30 ikamvanites from Gauteng attended the HIP2B2 3M Innovation challenge final held on the 18 of October 2012. It was addressed by the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology Mr Dave Hannekom and other relevant stakeholders including SAAST,SAWS and SABC’s top current affairs journalists.
The Innovation challenge is about exposing learners to having a scientific approach to things and life in general (identifying a problem, identify scientific methods and resources to addressing the problem and finally getting learners to create and design models).
Unfortunately, none of our learners made it to the finals, but we take pride in our fellow school Maphutha Secondary School, who represented Johannesburg East District 9 as well as the entire Gauteng Province and had the opportunity to participate in the competition.
Let us continue encouraging our learners to enter such competitions so that they improve their experimental learning and academic exploring!!
Each Ikamvanite shared their unique understanding of the vision and then collaboratively mapped the way forward, brainstorming the ways in which the different branches will implement it.
After re-visiting the vision, the group launched a discussion on the targets for 2013 and the IY budget, at both branch and provincial level. The targets set for our current Matrics lie between an 80% and 100% pass rate for all our branches across the country and our average spend per leaner continues to show that we can make a difference in the lives of the young people we work with, at very low cost. As testimony to this, 12 of our Matrics from the Makhaza branch have been pre-accepted into different courses at the University of Cape Town and this can be linked directly to the influence of the IY program and model.
The relatively low spend per learner partly motivates our vision to expand and replicate the existing IkamvaYouth model. Not only is our model tried and tested for 9 years, but it is cost effective and therefore accessible for everyone who wants to take part in building an even better South Africa.
Our day ended with the IkamvaYouth staff exchanging gifts. It was a fun but meaningful time, where we realised once again that IkamvaYouth is not just an NGO, but a family that really cares.
It is our second Monday at the Hearth and Soul Farm here in Stanford, Capetown, and the NSPW continues. Ikamvanites are over the hill with joy and the IY partners are amazed and curious to know more. We have representatives from Capitec, Tsiba, Sozo Foundation, Learning Trust, IkamvaYouth board and other supporting individuals. The day started with a super fantastic exercise from Ilana, and then Mignon got us engaged with the understanding of the IkamvaYouth Vision and model. We had a team task that left everyone very excited. Ikamvanites and partners were divided into five groups of eight each, and were provided with materials to build a stage were all members of the group could stand and make a presentation. Having learnt the role of teamwork, and the great value of bringing together resources and ‘expertise’, all participants worked together to build one stage, and were not keen to work separately. The stage was finished in time, and all of the over 40 participants were on stage, singing melodiously mentioning all they had learnt in the week. The lessons learnt from the task, is how to work as a team and how each of our contributions are vital to reaching our goal. After that we had a wonderful lunch from our great chef and then hard-core stuff started with the strategy ideas being brought up in the room. We were aiming for the sky, and none of us felt like they were being left behind to this amazing journey that is about to start. The results of this strategy session left everyone eager to start working the following day and committed to reaching the 2030 goal.
Great Ideas are born from nothing.
The excitement begins, everyone eager to share how they feel. Meeting our sponsors for the first time was beautiful and such profound people giving us a hand in turning the country around. Little did they know what IkamvaYouth had in store for them.
We all got to find out what inspires them individually about IkamvaYouth. The amazing abilities we have to transform the things that matter. Can we affect a million people? Surely we can! The ripple effect is an ongoing and never ending effect.
We started by giving an introduction to our vision, then shared our strategies and there were smiles across the room you could literally feel the energy of excitement and the fear of what an impact this is and will be by 2030. Yes 2030! We can see the fruits we’ve planted. So buckle up its going to be an awesome ride. We are proud to be part of this movement that not only changes, but inspires, motivates and encourages people.
One thing we realised today is that no-one knew where they were going to be today in this time but we are here and we making the most of it and we are going somewhere. Each being has a significant role, or what we call a ‘super power’ that when all combined enlightens the world. It’s like throwing a stone in a pound that ripple effect keeps expanding, now imagine South Africa expanding. IkamvaYouth has worked, is working and clearly going to work for the better.
I CAN, YOU CAN, TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE IT WORK
Lloyd Lungu