This year’s winter school was a success! We had 55 Nyanga learners and 23 Ikanyezi learners join us for two weeks at the University of the Western Cape.
Inkanyezi Learners
During the morning sessions, the programme offered learners the chance to get extra tutoring on subjects they were having a difficult time with. We were fortunate to have anywhere from 7 to 15 tutors a day to help all the learners.
After lunch the learners had a great opportunity to participate in a wide variety of workshops that were focused on educating and the learners on different things outside of their school subjects. We had everything from Acting to Team Skills Workshops. Workshops included: Art, Drumming, Acting, Team Skills, South African History, Point of View Improv and Drug Awareness
Learners show us their moves during the drumming workshop
In the Point of View workshop learners had the great opportunity to learn more about sexual health and stigma’s associated with HIV by using innovative activities that engaged the learners and made them more comfortable to share their thoughts.
Molly Blank came in to show the learners her new documentary film all about the xenophobic attacks that happened in South Africa in 2008. The learners watched the film and were able to have a question and answer session with the director herself afterwards. See some of their responses here.
Some learners who showed interest participated in a photography workshop which allowed the learners to take home cameras to take shots of the world cup mania in their area.
Sive Bushla, 11th grade ‘Big Vuvuzela’
New Start was also kind enough to come in to offer testing and counsel any learner or volunteer in the programme who wanted to get tested.
One of the opportunities the learners really enjoyed was the access to the computer labs that were made available to them for the whole of the programme. The learners were able to learn the key elements of Microsoft Word and Excel, how to send attachments in emails and basic computer literacy issues. They were really happy to be able to work on their typing skills as well.
We had a number of sponsors that made planning the programme much easier. PicknPay gave us enough to buy everything we needed for tea and snack breaks while Red Hot Catering & Events provided the lunches for all learners and volunteers at a convenient cost. Fedics sponsored one day’s lunches for all involved in the programme. And of course, UWC offered the space to make all of this possible.
Learners, for the most part, only had good things to say about the programme. There were some ideas that would make next year’s programme better. Mostly, learners wanted to see more tutoring subjects available. We would have loved to see this too, but unfortunately we didn’t have enough tutors comfortable teaching all the subjects. Hopefully next year, that’ll be different!
Amidst all the craziness of World Cup matches and Winter School, gold Ikamvanites from Nyanga took a welcomed break from their studies to take a trip to Cape Town City Bowl District for an afternoon of art and theatre. They started off the afternoon by visiting the Goodman Gallery in Woodstock. Their exhibit featured South African artist Kendell Geers and his collective work entitled Thrid World Disorder. The Ikamvanites were fortunate enough to have a personal guide for the exhibition focusing on tranformational images and language.
After a quick bite to eat for lunch, the Ikamvanites ventured forth to the Fugard Theatre to watch the well-received musical of Aesop’s Fables. With lots of music, singing, danicing, and joking eveyone had a wonderful time in town.
Special thanks to James Krowlikowski for arranging the afternoon’s activities, the Goodman Gallery and its staff, as well as the Fugard Theatre for their warm reception.
IkamvaYouth is a non-profit organization based in from Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Masiphumelele in the Western Cape, Ivory Park in Gauteng, the greater Cato Manor area and Molweni in KwaZulu-Natal. IkamvaYouth is a for-youth, by-youth leadership organization that focuses on self-empowerment of its students in grades 9-12. We volunteers are community members who are either international university students or past IkamvaYouth graduates who believe in making a change. We believe that students are the masters of their own futures and successes and only by challenging and supporting each one of them to believe in their own strengths and skills. By doing so, we believe that students will be better equipped with the proper skills for education as well as the job market. We not only focus on educational initiatives but also on social and civic initiatives. Our success is marked by the number of students who graduate from high school and progress to either university or success in the job market.
In the Western Cape, IkamvaYouth is hosting its annual Talent Show & Photography Exhibition in Makhaza.
Date: Saturday, 3 July 2010
Time: 9:00 – 13:00
Location: Desmond Tutu Hall (next to Nazeema Isaacs Library)
Makhaza, Khayelitsha
Cnr Lansdowne and Cekeca Rds
Come feel it! It’s here!
On Saturday 3 July, ikamvanites from the Makhaza, Nyanga and Masiphumelele branches will be expressing themselves, showcasing their talents and having fun, following weeks of intensive hard work at their respective winter schools.
This year, our theme is FIFA Fever, which focuses on the soccer spirit of the townships and its effect on the learners. We wish to showcase the skills of our learners and our volunteers in many different ways such as poetry, song, dance, and photography. The World Cup has asked each South African: “Can you feel it? It is here!” We at IkamvaYouth have also asked our learners this, but with a twist.
“Can you feel it? It is here!”
Your Success. Take it. It is here, and it is yours to take.
We invite everyone to our Talent Show & Photography Exhibition, and encourage you to attend our event and support and celebrate our learners and volunteers. Photographs taken by our learners will be on display. With a small donation to IkamvaYouth, you will have the opportunity to order a photograph taken by one of our learners. Your support goes directly to the future of IkamvaYouth and its learners. We thank you for your support!
Bring your vuvuzelas and join in the ayoba celebrations at the Desmond Tutu Hall (near the Nazeema Isaacs library, cnr Lansdowne and Cekece Roads in Makhaza, Khayelitsha) from 9am to 1pm.
Photograph courtesy of Nosicelo Tshakeni
A horrible thing happened at the end of an amazing Winter School here in Gauteng – the taxi transporting the even more amazing volunteers crashed on the M1 Highway. Thankfully no-one was seriously injured beyond some cuts, scrapes, bruises and stitches. It was a frightening experience and many of our volunteers woke up this morning (Saturday) very tender and very sore but grateful to be alive.
As part of the IkamvaYouth family, we all hurt when any one of us hurts and our thoughts are with all the Ikamvanites involved. May the recovery be speedy!!!
Feel free to leave messages of support in the comments section below.
Lloyd Lungu