At the GirlEng #AskAnEngineer workshop on 20 May, 23 of our Grade 9, 10 and 11s:
- Heard first-hand stories from engineering students and engineers about their various fields of engineering and how they decided to choose engineering as a career e.g. electrical, civil, chemical and mechanical engineering.
- Found out more about the various options available and what is needed to study engineering.
- Met with mentors and sponsors that could assist them in furthering a career in engineering
IkamvaYouth particularly thank Danielle Hendricks and Mvumekazi Socwayi for accompanying the learners.
Choosing a career and the studies to reach a professional goal is not an easy one for High School learners.
Therefore, Matric learners had the opportunity to attend the UCT, UWC and CPUT Open days.
The learners were excited and energetic to be on Campus accompanied by their mentors and tutors. They got a chance talk to University students, professionals and lecturers about careers and courses offered in all three institutions.
We address a special thank you to the following tutors and mentors for having availed their time and passion on these days: Mvumekazi Sogcwayi,Okuhle Beyaphi, Phumza Kibi,Avile Mabhengu,Thulisa Mayekiso, Sivuyisiwe Mbede, Alison Walker, Lucia Toich, Siyolisi Bani, Yolanda Sigodi, Sinenjongo Ngxameleni, Thabiso Sekwati Ngapo, Mapule Puleng, Thobela Bixa and Khululwa Nkatshu.
IkamvaYouth has started the year with a flurry of training activities. So far we have trained:
• 43 Branch and Programme Coordinators in Facilitating Learning Methodologies
• 8 Branch and Programme Coordinators in Meaningful Mentoring in Gauteng;
• 88 tutors in Western Cape (from 5 IkamvaYouth branches, and 6 partner organisations); and
• 92 tutors in Gauteng from 14 organisations (21 Wits, 37 IY Tutor Training, 34 Partner Tutor Training)
This is just the start to strengthening our vision!
The year ahead will be packed with exciting workshops and short courses, such as:
To view the 2017 training schedule and course outlines got to: http://www.ikamvayouthzone.org/resource/
Please note that the dates are subject to change, so please contact us to confirm dates.
If you have any ideas of training that you, your tutors, or learners need, get in touch with Pepe or Zoe at
pepe@ikamvayouth.org (062 097 2805) or zoe@ikamvayouth.org (074 476 7965) respectively.
We are whole-heartedly committed to impact in the after-school sector. We aim to increase the
reach of our activities so that more learners have access to high quality tutoring programmes.
This necessitates the deepening of our impact and ensuring that all interactions that IkamvaYouth,
our partners and the growing numbers of dedicated tutors have with the learners are rich, meaningful
and inspiring.
We should constantly ask ourselves: ‘Are we doing the best that we can for our learners?’
It is through questioning and being open to learning that we can adapt to the real needs of the people
that we serve and ultimately have the lasting impact that we seek.
Achieving Vision 2030 is only possible with this mind-set of evolution and growth!
You are welcome to come and learn with us!
Please join us in our quest to bring learners out of poverty!
Don’t you hate it when big corporate organizations neglect their duty and promise to give back to communities they operate in? Well Coca Cola Beverages South Africa has been showing the community of Ebony Park, Rabie Ridge and Ivory Park that they give back to communities through various interventions.
On the 22nd of February, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa together with the IkamvaYouth Ebony Park branch launched a Soul Ambassadors network for CCBSA employees and participated in the Ebony Park Mentorship day. The Soul Ambassadors are a network of CCBSA employees coming together for a good cause. Soul Ambassadors are CCBSA employees who are passionate about the community and give of their own time to deliver positive change in the communities where we operate. CCBSA supports these individuals by providing them with extra time outside of the one day community leave given to all employees to execute this work as well as funding to deliver the plan.
The idea is to offer CCBSA employees a chance to change someone’s life through mentorship; by helping learners / scholars move from their current state to their desired state. Learners from different schools around Midrand and Tembisa who are part of the IkamvaYouth family came in numbers to celebrate the day and also be part of the mentorship program together with CCBSA Soul Ambassadors. During the launch, the Ebony Park branch Grade 11 learners were all paired up with mentors from the CCBSA Soul Ambassadors and signed the IkamvaYouth Mentor-Mentee agreement.
The IkamvaYouth mentorship program enables learners to access post-school opportunities. Although the career guidance workshops increase learners’ awareness of post-school opportunities and ways to access them, IkamvaYouth learners also need one-on-one support from a mentor to help them make the transition from secondary to tertiary education. The mentoring programme ensures that every Ikamvanite accesses tertiary education and/or employment once they matriculate. Secondary objectives of the programme include developing communication skills, self-knowledge and self-esteem.
