60 tutors from both Ivory Park and Ebony Park branches came together on Saturday the 16th of November to be appreciated by IkamvaYouth. The day started off with normal tutoring from 9am to 12pm, thereafter , all the tutors were transported to the tutor appreciation venue called Wild Waters in Boksburg.
The day was filled with loads of fun, laughter, conversation, eating and drinking. Many tutors mentioned that they had never seen such a beautiful place and they had no idea that a place like this existed in Johannesburg. This venue was full of different types of water fun activities and the tutors could not pull themselves out of the refreshing water. Patrick Mashanda, the District Coordinator, also addressed all the tutors expressing how important they were to IkamvaYouth, reiterating that the work they put in has made a huge difference to many lives. It was a memorable day with many tutors saying that they felt very appreciated for the hard work they put into tutoring the learners.
Eventually we marked the end of the day by handing out certificates of appreciation to all the tutors. We appreciate all our tutors and we are already looking forward to starting 2014 with an even bigger bang!
As the hectic exam season went underway, our funders and good friends from ABI decided to throw a good luck braai and cake day for all the grade 12 learners in Gauteng. It was a much needed break from the current pressure our learners are facing in preparing years of hard work and achievements into one busy month. Our learners have been hard at work, studying at home and attending workshops both at school and those organised by IY to make sure that all this work culminates in good results for their futures.
From all the Ikamvanites around South Africa here’s to wishing all our grade 12s the best of luck.
Keep soaring superheroes !
The Gauteng team was out in full force at the Midrand Graduate Institutes Career Fair in early October. As an opportunity to, not only advertise the most democratic organisation to work in, we also got the very talented and driven students to sign up as volunteers at the nearby branches in the area.
MGI, like many of the higher learning institutions IkamvaYouth continues to grow partnerships with, jumped at the opportunity to get involved with us and came out in large numbers to support our drive. Many had never heard of IY before, but were very interested to find out how they can volunteer their time and become part of such a winning superhero team.
IY relies on the many committed tutors from all over South Africa’s Higher Learning institutions and if you are looking to become part of this amazing opportunity visit our website and sign up online or wait for a tutor drive coming to your varsity soon!
Early on Saturday morning, 28 September, Makhaza learners joined many other learners from around Cape Town at the Khayelitsha Multi-Purpose Hall. The unconventional is presented by Rethink Leardership which is an opportunity to see presentations by amazing social innovators and to interact with them. It is where they were able to share ideas with other learners from different schools and be their creative selves. The diverse group of individuals shared their ideas about how to tackle issues that affect their communities.
Ndilisa May a grade 11 learner spoke about the event, “Unconventional was a great platform for us because we had a chance to talk to awesome young innovators and to share ideas with them. The exciting part was that some of the IkamvaYouth learners were given a chance to share information about their Community Action Projects. It was inspiring as many are willing to take time and make a positive change in their communities.” The programme is about bringing out the leadership skills that all these learners possess and using these skills to better their lives and the communities they come from.
“Communication was being highlighted, because in order to know something you have to interact with others, it is also easy to work with other people when you have communication skills. You achieve better results when you work with people rather than alone”, said Talitha Maliti a grade 11 learner.
It was a day well spent for the learners of Makhaza as they commended the event as a success.
On the 11th and 12th of October 2013, Masibonisane visited the Nyanga branch and conducted eye screening for Nyanganites.
The visit was a result of the Nyanga branch committee’s request that learners get their eyes tested, since some learners struggle with their eyesight, leading to difficulty in reading. 29 learners were screened, of whom 8 will get spectacles, generously organized by Masibonisane.
Masibonisane works with previously disadvantaged children all over South Africa, enhancing education through sight. The organisation does this by providing access to optometric evaluation, identifying special needs and referring and/or providing suitable eyewear to participants. This collaboration with Masibonisane resonates with IY’s Vision 2030, which will be achieved through, amongst other means, collaboration with partner organisations, to ensure that 1 million learners reach and pass Matric by 2030.
IY Nyanga offers a very special thank you to the Masibonisane team for providing this essential service to ikamvanites.
Learners gathered in numbers on a rainy Saturday morning at St James beach, 21 September, partnering with Environmental Resources Management (ERM) in the annual coastal cleanup 2013. The practice is to create awareness of keeping the ocean clean as human and wildlife is compromised by the pollution found in oceans. The event is international and Makhaza learners were part of the many individuals from all over the world that volunteered their time in this great initiative, with 45 learners from all the IY branches in the Western Cape joining in. They took up the task of cleaning St James beach, of the trash around, with a positive attitude. Equipped with their black bags and gloves, they found items ranging from cigarette butts to food wrappers scattered around in land and on shore.
One grade 11 learner, Ndilisa May described the event as “a great event which brings people together for a good cause” she also added that “it’s wonderful that anyone can be involved”. IkamvaYouth learners are now environmentally conscious; “I now know the importance of keeping the ocean clean, thanks to ERM” said Busiswa Wana, a grade 11 learner. The learners had only great things to say about the coastal cleanup as they learnt more about the ocean and the wildlife that is depended on the ocean. “I was not aware that the ocean forms part of the life cycle and that if damaged it could have an impact on humans as well”, Lundi Sirayi, grade 10 learner added.
Well spent Saturday indeed as the Ikamvanites also got time to enjoy the sea breeze and the beautiful view of St James Beach…
Lloyd Lungu