Matric Exams: 22 October – 28 November 2012
To 2013 and beyond
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.
NSPW 2012 – Day 8
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.
NSPW Day 6: We Are a Hope Organism
NSPW has been a whirlwind experience for this new Ikamvanite. Ten days ago I was in a job interview, and today I’m a part of the team that is shooting for a 100% pass rate for 100% of South Africa’s 2030 matric cohort. But that’s not the crazy part.
The crazy part is that I believe we can do it.
To get there, we’ll have to make some fundamental shifts in the way we understand
Ikamva. Over the next 17 years, we need to go from organisation to organism.
We need to infect South Africa with our belief, our energy, and our hope. After all,
whether you think you can, or whether you think you can’t – you’re right.
But to get to 2030 we first need to get through 2013. We spent the afternoon of
NSPW day 6 laying out Ikamva’s strategic priorities for 2013, figuring out how to
grow faster, do better, and learn more. Underlying all the key priorities we identified
were common themes of building stronger relationships, communicating better, and
sharing ownership of our success.
But even amidst all the excitement, we didn’t lose sight of the fact that we have
branches to run and admin to do. We need to keep proving that what we are already
doing really, really works. That means maintaining and improving our results at every
branch, every year, starting with 2013.
And 2030? Watch this space.
NSPW 2012 – Day 4
It is often said that there is a time for everything under the heavens. This is day number 4 at the IkamvaYouth National Strategic Planning Workshop. It has been a rollercoaster four days. At the heart of it all has been the dynamic; driven and extremely passionate Ilana…our trainer and coach. Today the focus was on coaching skills. The emphasis was on coaching being a very liberating tool when applied correctly. That people should learn to listen with their whole self; body; mind and heart. This is especially true for our learners who need to have their voices liberated. The coaching lessons are geared towards equipping us with the necessary skills to help our learners to open up and deal with their issues; when they need to.
The one on one sessions with group members gave us an opportunity to practise and also recognise areas that we need to work on. We need to make a conscious and concerted effort to be able to apply what we have learnt. This includes working on our body language; tone of voice and doing away with any preconceived ideas that we might have about particular situations affecting our learners.
The most important lesson we took away today is that when dealing with our learners we have to suspend our pasts; our current situations and be completely present…for them. We need to make sure that we do not put them in a situation where we project our views and feelings onto them; forcing them to see the world through the windows of our shattered souls; knowingly or unknowingly. What they need is for us to create the emotional as well as the physical spaces they need to be the best that they can be. They need us to create platforms where they can write their own life stories. There is no greater gift that we can give them; except; maybe; for the free hugs that were offered by the Ikamvanites this morning.
NSPW – Day 3
Developing high level of trust in between team members is a key component in guaranteeing a high standard of service delivery for the young people we are working with. Therefore today was dedicated to team tasks focusing on senses that a leader can expand its awareness of the people he/she is working with. Who could imagine that a simple garden stick can arouse and invite to discuss around those topics. I dare you… we did it!! The below picture is proof to that.
The second session makes us discover or revise the different kind of leadership which can be applied to different professional situations. It has been followed by a collective application. We learned how to be directive, democratic, affirmative, how to be humble, how to be visionary and how to produce other leaders.
Frustration is also part of professional life and absolutely normal. It matters to identify the symptoms, and how to remedy from it. This feeling, which pollutes and reduces the human efficiency in interpersonal relationships, needs to be decontaminated as soon as possible.
To conclude the day, each and every staff discussed intensively on professional issues they are encountering within the organisation. No one gets shot. We succeed to do it in a climate of truth, respect and understanding.
We are looking forward tomorrow to give you more feedback.
Lloyd Lungu