The mentorship programme has been a great success since its formal inception 2 years ago at the Ebony Park Branch. There have been many success stories with many of the mentorship relationships going beyond the agreed time frames becoming real life long relationships.
Saturday the 8th of February was the start of our mentorship programme for 2014. About 40 Grade 12s waited eagerly to get introduced to their new mentors. The branch was overwhelmed with the positive response from professionals around Gauteng who were also eager to get started. The programme started at 10am, with Lewis Mash, the Alumni Coordinator taking the mentors through what mentorship at IkamvaYouth means and how long a commitment it should be. This was followed by a question and answer session where all the mentors could get clarification on concerns or questions they had.
One mentor, Lindani Lufu, who holds a Masters in Civil Engineering could not hold her excitement after beeing paired with a young Grade 12 learner who is an aspiring civil engineer.” All roads lead to success,” she said, with a big smile on her face.
We are excited to start the year with a BANG and the call for mentors still continues as we would love for all our Grade 11 Ikamvanites to have mentors walking with them too. Starting the relationships out early in the year will give the mentors enough time to work and encourage their mentees success.
In November 2013 IkamvaYouth was fortunate to be invited to present on the theme of collaboration at the first Botswana Library Innovation Summit. It gathered a wonderful group of innovators from libraries all across Botswana.
Each library presented their innovative project, which ranged from the preservation of history and culture, to mobile buses equipped with internet, to providing services for the visually impaired. The projects are inspiring and the people that are dreaming them up and making them happen are even more impressive. Like many grassroots organisations and projects, they are driven by unbelievable individuals and their passion alone.
Muan and Kasane Public Libraries showcasing their projects
What the Botswana Department of Library Services are doing exceptionally well is recognising and supporting these passionate individuals that know best what is needed in their communities. This model of support produces highly relevant and workable projects. The question of “What is needed here?” is asked by the stakeholders, rather than outsiders making assumptions as to what is best.
This speaks to IkamvaYouth’s own vision for collaboration, which is to form mutually beneficial partnerships with passionate organisations and individuals who want to work towards a collective impact. To truly support this vision the relationships between the partners need be honest and open and above all must be supportive.
Sesigo is one such partnership, formed between the government of Botswana National Library Service, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to provide free internet services to all 78 public libraries across the country. So far they have extended services to 24 libraries and the impact has been incredible; reflected by the broad range of internet aided projects. The key to its success is that the Botswana government is hugely supportive of the initiative and is open to sharing local knowledge and facilitating conversations. In turn the Gates Foundation is providing training and mentorship to strengthen the local technological capacity and increase the sustainability of the project.
An internet facility enabled by Sesigo in northern Botswana
This idea of mentorship came out time and time again over the 3 days. In the inaugural speech Stella Monageng, former Head of Libraries at the Institute of Development Management, spoke about the importance of mentorship for innovation. That there are two roles needed for innovation to flourish; the learner and the teacher. What was emphasised is that for real innovation to occur we must all be comfortable to play each of these roles and to move between them. We all need to teach and provide information to assist others, but we also need to makes sure that we listen and learn from others, regardless of where we lie in the hierarchical structures of societies and organisations.
I really respect these comments and it set the tone for the week. Ms Monageng encouraged extremely shy presenters to get up on the podium and know they were being listened to by their peers, by representatives from other countries, and by governmental officials. It also opened eyes and ears to new opportunities. The idea of libraries running tutoring programmes was very much seeded. IkamvaYouth Botswana….maybe one day!?
I came away from the week feeling rejuvenated and excited to start IkamvaYouth’s collaboration project with similarly amazing organisations and individuals, while holding the idea of mentorship as central to the process. The rollercoaster ride on the final day of the summit may have also contributed to this excitement!
IkamvaYouth had the pleasure of presenting at the Scaleshift event last week. The IkamvaYouth team were down in Cape Town and the gang ascended on the Graduate School of Business (GSB) with the hope of picking some fresh brains. The first session in 2014 took place on Tuesday 21st January
The session produced some insightful conversations. One that struck me was around the importance of relationships in the IkamvaYouth model. It is known that the stronger the relationship a learner has with a tutor the more likely they are to be committed and therefore to perform better academically. One of the strategic plans to scale is to leverage technology for an online tutoring model. The challenge of maintaining the necessary supportive relationships through this online model is a very real one.
The importance of love, care and belonging is an ingredient of the model that cannot be overlooked. Therefore an online tutoring solution or the use of mobile technology to reach more remote areas must not lose sight of the social relationships that hold a branch together. Something to think about as we design the online tutoring pilot!
Another interesting discussion was around the question, “What are we doing that is revolutionary?” A question that is difficult to ask yourself, but when asked by others, it generated some interesting ideas about systemic change.
It was suggested that IkamvaYouth and other innovative organisations need to develop their ability to export the progressive principles and practices that produce impact, rather than replicate a rigid model in its entirety. The flexibility of the non-profit sector to act in, and around existing structures and systems is essential to find large-scale and sustainable solutions for South Africa.
IkamvaYouth’s strategy for growth speaks to this necessity, and projects have been designed/being designed in such a way that requires collaboration within and across sectors. Working together is the only way that Vision 2030 is possible.
