As the day started with much anticipation to meet our volunteers for the tutor appreciation. A day to spend time and get to know one another outside IY was refreshing. This day was on Saturday the 6th of December. The day having kicked off with all of us heading to the tutor appreciation venue which is known as Moretele Park Resort in the Mamelodi area not too far from the branch.
The resort started operating in 1986. Moretele Park Resort is a place with the a scenic and exhilarating landscape. Once a feeder dairy and vegetable farm for the Bothgotsong Old Age Home In Mamelodi, Moretele Recreation Resort used to be called Vlakfontein. For Mamelodi D6 residents the park is known as “ga-modau”. Others call the park “Three Trees” because of the three trees that stand in line on the banks of the Moretele River.
With this much history it’s no surprise our volunteers had no problem enjoying the open and clear space filled with just the trees alongside the banks of the river that flows through the park, with a braai area, shelters and swimming pools. Our volunteers enjoying the surrounding area playing fast thinking games such as the 30 seconds, Jenga and the likes.
It was a well deserved time to reflect and just close off the year on a high note, thanking our valued tutors for all they have put in from the beginning of IY Mamelodi, and also now during its infant stage.
At the end of the day all we had to say was thank you to everyone who attended the day. We appreciated all efforts put in during the 9 months of IY Mamelodi’s establishment to make a positive change in the community of Mamelodi and we would like to continue and maintain the relationship we have with them going forward.
Thanks to our tutors:
– Sigga Waleng, Bongane Nkosi, Vukosi Msindo, Lucky Selepe, Tshinakaho Malesa, Kgaogelo Moloko, Sonia Tibane, Naledi Mokopakgoshi, Ingrid Molahlegi, Collet Phasha,Brian Matakunure
… and to those who could not make it for the day
We wish you a happy and prosperous new year!
IkamvaYouth is very proud to announce that the average pass rate for its Amalgamated Beverage Industries (ABI) funded branches was 83%; smashing the national average of 75.8%. Of those who passed, 82% are eligible for tertiary education with 51% achieving a bachelor pass.
ABI and IkamvaYouth have a smart strategic partnership which has enabled IkamvaYouth to establish four branches (Umlazi in KZN, Ebony Park and Mamelodi in Gauteng, Ikageng in the North West Province). ABI’s staff have been actively involved in the branches; not only have they provided funding, but ABI employees have refurbished and upgraded branches and provided tutoring and mentoring to learners. “ABI has enabled IkamvaYouth to help disadvantaged learners get the best possible matric qualification so that they are well on the path to earning a dignified living,” says IkamvaYouth director, Joy Olivier.
One of the many examples of incredible achievement comes from Tiyiselani Mpangane, who joined the Ebony Park branch in 2012 as a grade 10 learner, when she was really struggling at school. Soon her results began to shoot up, and they didn’t stop! She got 6 distinctions, and has already been accepted to study medicine at UCT. This is an exceptional achievement: out of 200 first year UCT medical students, only ten are black. “I feel so proud, I feel so proud.. words can’t describe how excited I am for her, and I wish her and all these learners all the best in life”, says Nyasha Zvomuya, Branch Coordinator at Ebony Park, the most established of IkamvaYouth’s ABI-funded branches, where 91% of the class of 2014 have indicated that they want to return to IkamvaYouth to become volunteer tutors.
“IkamvaYouth is absolutely thrilled to have ABI’s support and looks forward to working with them in 2015 and beyond”, says Leigh Meinert, chairperson of IkamvaYouth.
“As we celebrate our fifth year with IkamvaYouth, I am thrilled that the sustained high performance of ‘Ikamvanites’ continue to ensure that ABI as a company remains committed to Education Development in our country. This partnership is worth every investment, especially since it gives more than just education but supplies a continued pool of inspired tutors that return to give back to IkamvaYouth. We are really proud of all ‘Ikamvanites’.” Tshidi Ramogase, Head of Corporate Affairs, ABI.
Township learners help each other achieve 82% pass rate, with 87% of those who passed eligible for tertiary study (51% bachelor and 36% diploma)
IkamvaYouth learners are celebrating great matric results; once again these township youth have achieved results that far surpass the national averages, showing that the odds can indeed be overcome. Matrics from nine branches across five provinces achieved an overall 82% pass rate, with 87% of those eligible for tertiary study (51% bachelor and 36% diploma).
The organisation is proud to achieve these results while scaling its reach; the class of 2014 (244 learners) saw a 63% growth in matric numbers from the previous year (153 learners). Two branches are celebrating excellent results for their inaugural matric cohorts: Joza in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, achieved an 85% pass with 89% of those eligible for tertiary, and Ikageng in the North West achieved an 84% pass with 95% of those eligible for tertiary studies. IkamvaYouth’s director Joy Olivier said: “I’d like to congratulate the ikamvanites on your incredible achievements. I would also like to thank all our staff, tutors, supporters and donors for the energy, commitment, love and support that makes this work possible.”
