The IYKZN team decided to start the year off on a different note with the matric class of 2014. We took the learners to Highlands resort in Cato Ridge for an educational camp. The objective of the camp was to set the tone for the year and to encourage the learners to work as a team in achieving their academic goals as well as to implant in them a sense of responsibility for their studies this year and beyond.
The camp entailed a lot of different exercises, ranging from academic tutoring to exercising the body, the mind and team work. There was a group of tutors to assist with the different subjects and a team of facilitators to assist with the team building activities. English, Maths and Maths Literacy tests were administered during the camp to gauge the level of understanding of the learners within these subjects and so that they know where to focus during this year. There were also sessions where learners were helped and taught how to fill in the Central Applications Office form, this was a practice run for when they actually apply later on in the year. This activity turned out to be a great eye-opener for the learners as the majority of them saw the requirements of the courses they wanted to do and compared it with what they are achieving and realized how much they have to improve and where they needed to put further effort. This also enlightened the learners on what type of personality they are and which are the possible career options for that personality type.
The camp was structured in such a way that academic work was done early in the morning while the minds are fresh and able to absorb and be active, then the physical activities were done after lunch then the last part of the day would be for career guidance and self-study. There was also some free time which learners used as they wished, some would go swimming while others played soccer and other just chatted and got to know other learners from the different branch.
Overall, the camp was a success and the objectives were met. We look forward to a great and productive year with the matric class of 2014 and we wish them all the best.
This day started off with exercises on the field. It was a great start to the day as our minds and bodies were prepared for what would come during the day. After the exercise we all showered and went to breakfast. Breakfast was served between 7:30 and 8:30 and immediately after that, tutoring began.
There were tables set up for the different subjects and each person chose which subject they wanted to do and sat at that table. After an hour we changed to another subject. The tutors were there to help with all our questions and assist us in the different subjects. There was a 30 minute break after the two one hour tutoring sessions. During break everyone could do whatever they wanted to do. Some chose to go and play soccer, others jumped on the trampoline while other were just chatting amongst each other and walking around. Learners from different branches were connecting during the break and that was awesome.
Maths tests were written, one individual one for the pure maths learners and a group test for the maths literacy learners. The test results were an indication of where we are with our grade 11 work and they were not that great. It seems there is a lot of work that learners need to do to understand their previous work so that they can find matric work easier.
The values of IkamvaYouth were discussed as a group and some people found that they resonated more with and understood other values than others. It was clear to all in the room why it was important to have those values as an organisation and what they mean to the organisation and should mean to everyone who is a part of it.
The camp was wonderful in that it was not only about academic work but also a lot of fun, the fun part also being very educational. Learners and tutors were divided into teams and did some teambuilding activities which were challenging but taught something about self as well as about life in general. The concepts and rules of the activities and how people understood them also applied to everyday life.
The last activity of the day was a very emotional one for everyone but it brought people together. All the learners in the room had to write on a piece of paper something that was real to them, either something that was bothering them or something they were struggling with or anything they wanted to share but could not speak openly about, all the papers were anonymous. The activity was very touchy as people were pouring their hearts out. The session ended off with everyone going around and giving each other hugs. It was then lights out at 10:30pm.
We left our respective branches, Umlazi and Chesterville in one bus with the Umlazi Ikamvanites being picked up first followed by the Chesterville Ikamvanites. The journey began with a couple of tutors and some staff in the bus with the learners. The bus ride was a rather comfortable one and it was not too long. We reached our destination within the hour, the venue was a beautiful, rustic resort in the outskirts of Cato Ridge. There were huts and cabins and long yards of hills and valleys. The scenery was beautiful and it was waiting for us to explore.
The actual camp started off with us being allocated to our rooms and cabins, then we went and met up in the hall space where we were addressed and told the resort rules. We also mapped out our own expectations of the camp. Lunch was served soon after!
We took a long walk just outside the resort. We were walking through bushes, crossing rivers and climbing very high hills and going down the valleys. There was a lot to see, from sugar cane plantations to farms to swamps and just the beautiful view. We took a couple of breaks because the walk was very long and challenging. When we came back our feet were burning but some of us were used to it, and some couldn’t make it walking straight they were carried up, we walked hand in hand helping to pull those who couldn’t climb up. It was a mind blowing experience and at times I thought to myself that it was never about the journey but it was about experiencing the hardness that people in the rural areas feel when they have to travel long distances to get water, the difficulties that they have to endure to achieve what they want and the joy and sense of achievement they get once they have prospered in their quest.
Feedback on the long walk from Ikamvanites
“it was long and it tore my shoes plus it rained on the way back. And what I learned from the walk that it not about where you going but it about do you have the will to do so, and it was also about team work never to leave your team member behind.”
