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.
EXCURSIONS
Ikamvanites visited the Sci Bono Discovery Centre based in New Town, Johannesburg. Ikamvanites were thrilled with scientific phenomena brought into life on their guided tour. They attended an intriguing public lecturer on the history of mathematics in Egypt and thoroughly enjoyed the Science of Soccer Exhibition.
Ikamvanites also enjoyed the opportunity to tour the Amalgamated Beverage Industries (ABI) depot in Midrand and were treated to a cinema style setup where refreshments were served and the story of Coca Cola was told to a riveted audience from the very beginnings (it’s hard to imagine life before Coca Cola). A chemical engineer and tour guide entertained with mesmerising facts and trivia and the day ended with a gift pack in hand and memories of an outstanding tour of the biggest Coca Cola plant in the Southern Hemisphere.
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.
A horrible thing happened at the end of an amazing Winter School here in Gauteng – the taxi transporting the even more amazing volunteers crashed on the M1 Highway. Thankfully no-one was seriously injured beyond some cuts, scrapes, bruises and stitches. It was a frightening experience and many of our volunteers woke up this morning (Saturday) very tender and very sore but grateful to be alive.
As part of the IkamvaYouth family, we all hurt when any one of us hurts and our thoughts are with all the Ikamvanites involved. May the recovery be speedy!!!
Feel free to leave messages of support in the comments section below.
Lloyd Lungu