A career expo was held on the 30th of April at the IkamvaYouth Mamelodi branch and we had different exhibitors, some guest speakers and an inspirational MC, Thulani Mphahlele, who delivered a speech which was in the form of an affirmation. He emphasized that “we are created to create, designed to deliver” and we opened our hands in acknowledgment that indeed the future is in our hands.
Guest speaker and senior lecturer at the University of Pretoria, Dr. Craig Grobbler gave a talk about his life, he told us what led him to be where he is now, “If you are born poor it is not your fault, but if you die poor it is your fault.” Challenges will always be there to test how far we are willing to go with perseverance and hard work . What I learned was to never give up on my dreams, don’t prove those who doubt you wrong but prove to yourself that you are right
Some of the exhibitors on the day were ABI, YCAP, Richfield, Boston, and Nedbank. Nedbank taught us that we can actually open bank accounts at the age of 16, these are student accounts and they gave us the opportunity to complete application forms. Boston is college and they offer bursaries to students pursuing commercial subjects. YCAP is a program that offers young people a platform to do projects that they believe can change their communities and help them to live with purpose.
I learned a lot and now I am much wiser about the career I want to follow. Thank you IkamvaYouth for the opportunity and l am looking forward to next career expo.
Four Grade 12 learners from Ocean View High School used the opportunity presented to them by a life orientation assignment to share with the Masinites their research on what is known as the silent emotional killer: RAPE.
They were tasked by their school to compile and share the topic with 50 people, and also give them questionnaires to answer based on the information shared with them. They felt compelled to share the information they had with the Masinites in all grades, so they could learn about rape and know that SILENCE DOES NOT MEAN CONSENT!
Nothing was as inspiring as watching them confidently delivering their presentation; Janice (the Masiphumelele English FUNdamentals Tutor) was also thrilled to witness the quality of their delivery. The learners sat quietly, digesting the information passed on to them, listening to their fellow school-mates and when the time came, asking questions; I believe that was the best part, we knew that they were engaging with the information. I can safely say that the learners left there with so much information on rape, thanks to the friendly presenters.
BIG UP MASINITES!!! With that confidence, you will go places!
Speak out!!
On a sunny Saturday morning on 30th April, Makhaza gr. 11 Ikamvanites travelled to the leafy UCT campus to attend a University preparation workshop organized specifically for them, by UCT Golden Key Society. Golden Key is an internationally recognized, non-profit organization and the world’s largest honour society, whose membership is limited to the top 15% of degree students at selected universities.
IkamvaYouth learners were welcomed by UCT GK Service Director Katherine Tredinnick, Committee Member Kossivi Fangbemi and Service Sub Com Members Tinashe Choga and Lindsay Cook, who gave short presentations on a variety of study-related subjects. The importance of a healthy diet, exercise and sleep were highlighted as effective ways to reduce stress. Fun videos and slide shows advised Ikamvanites on the benefits of avoiding a big study sessions right before exams and improving time management by organizing a timetable with shorter studying sessions. The 9 best scientific study tips were shared in detail with the enthusiastic audience.
During the question and answer session, Ikamvanites engaged GK members with a number of questions on university student life and on their personal studying techniques. Their answers highlighted the importance of making notes in one’s own words, asking teacher or tutors for clarification if needed and organizing small study groups with close and motivate and always studying to understand so that you may confidently pass on the information to the next person, “If you can’t explain it to someone else then you don’t know it.”
Keynote speaker for the day was the formidable and passionate Ms. Nambita Ntshongwana, Student Recruitment Officer at UCT Admissions Office. Ms. Ntshongwana reiterated how high school students residing in Cape Town metro should feel a sense of ownership towards UCT and strive to ensure their rightful place there, by keeping up their grades to allow for admission. She urged learners to be responsible in their choices and to be wise with time allocation, “If we know which PSL teams are playing, we should also know in just as much detail, university admission requirements and other information key to our future.” We need to invest today in the vision that we have for our tomorrow, we must have not only dreams but solid plans. Ms. Ntshongwana mentioned the existence of a strong partnership to allow students to reach a bright future through tertiary education: the government, NSFAS (National Student Financial Aid Scheme) and their parents are ready to support their vision, but they need to actively participate and ensure good grades in school to qualify for that support. By focusing on and prioritizing their studies, with great and constant motivation, they can turn their heir dreams into reality.
The workshop has been a great opportunity for Ikamvanites to get exposure to UCT campus, to receive guidance and practical tips from university students and to get inspired about the possibilities that their future might bring.The day was memorable and highly motivational, as shown by the posters and presentations learners prepared on the focal points of the experience.
We thank UCT Golden Key members for coordinating the day, for their time, passion and support. We look forward to organising similar events in partnership with tertiary education institutions and a number of students associations, to ensure Ikamvanites will have useful tools to succeed in the future, since we always say ikamva lisezandleni zethu, the future *is* in our hands!
It’s official! IkamvaYouth will be opening its doors in Atlantis in June 2016, thanks to the support of GreenCape. The branch will be located at Proteus Secondary School, which lies in the centre of the small Western Cape town. GreenCape ‘s involvement in Atlantis is part of the Atlantis Greentech special economic zone which is an initiative by the Western Cape government to drive industrial and economic development in the area.