#Ntoko.(Umlazi)
“it was fine going there, but in the middle of the walk the situation changed because I got tired along the way .I learned that if you are a person you should never give up on something.”
#Msogo…(Chesterville)
“the walk was good. Had I known how long and challenging the walk would be, I would have paced myself better and not finished my water before I got to the halfway point. There were a lot of life lessons to learnt too”
# Nelisa… (Chesterville)
Later in the evening it was crunch time. We got to see what we were actually at the camp for. Tutoring began even though learners were complaining about how tired they were. We were not here to play, there was a time for everything and this was time for tutoring. We took out our Grade 11 work and we caught up on what would help us do better for grade 12. The session was very effective. By 9:30pm we had gone through so much and had to call it a day. We went back to our allocated rooms by 10:00pm and it was lights-out at 10:30pm.
Feedback about the tutoring
“In my view, the tutoring was okay because it is teaching us to sharpen our strategies of how to combat problems.”
#Sanele…(Chesterville)
“To me tutoring lessons are helping me because there were subjects that gave me problems not that I couldn’t handle them, it’s just that I had minor problems that’s all.”
#Ayanda…(Chesterville)
IkamvaYouth celebrates 2013 matric results – 89% pass, 94% eligible for tertiary
Hailed as the class that has achieved the highest pass rate since the birth of the democratic government in 1994, 2012’s matriculants across South Africa achieved a pass rate of 78.2%.
With an 89% matric pass rate – 64% receiving a bachelor pass and a further 30% qualifying for diploma study – and 70 distinctions amongst its 154 matriculants, IkamvaYouth, an organisation that enables learners from poor communities to improve their marks, is proud that their class of 2013 has made a substantial contribution to the record.
The organisation’s director, Joy Olivier, is “simply thrilled” with the learners’ achievements. “IkamvaYouth is continuing to improve on its results while scaling”, she says. “With 60 more matrics than last year, we’ve managed to not only meet last year’s pass result, but more than double the number of bachelor passes achieved. This is very encouraging as we work towards achieving Vision 2030; which has every learner in South Africa reaching and passing matric, and then going on to access the post-school opportunities that set them on the path to earning a dignified living.”In 2013 seven branches had matriculants, with both Ivory Park (in Gauteng) and Umlazi (in KZN) producing their first matric cohort. IkamvaYouth’s Ivory Park branch marked this milestone with a jaw-dropping 100% pass mark, with 83% achieving a bachelors pass. Ivory Park branch ‘s top pupil, scored three distinctions in his final year of high school for Maths, Physical Science and Accounting.
Abongile Jojozi, from Chris Hani Secondary School, a learner at the Makhaza branch, said that aside from improving his results and achieving a whopping four distinctions, in Mathematics, Xhosa, Economics and Life Orientation, and narrowly missing out on distinctions in the rest of his subjects, the organisation taught him leadership and commitment.
“I knew I would get distinctions in Maths and Life Orientation because they are stuff that I practice everyday, I wanted to get good results but I was shocked at some of the results I got and I was even recognised as the top learner at my school.”
He plans to do a BSc at UCT, and is looking forward to volunteering as an IkamvaYouth tutor.
In congratulating the class of 2013, national co-ordinator Zamo Shongwe noted that “Ikamvanites have responded to the challenge to improve the pass rate in townships by showing that with extra work and focus, it can be done. We look forward to learners returning as tutors to give a hand up to other learners going through their paces at branches”
This has all been made possible by corporate, in-kind and individual donors who have invested in township youth and the spirit of IkamvaYouth: ABI, Capitec Bank, the TK Foundation, African Bank, Empower, the Anglo American Chairman’s Fund, DGMT, the Raimondo family trust, the Learning Trust, the Potter foundation, GDF Suez, ABSA; the many in-kind donors that avail space (municipal libraries, schools, community centres and universities) and learning resources (the Answer Series, Fundza) and countless other organisations, companies and individuals. It is thanks to these and many others, and the hundreds of committed volunteers, that IkamvaYouth is able to offer programmes in tutoring, career guidance and mentoring, computer literacy and lifeskills education. IkamvaYouth equips learners (the Ikamvanites) from disadvantaged communities with the knowledge, skills, networks and resources to access tertiary education and/or employment opportunities once they matriculate. IkamvaYouth aims to increase the collective skill level of the population, to grow the national knowledge base, and to replicate success in more communities.
The IkamvaYouth model draws from a large and growing pool of volunteers made up of students (from nearby universities) and local professionals. The organisation’s sustainability is driven by ex-learners who gain entrance to tertiary institutions and return to tutor. More than half of the volunteers at longer-established branches are ex-learners. Ikamvavanites are thus driving change as they develop from beneficiaries into benefactors.
