The results of matric supplementary exams are out, and IkamvaYouth is proud to report an amazing overall 94% matric pass for the class of 2012! Even more impressive is that an incredible 90% of these passes are of either Bachelor or Diploma quality.
IkamvaYouth is proud of our learners, and especially those who were undeterred by the blow of failing the first time round. “Second chances don’t always mean a happy ending. This was the chance for supplemental learners to end their Matric on the right note. They all grabbed the opportunity and made it happen,” says Makhaza branch coordinator Zukile Keswa.
And Ikamvanites aren’t passing by choosing easy subjects. IkamvaYouth matriculants are almost twice as likely to achieve a pass including pure Mathematics (45%) and Physical Sciences (37%) as their school peers (24% of whom pass Maths and 22% Science).
Matric is just the beginning of lifelong learning, and over 73% of all IkamvaYouth’s 2012 matrics have accessed tertiary education this year and are now studying further at Certificate, Diploma or Degree level. More than half of these young men and women, 43% of our whole matric cohort, have enrolled at Universities or Universities of Technology.
Our supplementary writers have secured placements too, through their grit and determination.
“I was not happy to see other Ikamvanites going to varsity. I was angry at myself for failing. One of the things that kept me going was the support I got from IkamvaYouth and other 2012 matriculants. They were helping. I am now studying mechanical engineering at Northlink College. At least now I am also a student like other Ikamvanites,” says Anele Sololo.
Most of our learners’ parents and guardians are unemployed, or working as domestic workers, cleaners or labourers. Ikamvanites are on the path to greatly improving their families’ circumstances as they enter fields of study including Chemistry, Accounting, Teaching, Engineering and IT.
“Looking back to my family’s financial instability, I thought I wasn’t going to reach university… Then a week later, I received an email notifying me that I have been given 90% bursary towards my tuition to study this course, with the accommodation paid for. I was really overwhelmed, I couldn’t believe it,” wrote Talent Chinogureyi, who matriculated at our Chesterville branch and is now studying a B.Com in Politics, Philosophy & Economics at St Augustine College.
Another 20% of the IkamvaYouth class of 2012 – most of those who did not access tertiary education – are now in learnerships or employment. And 2% are returning to school this year, to upgrade their matric results.
That brings our post-school placements for the class of 2012 to 96% – a brilliant result considering that nationally, almost 42% of South Africans aged 18-24 are not in employment, education or training.
2010 is when it all began, I was one of those “weird” boys from the township with dreams as big as the Taj Mahal and go on forever like the Eiffel Tower. Obviously this was considered quite unorthodox in a typical township, where each day is survival and a battle to refuse a “blunt” or any other drug offered kindly.
I went to Chesterville Ext. Secondary a school situated in a place known as one of the crime hotspots. Ikamva Youth came in just when I needed the drive to push and keep going. I had just started a new subject package. Science and Mathematics were proving not to be child’s play and then I joined Ikamva Youth just when I thought Physics was for dummies that had no social life, to my surprise I found myself actually enjoying studying with other learners and working with a tutor was much more relaxing than staring at an old teacher with a stern look. South Africans were celebrating the FIFA world cup being hosted in their own country but I was celebrating more than that, I was also meeting new people both learners and tutors who would tell of their stories as varsity students.
From grade 10 to grade 12 I was always the highest in Hospitality class and this was only possible because of the resources provided by IY like unlimited internet access which would allow me to do my research every time I had an assignment or a project. I also excelled remarkably on almost all my subjects.
Now I’m in varsity studying Language Practice and I’m now also a tutor for IY, I also hold the title of portfolio head for Media Image and Expression. From the days I was a learner to today God knows it has not been a ride in the park neither has it been marshmallows and honey muffins. Being an Ikamvanites means you should be a goal orientated and determined learner, the kind of person who always dares to dream without forgetting you’re an individual and you were made to stand out! The future is our hands.
The weekend of 4th May 2013 saw the Chesterville branch having its 2nd term parents meeting. With the branch having a learner number of more than 130 leaners, we had anticipated a high number of parents to come in for the meeting. However that was not the case with the team having exhausted all methods in trying to get the parents to attend the meeting that still lead to less than the desired number attending.
The meeting started off by parents being introduced to the IY model by us playing the Funeka video for them. After that an open discussion was held to better explain to them the specifics and how IY greatly impacts their children. Many parents that had attended the meeting were parents of learners that had recently joined the program and they showed gratitude towards the programme.
The meeting agenda addressed attendance, report collection, careers indaba 2013 and winter school and the importance of every learner attending the two week holiday programme. Discussions regarding tertiary applications for the matriculants were also addressed in the meeting. Emphasize was placed on how parents need to play a huge role in ensuring that their child has applied for university or any other equivalent opportunity, to also be aware of the cost implications that come with registrations and tertiary fees. Alternatives are provided by IkamvaYouth however parents also need to be armed with knowledge and know the different resources/services that are provided for post matrics.
One parents said that her child in grade 11 initially was not a high achieving child however ever since they joined IY she has seen improvement with regards to her attitude and school work.
Overall from the parent’s perspective, it seems we are impacting the learners greatly and if these learners continue to stay in the programme greater things are sure to come. That can only be achieved through collaborative efforts between the parents and the branch.