Preparation has begun for the new Atlantis branch, which has included the recruitment of the Atlantis Branch Coordinator, Yanga Toyti. Yanga has been part of IY since 2014, working in Makhaza at IY’s largest branch and is currently completing a BSc in Mathematics and Statistics through UNISA.
Yanga is looking forward to interacting with the youth in Atlantis to see how much impact can be made together. According to Yanga, “It will be an interesting time and I can’t wait! IkamvaYouth is all about overcoming the odds. There is no such thing as a hopeless situation, there is always a way. We believe in the power of education to change a person, a community and the entire nation!”
IY at Atlantis Career Expo:
On Saturday 23 April, Yanga and Simone (our Western Cape District Manager) attended a Career Expo at the Atlantis Public Library organized by Educo Africa. IY had the opportunity to announce the launch of our new branch, and engage with learners and other members of the local community. The event was facilitated by Marilee van der Merwe, a student from Atlantis currently completing a degree in Financial Accounting from UWC. Her passion for youth development and empowerment was palpable, and inspired all in attendance. It is greatly encouraging to engage with members of the community who are so motivated to inspire change.
Thanks to Educo Africa for organizing the event, and to Marilee for her energy and enthusiasm. We look forward to joining the Atlantis community soon.
The news of the passing of one of our Ikamvanites has come as a shock to the IkamvaYouth family. Thembakazi Nyakatya joined IkamvaYouth in 2008 while she was doing grade 10. As a young girl from the township, education was the only option for her to become successful. Despite the peer pressure young girls experience in townships she chose education and kept up her attendance until she matriculated in 2010. While she was in grade 12, her positive influence encouraged her little brother Unathi Nyakatya to join the programme, thereafter her second brother Bazise Nyakatya in 2012. In 2011 Thembakazi came back to IkamvaYouth as a tutor. She believed that her background could not be an obstacle to achieving her goals, and it wasn’t. In 2014 she graduated with a diploma in Management at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. In April 2016, while she was sick in hospital, she missed her BTech graduation.
Thembakazi was a role model not only to her siblings, but to many in the IkamvaYouth family and the community at large. We would like to express our condolences to her family. Lala Ngoxolo Thembsie.
The Mahikeng Branch in the North West is fortunate to have tutors who are committed to playing a vital role in the lives of Ikamvanites. These passionate tutors take time from their busy study schedules to help learners increase their chances of accessing a dignified living. What is exciting about our diverse team of tutors is the fact that it also includes students who are very close to completing their tertiary studies, which serves to further inspire our learners. Tutors not only dedicate their time, but also their knowledge and understanding of the different subjects they did in high school. They also ensure that by the time the learners leave the sessions they have a clearer understanding of their school work. The greatest thing about our tutoring sessions would be that learners show dedication to their work and reaching their life goals. While our learners focus on improving their performance, they also continuously inspire one another. Those learners who are performing fairly well use the tutoring space to assist one another through collaboration and peer-to-peer support. In the end the hard work the Ikamvanites put in pays off.
The tutors see a lot of potential in the learners and believe that they can obtain the results they need to help themselves out of poverty through education. Learners in townships are faced with challenging problems such as having to drop out of school and having to resort to other choices which they believe they can improve their lives.One of the IkamvaYouth values is openness and integrity and it is well practiced in our branch as most of our learners are open about the challenges they face and are in an environment where they can access different information on how to find solutions.
Hearing some of our tutor’s views:
Quinta NAWEJI Yombi from Taletso FET College has been part of the branch since September 2015 and this is what he had to say about our learners and the tutoring space as a whole. “Our ikamvanites show respect to the tutors, and each other even though they hail from different schools. They all want to see themselves with a bright future, they show openness and are able to show commitment to improve their marks by working together as one. Their openness is so much that that they allow us do our work as tutors and this impact will certainly lead them to a bright future, as they will also be able to give back to the community the kind of knowledge they have achieved. We believe that as tutors and ikamvanites, to serve tomorrow’s new generation is through-education. Nelson Mandela said “Education is a very powerful weapon that we can use to change the world”.
Selorm Awudestey is a tutor in Geography, English, History and help with other subjects. She started volunteering at IkamvaYouth last year.My experience so far with the learners has been interesting. As these learners are all unique and each have different or similar approaches towards their studies. There are some learners who are shy to ask for assistance while others are talkative and don’t mind asking a lot of questions of which benefits the entire group. I try my best to implement a need for studying and encourage them to read as much as possible, not just their school books but various books to help them think better, analyze different subjects from all perspectives and generally to learn how to think out of the box.
A view from our Ikamvanites:
Joese’ Mentoor a learner from Danville Secondary School outlined that his experience is so unbelievable because he has never achieved any high marks in his school work until he joined IkamvaYouth. “I am so grateful to IkamvaYouth for giving me the opportunity to make my parents and this organisation-proud.”
Omphemetse Serapelo Learner from Leteane Secondary School mentioned that she loves IkamvaYouth as it helped her to improve her marks, “to learn communication skills between different peers around me and to be a better person as a whole. Sis B and Ausi Bonolo are the best, they give us the kind of support we need to be comfortable and have confidence in ourselves. We are grateful to have tutors who are able to explain the work in full to us and have the patience to explain it more than 5 times without being annoyed about it.” She said
Our organisation is truly fortunate to work with these amazing Ikamvanites
For more information about IkamvaYouth Mahikeng please contact: info@ikamvayouth.org
Lloyd Lungu