Ikamvanites who participate in the mentoring program get the following benefits:
-
Increase in the mentee’s self-confidence
-
Helps the mentee learn to take better control of his or her career
-
Teaches the mentee how to speak up and be heard
-
Educates the mentee on how to accept feedback in important areas, such as communications, technical abilities, change management, and leadership skills
-
Improves the mentees interpersonal relationship skills
-
Provides an important networking contact for the mentee
This mentor-mentee relationship also enables the CCBSA Soul Ambassadors to:
-
“Give back” — to the organisation, the community and the mentee
-
Reminds the mentor how to listen actively rather than passively
-
Encourages the mentor to share knowledge and help shape the future of our youth
-
Strengthens the mentor’s interpersonal relationship skills and perceptions of the various problems facing our country’s youth and education system
-
Teaches the mentor about other areas/departments within the organisation
-
Helps re-energize the mentor’s career
Ikamvanites had this to say;
“We all need that one person who can share knowledge with you and guide through your difficult time and also be there as a thinking partner”- Adele Kayitare
“It’s a good opportunity for me to know more about Coca-Cola as it is one of the biggest organisations in South Africa. Having someone from Coca-Cola to mentor me is a blessing and I’m looking forward to the relationship” Tsolofelo Moeletsi
As Ikamvanites take a journey to success, CCBSA Soul Ambassadors will be right there with them to ensure that they reach their desired outcome.
Their Future is in their hands.
On the 28th of January and the 4th of February, the Nyanga Branch launched its Mentoring Programme for the Matric cohort of 2017. Invited to the event were mentors, mentees and the parents of the mentees. The mentors were given two dates to choose from in order to accommodate their work schedules.
The programme of the day started with a quick ice-breaker of Human Bingo. Mentors and mentees were paired up to play the game in order to get the group more relaxed. After the fun ice-breaker, the group went back into the classroom to continue with the formal part of the programme. The formal part of the programme included a background on IkamvaYouth as an organsation; a breakdown of the mentoring programme and the important milestones in the matric year. The branch was also proud to introduce the Mentoring Passport which will guide the mentoring relationship for the duration of the year.
The mentor launch counted as the first mentoring session of the year. The mentors were paired with their mentees for the year who then went off to sit outside in their pairs to start their mentoring journey. The main aim of this first session was for mentors and mentees to get to know each other. The session also focused on the mentor getting to know the goals and aspirations of their mentee.
The session was closed off with refreshments and a group photograph.
IkamvaYouth Nyanga Branch looks forward to seeing the mentoring relationships grow during the course of 2017.
[Mentor and Mentee Group photograph]
[Mentors and Mentees playing Human Bingo]
[First session in action]
[Mentor, mentee and parent trio]
[Mentor and Mentee during their first session]
[Mentoring Passports]
Matric 2017
“You learn something every day if you pay attention” by Ray LeBlond
The mentoring programme is a first for the Kuyasa branch as it also hosts its first class of matrics. The branch opened its doors to grade 11 learners only in 2016 and we are excited for what 2017 has to offer. A mentor helps a learner make positive choices about their future and enables them to choose which career path to follow and to have a good idea of career options available to them after Matric. Mentors provide guidance on academic opportunities.
On Saturday the 21st of January the first mentoring session was held at Kuyasa Library. In attendance there were parents and learners awaiting to meet the new mentors for the year 2017. Ntombi, Kuyasa Programme Coordinator, introduced the mentors to the parents and learners and provided a refresher for everyone as to what IkamvaYouth offers. Parents were informed about mentoring, what it entails and how they can support mentors throughout the year by ensuring that the learners benefit from the mentoring programme .Mentors were given a chance to introduce themselves, share what their current professions are and why they volunteered to be a part of the mentoring program.
The learners were allocated time to introduce themselves to the mentors and share their aspirations. The learners were both anxious and excited as they had to express themselves in front of their parents and the unfamiliar faces of their new mentors. The parents and mentors cheered as they heard the learners share their goals and the career paths that they want to follow in the next five years.
The mentors and mentees were paired based on career interests to enable the mentor to provide solid guidance to their mentee. Ntombi shared the mentor-mentee passports with the mentors which allow the pair to track their progress against the months. The passport provides a list of activities to be completed in the monthly mentoring gatherings.
Lloyd Lungu