The weekend of the 20th of April saw Chesterville hosting its annual tutor training session at the Steve Biko campus at DUT. This tutor training session had been planned from the SPW weekend and to see it come alive in the way that it did made it an eventful day for all involved.
With a high number of new tutors this year, this experience was going to contribute to them being more knowledgeable about tutoring and IY’s oh so prevalent and distinct 1:5 ratio.
The session began with an icebreaker that at the end of it, all tutors were lightened up and ready to begin the session. Nelisa Luhabe (Branch Coordinator) welcomed everyone with open arms and set the tone for the day. The team began with revising and asking questions regarding information on the tutor training guide, Cheryl Nzama (Branch Assistant) and Nelisa then guided the team with answers and outlined the essentials of tutoring and how to deal with learner dynamics as a tutor. The tutor training guide also emphasizes all aspects that one needs to know in order to be a diligent tutor for the branch.
Fast forward to the activity “how to park a car”, if you are familiar with this activity then you would know how important it is that it be included in our tutor training session. In short the activity aims to help the tutor and everyone involved to know how to analyse a situation, share opinions in a group, to actively listen and most importantly to give each learner in that group equal attention. This activity saw tutors having what some would call “aha moments”, they better understood that no two learners are the same, that each learner understands/develops at a different pace and that for a tutor, it’s ok to say “I don’t know however I will call in another tutor to come in and assist” and that is how one of our values “peer to peer support” starts showing up.
Working in an environment with learners and tutors means that everyone needs to be armed with knowledge on how to deal with conflicts and the likes. So the activity ‘Metaphor of fire” tackled that in every sense.
The day ended with everyone carrying the responsibility of ensuring that Chesterville still maintain its 100% matric pass rate and to also focus more on making sure that all learners produce quality marks in all the grades. Tough ask! however with commitment and diligence from everyone involved, what’s impossible again? Nothing!!
On the 20th and 21st of April, Umlazi held its first ever SPW. Attendance was good as the event was attended by over 20 volunteers and 4 learners from across the grades.
Saturday kicked off with a little activity to get the blood flowing and energy levels a little higher, the ground rules and expectation were outlined by the team and put up on the walls. After we spoke about the Timeline of IkamvaYouth, the team broke up into groups and we got into the values discussion. Each group of 4-5 had one value to look into; they discussed what it meant to them and how it shows up at the branch.
The remainder of Saturday was spent going over the current issues at the branch. Everyone had a chance to put their view/concern on paper and stick it on our working wall. We also managed to cover overviews of the various portfolios and their functions.
Day 2 saw the team going through the budget and nominating and voting for the 2013 portfolio heads. Once the portfolio heads were elected, they each had a group work with them to discuss the objectives for the year for each respective portfolio. After lunch, each team presented their work to the team and took questions from everyone.
That saw us come to the end of our very first SPW. We are looking towards building on the energy of the event, especially the new tutors who say the experience was inspiring and informative for them.
Everyone seemed to be very amped throughout the weekend; the energy was good and productive. The team managed to cover everything we had hoped to go through with the participants, and quite a lot of ideas and objectives were put on the table. Now it is time to put all our ideas into action.
Please find the full SPW Report attached here -> umlazi_spw_2013_report.doc
On the 12th of April 2013, IkamvaYouth KZN hosted its first Careers Indaba, at the Chesterville Youth Centre. The vision of the Career Indaba was to open up new opportunities for school learners, providing them with information regarding the various programs, resources and support structures that are available to them. By educating learners about the choices that are available to them, we sought to empower learners, allowing them to make informed decisions about their futures.
Learners from Umlazi and Chesterville schools flocked to the Centre, eager to learn about the vast opportunities open to them after they matriculate. Learners had an opportunity to visit various exhibiter stalls, as well as workshops presented by the Durban University of Technology, Varsity College, Eskom, and IkamvaYouth volunteers. Learners were asked about what they had gained/learned from having participated in this event, and if their career choices had changed in any way, this is what a few had to say:
“… when I chose to be a teacher I did not know about other careers, so now that I have learned I have many choices…” – Siphiwo Memela, Gr 9. Chesterville Extension Secondary
“… I wanted to become a lwayer, however looking at the subjects, needed, I changed it.” – Zamokuhle Shezi, Grade 12. Bonela Secondary
“Yes, I think it did and what caused it was the interesting technological and science things I saw from the Eskom team. It really drew a lot of my attention.” Zinhle Mvesa, Grade 11. KwaMathanda High
This event was made possible by the generous donation by Jeffares & Green, an environmental and environmental consulting company based just a few kilometres from the Centre. Jeffares & Green did not just splash money at the event, they actively participated by having representatives present the whole day, who spoke to learners about careers in the environmental management and engineering fields. It’s really fantastic to see the involvement of local businesses in community initiatives such as this.
Thanks also go to ABI, our Umlazi branch funders, who always step up to assist and participate in activities at both KZN branches. The generous supply of drinks and water went a long way in quenching the thirst of both learners and exhibiters on that hot day. We also had a computer donated by Capitec bank, which was raffled on the day.
David Moshoeshoe, a Grade 12 learner commented that the Careers Indaba “is a good initiative bringing information closer to people…”. For a first time effort in the province, I’d say the KZN team did an outstanding job, and we will definitely be back next year with an even bigger and better Careers Indaba. Watch this space!
Lloyd Lungu