On the weekend of the 5th and 6th of March IYKZN hosted it`s first SPW. This was an honour especially due to the presence of Joy Olivier. The two days were very productive. Team spirit was high and energy was immense.
Over the two days the KZN Team of IkamvaNites discussed everything that the organization is planning for the learners in 2011. From new Branches to Branch comm members. The weekend started out as a normal tutoring Saturday, but after the lessons, than the really fun stuff began. First we discussed the fundamental issues to be covered in the SPW. Things like getting all the volunteers to fully understand what IY is and what it`s values are, what it stands for and it`s glorious and sometimes challenging history.
We went on to discuss the various Branch comm codes(a minor change was made) and elect Commitee members. Many great ideas were brought up in this beautiful meeting. Ideas for the winter school programme, to improve productivity and boost creativity.
All In all,strategic_planning_weekend.pdf the weekend was amazing, the list of things we achieved was just overwhelming. The most interesting bit was when one of the learner reps confessed to believing that the tutors are heartless monsters, (lol) now she understands that they are very nice people who just want to help her. (lol too cute if you ask me :*) )
In conclusion, i would like to declare that IYKZN this year is aiming very high ( especially since we are opening a new branch with a 20-computer computer lab in Chesterville , in the words of Khona WHOOP WHOOP LOL ) and if the energy of the SPW is consistent we will achieve loads.
IkamvaYouth KZN : LIFT AS YOU RISE . . .
SPW Minutes spw_kzn.pdf_.pdf
81% access to post-school opportunities for IkamvaYouth’s class of 2010 More than half return as tutors and mentors for the next generation
Above: Happy matrics from the Gauteng celebrate their registration
Less than 10% of all South African youth access tertiary education (SAIRR study, 2009), and 41.6% of 18-24 year olds are not in education/training or employment (CHET,2009). It is no doubt largely those children living in poverty and attending under-resourced schools, as opposed to middle class children, whose reality is largely reflected in these statistics.
Yet 81% of IkamvaYouth’s passing matriculants have accessed post-school placements in 2011. This is despite the fact that the far majority of IkamvaYouth’s learners’ caregivers are unemployed, disabled or deceased. They have not let poverty and challenging home environments prevent them from enrolling at institutions including UCT, Wits, UKZN, UNISA, DUT, UWC, CPUT, to study fields such as Environmental Science, Electrical Engineering, Psychology, Business, Nursing, Computer Science, Social Science, Journalism and Physiotherapy.
68 learners from Khayelitsha, Ebony Park, Cato Manor and Molweni sat the examinations at the end of last year and 59 passed. Here are the matric results per province:
· 85% pass in Western Cape (of whom 48% achieved bachelor and 39% diploma)
· 85% in KZN (of whom 50% achieved bachelor and 45% diploma),
– 94% in Gauteng (of whom 63% bachelor and 25% diploma).
42% are now at university, 38% at colleges, 6% at technikons, and 6% have been awarded learnerships. These figures exclude the learners who failed and one learner who we are struggling to make contact with. Each of the 9 learners who failed will remain in the programme and retake their grade 12 exams, together with an additional 3 learners who have chosen to retake and improve their results.
IkamvaYouth instills a culture of learning which fuels the desire to achieve. It also encourages these learners to pay-it-forward and 51% will be volunteering at their branches to inspire the younger learners to emulate their successes. “IkamvaYouth has instilled a sense of determination and self-belief, and young people from township communities are truly being the change”, says Thobela Bixa, an ex-learner who is studying for his Masters in Chemistry at UCT. He pays-it-forward at the Makhaza branch and now sits on the organisation’s board of directors.
Ikamvanites all over the country are taking their future into their own hands. A person with a degree can earn almost five times more than someone without matric (CHET, 2009), and Mandela was spot on when he said “It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that a son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation.”
IkamvaYouth is thrilled to report that this year its two newest branches – Nyanga and Masiphumelele – will have grade 12 cohorts for the first time, and is looking forward to achieving similarly excellent results with many more learners in 2011 and beyond.
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NATIONAL FIGURES
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Number of students
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Percentage
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Students who sat matric
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68
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Number of passes
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59
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86.76
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Number of fails
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9
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13.24
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Students that can’t be traced
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1
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1.47
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Students retaking at the end of the year
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13
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19.12
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No placement
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7
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10.29
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Placements
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47
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81.03
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Matrics excluding un-tracables and failed matrics
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58
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Post-school placements exc non-traceables and failed matrics
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81.03
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Of those students who have post-school placements
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University
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20
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42.55
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Technikon
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3
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6.38
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College/ institutes
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18
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38.30
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learnership
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6
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12.77
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Paying-it-Forward
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Students returning to volunteer
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35
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51.47
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Saturday 12 February was a day that learners in the KZN branch of Ikamva had been anticipating for more than four months – The Annual Prize Giving Ceremony. Unfortunately our ceremony had to be pushed back to early this year from late last year due to the prizes and certificates not being ready timeously. As was evidenced on Saturday, the event was worth the wait!
Engen sponsored drawstring goodie bags that consisted of 4 Quire note books, pens and diaries for learners whose attendance carried them over into this year. Learners with exemplary attendance also received these goodie bags and a R200 gift voucher from Adams. The learners who passed last year’s assessment tests during Winter School with +80% for various subjects received additional R200 book vouchers from CNA and scientific calculators. For giving so generously of their time, knowledge and skills, the tutors recieved the same gift bags with vouchers and 4gig memory sticks.
