary’s outreach program came to Makhaza’s Winter School on Wednesday, 29th June, to run a workshop on conservation of cheetahs’ habitats. On the following day the group was taken to the facilities of the Sanctuary, where they had the chance to play with adult cheetahs and study them from close proximity.
Anamhla from grade 10 said: “I really enjoyed the afternoon and I wasn’t even scared when I got the chance to play with an adult cheetah. I also learned a lot. Did you know cheetah was the fastest animal on Earth?
Special thanks to the Cheetah Sanctuary’s volunteers.
The much-anticipated 2010 Annual Report is out!
A huge thanks to volunteers Lynne Stuart for the very beautiful design and layout, and to Julia de Kadt for proofreading.
The Report is a multi-media feast, with links to blog posts and youtube clips throughout. Take some time out to learn more about IkamvaYouth and the ikamvanites’ remarkable stories of 2010, share the links you like and enjoy!
My name is Unathi and I am a tutor at the Makhaza branch of Ikamva and part of the winter school, I tutor many different subjects but especially accounting, business and economics. I’m currently studying at UWC.
Here is what my week has been like:
Tuesday:
My expectations from the two weeks period and how will it affect my future?
i expect students to bring questions, challenge the tutors on their different streams and make sure
they go home with a lot learned on that particular day.
I expect commitment from both management, tutors and well yes the students.
TUTORING- I spent time with a grade 12 learner tutoring one on one for economics, it ends productive.
Wednesday-
More tutoring, engagement with the students which are in my stream. the learners are challenging in terms of school work and in bringing questions for the next day.
WORKSHOPS- on the workshop I hear about stuff that I’ve never really knew, from the Jewish centre.
my experience- me well i knew little about the history of Germany and i never knew that the laws they had during Hitlers’ period of being president, some how were related with few laws the South African Apartheid Government made. GRATEFULL TO IKAMVA FOR THE WORKSHOP AND THE JEWISH CENTRE.
Thursday-
I’ve engaged with a learner who is doing his matric, I’ve noticed that we need a more time on his commercial studies i.e economics and business.
WORKSHOPS- in a group with the learners, we hear about LUCCA LEADERSHIP. The 1st hour of the session learners were not really engaging with the facilitators, but they got a break after that they were engaging- asking questions and answering when they are asked questions, after the workshop we get a chance to talk about what caused them not to engage, well they tell me they are too shy to speak english. We conclude that they need to practice their english all the time.
Now it’s Friday morning, tutoring is happening for all the grades in Maths, Science, History, Geography, Accounting, Business and Economics. The grade 11 science students have gone to UCT to participate in Science experiments, looking forward to the afternoon workshops!
There are many other streams and workshops happening which other tutors are involved in, you’ll get to hear about them from the others.
Unathi Smile x
On Saturday 25 June, IkamvaYouth Ivory Park hosted its inaugural Careers Indaba at the IkamvaYouth Centre in Ivory Park, near Midrand. Despite icy conditions, the event saw approximately 300 learners and members of the community attend the free event that was hosted by Ikamva Youth together with participants of the 2011 Nexus Programme at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).
For photos from the IkamvaYouth Careers Indaba in Ivory Park, click here.
The Careers Indaba comprised of a number of major exhibiting corporates including Deloitte, ABI Beverages, KPMG and Accenture as well as representatives from the CSIR, a collection of tertiary and NGO organizations and over 40 volunteers. Tertiary institutions like WITS, Midrand Graduate Institute, Ekhuruleni West College and St Augustine College advised interested learners on courses and qualifications required for future study opportunities.
Halfway through the well-attended event, the surprise arrival of Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, caused much excitement amongst learners and exhibitors alike. Despite only staying for 10 minutes, Motshekga visited all stands personally and gave an impromptu speech to the appreciative audience. Speaking predominantly in Xhosa, she urged learners to stay in school and work hard, saying education was the single most important investment you can have in yourself. She said, “We are grateful for IkamvaYouth and for all the work they do with young people in education and we are especially thrilled to see so many supporters, companies, organisations and volunteers getting involved alongside IkamvaYouth to help build a better nation”.
Andrew Barrett, coordinator of IkamvaYouth Gauteng and a member of this year’s Nexus intake at GIBS, was overwhelmed by the attendance of the event, saying, “The lack of knowledge about potential career opportunities is a major obstacle for township school learners and so this sort of day is invaluable for so many of them. The vision of the Careers Indaba was to increase awareness and access to opportunities for individuals from impoverished communities to improve their circumstances and better plan for their futures. Based on the success of this year’s experience, we hope to make it an annual event.”
Aimed at Grade 10-12 learners but open to all interested members of the community, individual volunteers were encouraged to dialogue with attendees on a one-to-one basis sharing their own workplace and education experiences.
Dylan Kerr Balkind, a volunteer in his own capacity, shared his experience as a copywriter in advertising and was inspired by the new generation of learners who he communicated with. He said, “I feel like I got more out of today than most of the learners. It was wonderful to share our stories and as a whole, I found them motivated, ambitious and determined to make a success of their careers. I am looking forward to working with many of these bright young stars in the future.”
Tea and coffee kept the exhibitors warm while food sponsored by Pick n Pay and beverages sponsored by ABI Beverages kept the attendees refreshed and in high spirits. The event also hosted a series of motivational workshops for the learners and finished off with a raffle draw, with gifts and prizes being donated to the excited crowd by Deloitte, Pick n Pay and WITS.
IkamvaYouth is a South African not-for-profit organization focused on the empowerment of youth through education, e-literacy and career guidance. Established in 2003, the organisation currently operates in three provinces nationally, in Khaelitsha, Nyanga and Masiphmelele in the Western Cape, Ivory Park in Gauteng and Cato Crest in KwaZulu-Natal respectively. The Ikamva Youth model is an innovative, township-based, volunteer-driven project achieving remarkable results through offering attendees supplementary tutoring, mentoring, career guidance, HIV education, life skills development and e-training. Their success rate is astonishing, with the Western Cape Ikamva Youth matriculate pass rate at between 90 and 100 percent each year. An advocate of Ikamva Youth, Motshekga has previously been quoted as saying, “The NGO sector has continued to play a very important role in education. We were fascinated by initiatives of young people supporting other young people, like IkamvaYouth.
For more photos from the IkamvaYouth Careers Indaba in Ivory Park, click here.
Written by Jane Lewis – GIBS Nexus 2011 delegate
Lloyd Lungu