IKAMVAYOUTH GAUTENG
WINTER SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAMME REPORT
14-25 JUNE 2010
IkamvaYouth Gauteng once again hosted a very successful winter school holiday programme thanks to the generosity of our supporters and the tireless efforts of an awesome group of volunteers and a highly dedicated group of IkamvaYouth learners.
SUPPLMENTARY TUTORING
The key component of IkamvaYouth’s winter school is the academic support and learners had three sessions of tutoring every day lasting between an hour and an hour-and-a-half per session. A variety of tutoring resources were used including work the learners brought with them, past papers, mock exams and study guides. Regular ‘English Fundamentals’ sessions were held with additional sessions focused on exam preparation. Maths remains the subject for which learners request the most assistance.
WORKSHOPS
Gareth Coatz from the South African Aids Trust ran a workshop with the learners on harassment. He got Ikamvanites buzzing with opinions and energy on the matter, especially on the different experiences of girls and boys. Some useful conclusions were drawn about some strategies for dealing with harassment not least of which a commitment from the learners to speak honesty and respectfully to each other on issues of gender and the different experiences. In addition to these workshops, a number of sessions were helpd on the topics of leadership as followership. ’Who is the thief?’ Respect, and Resolve hosted a Conflict Management session.
CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS
As an introduction to the winter school we ran a ‘body maps’ workshop on the first day. This
is a process by which students trace the outline of their body and then using paint, pastels and found objects such as beads, feathers and pompoms, fill in the ‘map’ of their body. We were overwhelmed by the moving, fascinating and fun final products.
In addition, there were also the following activities that ran throughout the winter school where learners broke into smaller groups: IkamvaCares, Digital Photography Project, Poetry and Drama, Hip-Hop and Dance.
Every Ikamvanite must leave school with a clear plan for the years ahead. For most this means accessing tertiary institutions, bursary opportunities, learnerships, or repeating their matric subjects to improve their marks. Each IkamvaYouth matriculant at the winter school had a one-on-one session identifying their goals for 2011 and how to get there. Allan Gray also presented their bursary scheme to the learners which we hope will serve as a motivating factor for the end of year exams. Ikamvanites also got a chance to tour wits with the Wits Volunteers.
Perhaps the defining feature of the success of all of IkamvaYouth’s programmes—including the winter schools – is the tireless and irrepressible efforts of an amazing and diverse group of the volunteers—THANK YOU to everyone who contributed. You are ALL Awesome and we look forward to the rest of the year with renewed energy and excitement. IF you’re looking for true AYOBA-ness then look no further than these Ikamvanites.
On the last day of the winter school we held a talent show and a party. The talent show was a huge hit with learners and volunteers alike; in fact it got everyone up on their feet dancing and singing along to tunes sung by the ikamva ‘stars’ of the moment. The talent show was a powerful platform for learners to express themselves in spaces not usually available in the Ikamva framework. Besides creative talent, the learners also demonstrated insightful commentaries on life through performance poetry and speeches that they gave. This was all followed by a great party with celebratory snacks.
SKYPE SESSION WITH BRAZILIAN YOUTH
World Cup Fever is of course global and there’s no country better acquainted with world cup soccer glory than Brazil which was just one of a number of topical conversations Ikamvanites had over Skype with CAJU, a Brazilian youth group keen to exchange life experiences and share in some world cup fever from across the Atlantic. Ikamvanites learnt that many of the social issues, dreams and ambitions of Brazilian youth are very similar to their own. As a special surprise, Ikamvaites also received Brazilian t-shirts from the Brazilian Embassy which went down a treat.
Lloyd Lungu