Professor David Day, the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences at DUT was present at the ceremony. Prof. Day inspired the learners in his speech to Ikamvanites.
“You should keep in mind what and who you want to be in the future. When you have this in mind, you will be able to work hard in order to achieve your dreams. We all don’t want to work all the time, and we get tired of school work, but when you have a dream to work towards, it becomes that much easier for you to push yourself on those days when you don’t feel like working”, said Prof. Day.
Photo: Learners who achieved +80% in assessment tests last year with guests. l-r:Prof. Day, Tania Khumalo, Smilesihle Mngomezulu, Fortunate Chinogureyi, Samkelisiwe Jali, Phelele Gwala, Bulelwa Xobiso, Caroline Ligwa from Engen and Khona Dlamini
IkamvaYouth KZN would like to thank Caroline Ligwa and the staff at Engen for sponsoring prizes. This is one of the ways that we can incentivise hard work for learners and better commitment from volunteers. Thank you very much.
Lokhu enikwenzele thina nikuphinde nakwabanye!
The contents of the goodie bags.
S’bonelo Cele, aka Blstk Joe Banker is a new volunteer to IkamvaYouth KZN who joined us in the third term of the school year. I met him on my trip to Grahamstown where we were part of a production from the BAT Centre in Durban. Blstk was a regular rapper, as far as I could see. To the extent that when he asked if he could volunteer after I had spoken to him about Ikamva, I thought, “Great another rapper who can only tutor English”.
When he arrived (on time) on the first Saturday, he told me how excited he was because he had not touched High School Physics in some time. Needless to say, I was taken back. A rapper who is good at Physics. Those are very hard to come by.
On his first day, I explained to Blstk how Ikamva works and he took over from there. When I walked into his class I was surprised that the learners were all quiet listening to this tiny figure teaching them about Physics and where it applies in the real world. To this day, the learners ask for Blstk to tutor Physics because he is able to make it relatable to their lives. He encourages learners to see Physics at work in their everyday lives, which makes it easier for them to understand it as a subject. I dare say, even I’m starting to see the work of physics around me… As someone who is not studying and is currently unemployed, he gave his time to teaching the Grade 12s during the teacher strike in September. This made a huge difference in the learners confidence in themselves as they had given up, because the preliminary examinations were close, while their striking teacher had not yet finished teaching them the Physics curriculum.
Blstk has had a huge impact on Ikamva, but volunteering has also changed his outlook on life. According to Blstk, volunteering has shown him that are more important things in life that most people overlook. The opportunity to help others and empower the future generation has proved to be very fulfilling. The idea of helping learners realise their full potential and succeed at school has given him drive and passion which resonates in other aspects of his life. He was able to find meaning for his life and this has enabled him to push himself to achieve more with his rap career. The determination, sense of initiative and hard work ethic which he hopes to impart to learners has seen Blstk take on projects that he thought would be insurmountable a few months ago.
The returns on volunteering are not always tangible, yet sometimes the biggest gains for individuals are the intangible lessons and ways of seeing oneself and the world, that make a difference. Blstk not only encourages his learners to be more and do more, but he has also learned to believe in himself by practising what he preaches.
Sikelelwa is 16 years old. She has always struggled with her home situation; her mother lives in Durban and her father left the family when Siki was a child. She has lived with her aunt in Masi and her cousin who is also in the programme. A feeling of abandonment and not belonging coupled with resentment and anger has had a detrimental affect on her academic work as well as her personal development. However, she continues to show an admirable dedication and determination.
She has participated in IkamvaYouth’s tutoring programme at Masi Library since its inception, is an active member of the Branch Committee, and was one of the learners who completed the Philosophy Course. The impact upon her personal development has been profound; making dramatic progress in her language, communication, listening and academic skills. The Careers Indaba has been a highlight of her winter holidays for the past 2 years; ‘it brought youth together, challenged my confidence and taught me so much to think about – it has shown me the light’. The Indaba also gave her access to activities to satisfy her creative side that is often stifled by her situation.
Siki has a unique personality, which evoked bullying in her younger years and knocked her self-confidence. Through her participation in IkamvaYouth she has learned that she can be her and achieve for herself:
‘I work hard for myself and I want to get to a new height. I’ve learnt that when I want to achieve something I must do it for no one but myself’
Siki is a perfect example of how through IkamvaYouth’s academic and personal support, learners can flourish and believe in their futures. Furthermore it shows how role models are created through the programme. Siki has an aptitude for mathematics and accounting, but her personal goal is to be involved in PR and marketing – a career well suited to her special energy!
Ikamva has two new volunteers from a Global Exchange Program run by the British Council. Francisco Armenta is a young graphic designer that works with a HIV testing agency and uses media to inform the public about HIV and AIDS. Francisco Armenta is currently one of the youngest HIV testers/counselors in Los Angeles, California. He will be helping the young adults of IkamvaYouth KZN with English, Computer Literacy, and STD’s and HIV awareness.
The second volunteer is from right here in Durban, South Africa Ayanda Chamane. She is a performing artist focused on poetry. She started professionally reciting poetry in 2006. Ayanda performed all around Durban in high schools, local radio stations, The Department of Arts and Culture, and The Centre of creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu Natal. Currently she helps organize poetry shows for the BAT Centre every 3rd Saturday of the month, where she invites poets from all around the country.
These two volunteers are extremely excited to work with the young adults in the IkamvaYouth program.
Lloyd Lungu