Thank you to those who attended and helped us to think through some complex problems as a larger and more diverse group.
For more information on IkamvaYouth’s plans for growth or anything raised in this blog contact zoe@ikamvayouth.org.
To find out more about Scaleshift email warren.nilsson@gsb.uct.ac.za.
Saturday the 25th of January 2014 saw the Umlazi branch host their annual Open day at the Umlazi AA library. The event started with a wonderful song from one of the learners at the branch. S’bonelo (Branch Coordinators) and N’thabiseng (Branch Assistant) proceeded to welcome the people and presented a PowerPoint based presentation. The presentation gave an overview of IkamvaYouth, the work IkamvaYouth does and the geographical reach of the organisation.
Staff and volunteers Open Day 2014
It also featured highlights of activities in the Umlazi branch from 2013. The presentation included the matric pass rate and the requirements for learners who join IkamvaYouth to keep their place in the programmes offered. The matric class of 2013 was celebrated with a visual tribute compiled by N’thabiseng.
IkamvaYouth Learner Zekhethelo Ngcobo reciting her touching poem
The video was followed by a performance from one of the learners who recited a poem about IkamvaYouth and the impact it has on learners. A testimonial from an ex-matric learner gave prospective learners a insight into the kind of impact being an Ikamvanite can have on one’s life. This was followed by a brief talk from a current volunteer tutor who spoke of his experience and what he feels is needed to be a successful Ikamvanite.
Ms Phumelele Kunene, from MUT gave a brief talk on the relationship IkamvaYouth Umlazi has with Mangosuthu University of Technology. She also motivated the learners in terms of their future choices in life.
We were blessed by the presence of ABI Soul Ambassadors (pictured below) who were accompanied by Samukelo Nkosi the Corporate Social Investment Coordinator-KZN for ABI.
Before everyone was served refreshments, courtesy of ABI, a surprise performance by Msizi (a local poet) brought the day to a close on a very high note.
The Soul Ambassadors (Wonder Mzobe,Patience Simela, and Nokwethemba Mpisi) with Thabisile Seme and S’bonelo Cele
The IYKZN team decided to start the year off on a different note with the matric class of 2014. We took the learners to Highlands resort in Cato Ridge for an educational camp. The objective of the camp was to set the tone for the year and to encourage the learners to work as a team in achieving their academic goals as well as to implant in them a sense of responsibility for their studies this year and beyond.
The camp entailed a lot of different exercises, ranging from academic tutoring to exercising the body, the mind and team work. There was a group of tutors to assist with the different subjects and a team of facilitators to assist with the team building activities. English, Maths and Maths Literacy tests were administered during the camp to gauge the level of understanding of the learners within these subjects and so that they know where to focus during this year. There were also sessions where learners were helped and taught how to fill in the Central Applications Office form, this was a practice run for when they actually apply later on in the year. This activity turned out to be a great eye-opener for the learners as the majority of them saw the requirements of the courses they wanted to do and compared it with what they are achieving and realized how much they have to improve and where they needed to put further effort. This also enlightened the learners on what type of personality they are and which are the possible career options for that personality type.
The camp was structured in such a way that academic work was done early in the morning while the minds are fresh and able to absorb and be active, then the physical activities were done after lunch then the last part of the day would be for career guidance and self-study. There was also some free time which learners used as they wished, some would go swimming while others played soccer and other just chatted and got to know other learners from the different branch.
Overall, the camp was a success and the objectives were met. We look forward to a great and productive year with the matric class of 2014 and we wish them all the best.
This day started off with exercises on the field. It was a great start to the day as our minds and bodies were prepared for what would come during the day. After the exercise we all showered and went to breakfast. Breakfast was served between 7:30 and 8:30 and immediately after that, tutoring began.
There were tables set up for the different subjects and each person chose which subject they wanted to do and sat at that table. After an hour we changed to another subject. The tutors were there to help with all our questions and assist us in the different subjects. There was a 30 minute break after the two one hour tutoring sessions. During break everyone could do whatever they wanted to do. Some chose to go and play soccer, others jumped on the trampoline while other were just chatting amongst each other and walking around. Learners from different branches were connecting during the break and that was awesome.
Maths tests were written, one individual one for the pure maths learners and a group test for the maths literacy learners. The test results were an indication of where we are with our grade 11 work and they were not that great. It seems there is a lot of work that learners need to do to understand their previous work so that they can find matric work easier.
The values of IkamvaYouth were discussed as a group and some people found that they resonated more with and understood other values than others. It was clear to all in the room why it was important to have those values as an organisation and what they mean to the organisation and should mean to everyone who is a part of it.
The camp was wonderful in that it was not only about academic work but also a lot of fun, the fun part also being very educational. Learners and tutors were divided into teams and did some teambuilding activities which were challenging but taught something about self as well as about life in general. The concepts and rules of the activities and how people understood them also applied to everyday life.
The last activity of the day was a very emotional one for everyone but it brought people together. All the learners in the room had to write on a piece of paper something that was real to them, either something that was bothering them or something they were struggling with or anything they wanted to share but could not speak openly about, all the papers were anonymous. The activity was very touchy as people were pouring their hearts out. The session ended off with everyone going around and giving each other hugs. It was then lights out at 10:30pm.
Lloyd Lungu