The class of 2014 are going on to study a range of important fields that will equip them with the skills they need to build South Africa, including medicine, speech and audiology, social work, biomedical science, town management, civil engineering, mechanical engineering and information technology to name just a few!
IkamvaYouth’s work with the class of 2014 is far from over. While many of those who passed have already been accepted by the country’s top universities, there is still work to be done to ensure that none of the class of 2014 become NEETs (not in education, employment or training). Most of the learners who did not pass are eligible for supplementary exams, and IkamvaYouth will be supporting these learners to ensure that they are well-prepared to clear this hurdle on the way to securing post-school opportunities.
IkamvaYouth has maintained a matric pass rate of between 82 and 100% each year since 2005, and true credit for these results must go to the learners, volunteers, the staff, partner organisations and donors. “IkamvaYouth would like to shout out particular thanks to IkamvaYouth’s five largest donors in 2014: Amalgamated Beverage Industries, Omidyar Network, Capitec Bank, the Stars Foundation and the TK Foundation. Without these and all of the other wonderful donors, these results would not be possible. We hugely appreciate your support and are looking forward to continuing to working with you in the years to come,” said chairperson Leigh Meinert.
For more information about IkamvaYouth, please refer to our 2013 Annual Report.
If you would like to donate to IkamvaYouth, please do so via Given Gain or Global Giving or contact alex@ikamvayouth.org.
Dear IkamvaYouth’s incredible tutors and mentors,
You are the key to IkamvaYouth’s success; you embody the spirit of IkamvaYouth and have proven that volunteerism is in fact sustainable and scalable.
Thank you for your inspiring dedication and for being a tremendous example to our learners, and the country at large.
Without you we would not be able to help as many learners as we do. We hugely appreciate the sacrifices you make when you give up your time to tutor, mentor or to help us in other ways.
We want to thank you with this message as our personal round of applause. The credit for our work rests with our dedicated volunteers:
It is you who inspire and enable our learners to achieve these amazing results. You guys are also our BIGGEST benefactors.
We hope to see you continue to lift as you rise and wish you all the very best in everything that you do.
Thank you!
The 2013 IkamvaYouth Annual Report highlights the remarkable achievements that we have made in 2013 by enabling disadvantaged youth to pull themselves and each other out of poverty with education.You can view the full annual report here but here are some of the highlights from 2013:
- 92% of our learners passed their matric (including supplementary exams); 62% achieved a bachelor pass (compared to 30.6% nationally) and 90% of our learners accessed a post school opportunity (tertiary, learnership or employment);
- The first survey of IkamvaYouth’s alumni was conducted. The findings were more encouraging than we could have hoped: IkamvaYouth learners are almost half as likely to drop out of tertiary studies, four times more likely to graduate and are three times less likely to not be in education or employment than the average South African young person.
- IkamvaYouth WON the Stars Award which exists to reward outstanding local organisations improving the lives of children in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. IkamvaYouth WON in the category of Education in Africa and the Middle East.
Thank you for taking the future into your hands, and to holding ours. Let’s keep reaching for the stars together.
©Neo Ntsoma/Majority World
If you are having trouble with the link please click on the below link:
ikamvayouth_annual_report_2013.pdf
The Ivory Park branch team is very excited and motivated after securing a new tutoring venue and office at Kaalfontein Secondary School. Venue instability has threatened the branch’s existence for very long, following a short notice eviction from the Ivory Park Youth Centre in December 2013. This was due to political controversies raised by the Greater Midrand Youth Council (GMYC) management committee leading to imposition of threats that could compromise the safety and security of IkamvaYouth staff, volunteers and learners.
The branch was then temporarily housed at the Ivory Park Community Stadium where space issues were still not entirely solved as learners were studying crowded in a very small hall that was also shared with Churches. The Ivory Park branch staff was also temporarily accommodated at the Ebony Park branch in a small and unsafe office. The staff would travel to the tutoring venue for every tutoring sessions. The conditions at the stadium did not allow learners to makeup days or come study at any times as tutoring was restricted to only 3 days a week as per the agreed MOU. The venue also made it difficult for staff to invite or meet with stakeholders as well as to track, meet and help the grade 12 learners with applications. Learners could not benefit from resources like photocopying, internet and full support from staff due to these conditions.
Moving to Kaalfontein Secondary and securing enough space for tutoring and office has opened up unlimited opportunities that include opening up of a computer lab that will benefit Ikamvanites and the school from 2015. Communicating and meeting stakeholders would be more convenient, all learners will benefit from the programme equally, being able to access the required support to ensure improved pass marks and success at matric level, and recruiting and retaining volunteers would be manageable with a stable venue.
I would like to acknowledge the interventions made by our stakeholders, to mention Kaalfontein School Principal and the SGB, TziChi as well as the IkamvaYouth team for playing a significant role in making this venue possible despite all challenges faced.
Lloyd Lungu