BREAKDOWN OF IKAMVAYOUTH 2013 MATRIC RESULTS:
GAUTENG
Ivory Park (first matric cohort!): 100% pass, 83% bachelor, 17% diploma, 12 distinctions
Ebony Park: 94% pass, 62% bachelor, 34% diploma, 16 distinctions
KWAZULU-NATAL
Chesterville: 82% pass; 44% bachelor, 48% diploma, 23 distinctions
Umlazi (first matric cohort): 83% pass; 40% bachelor, 47% diploma, 3 distinctions
WESTERN CAPE
Makhaza: 83% pass; 64% bachelor, 28% diploma, 12 distinctions
Nyanga: 93% pass; 85% bachelor, 15% diploma, 3 distinctions
Masi: 89% pass; 88% bachelor, 1 distinction
MORE ABOUT IKAMVAYOUTH
IkamvaYouth is a non-profit organisation (established in 2003) that provides a volunteer driven, low cost and highly effective model of after-school tutoring and mentorship in resource-poor communities. It has branches in five provinces in South Africa: in Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Masiphumelele in the Western Cape, Ivory Park and Ebony Park in Gauteng, Chesterville and Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal, Joza in the Eastern Cape, and Ikageng in the North West Province.
IkamvaYouth recently received the highly prestigious international STARS Impact Award for Education in Africa.
IkamvaYouth received this award while mindful of their Vision 2030, which sees all learners who start grade 1 in 2018, attaining a matric pass or the equivalent, and accessing the post school opportunities that set them on the path to earning a dignified living.
Issued by IkamvaYouth
For More Information Contact:
Media & Communication: Lorelle Bell, lorelle@ikamvayouth.org, 082 5201545
Director: Joy Olivier, joy@ikamvayouth.org
National Coordinator: Zamo Shongwe, zamo@ikamvayouth.org, 084 885 0004
2013 was a big year for IY, and it is with great pride (and relief!) that we can report, once again, our matrics’ excellent achievements. It is thanks to the superheroes who work or volunteer at IY, and those who support and enable this amazing team of people, that IY continues to deliver while growing significantly.
Overall, we achieved an 89% matric pass, and incredibly, 94% of these passes are diploma (30%) or bachelor passes (64%). With sixty more matrics than last year; two brand new branches established; a comprehensive survey of our alumni completed and all that went into our big ten year bash; the ikamvanites really pushed ourselves in our tenth year. And while having our work recognised by many accolades (including the STARS Impact award) is a great affirmation of all we put in, nothing makes it feel more worthwhile than sharing the excitement and joy with our learners as they celebrate the beginning of their shining bright futures.
But (as always at IY), there’s more to come. We still have two big hurdles to clear: the supplementary exams in march (all learners who failed and many of those who fell just short of the diploma or bachelor passes they were aiming for will be spending the coming weeks back with their books), and the all-important post-school placements. The next few weeks involve a lot of time on the phones and in queues at tertiary institutions, as we aim to ensure that all our learners enroll in the post-school opportunities that will set them on their career paths.
Our results by branch and province are as follows:
Gauteng
Ivory Park (first matric cohort!): 100% pass; 17% diploma & 83% bachelor
Ebony Park: 94% pass; 34% diploma & 62% bachelor
KZN
Chesterville: 82% pass; 48% diploma & 44% bachelor
Umlazi (first matric cohort): 83% pass; 47% diploma & 40% bachelor
Western Cape
Makhaza: 83% pass; 28% diploma & 64% bachelor
Nyanga: 93% pass; 15% diploma & 85% bachelor
Masi: 89% pass; 88% bachelor
Well done to everyone who made this happen!
In the event and celebration of finding a new BA for the Chesterville branch in KZN, the rest of the crew saw it as a great opportunity to get together, relax, and get to know each other while welcoming her with an evening to remember at the Galleria’s super bowling entertainment Centre.
The objective of this meeting was to increase the unity of the team by developing relationships and ability to work together as a team and the Centre served as an ideal scene for them to get a moment of sharing while being revitalized after a long and demanding year, and get geared up for the fast approaching New Year.
The day began with an indulgent lunch at the newly opened Cafe Gitano’s where the new BA had her first exciting, yet initially reluctant, taste of mussels.They then later on all proceeded to the bowling court where they had an awesome time, with the uMlazi BA coming out first…this was indeed a well-deserved outcome for the uMlazi branch as the uMlazi BC had to endure some not so pleasant, unforeseen circumstances, as he stretched out to bowl and felt the stitch of his pants let way and when he felt a breeze coming in he knew that his outfit was in ruins!!!!
Overall everyone had an amazing time and got a moment to let loose their hair and create a lasting memory while getting to know each other better.
Lloyd Lungu