60 tutors from both Ivory Park and Ebony Park branches came together on Saturday the 16th of November to be appreciated by IkamvaYouth. The day started off with normal tutoring from 9am to 12pm, thereafter , all the tutors were transported to the tutor appreciation venue called Wild Waters in Boksburg.
The day was filled with loads of fun, laughter, conversation, eating and drinking. Many tutors mentioned that they had never seen such a beautiful place and they had no idea that a place like this existed in Johannesburg. This venue was full of different types of water fun activities and the tutors could not pull themselves out of the refreshing water. Patrick Mashanda, the District Coordinator, also addressed all the tutors expressing how important they were to IkamvaYouth, reiterating that the work they put in has made a huge difference to many lives. It was a memorable day with many tutors saying that they felt very appreciated for the hard work they put into tutoring the learners.
Eventually we marked the end of the day by handing out certificates of appreciation to all the tutors. We appreciate all our tutors and we are already looking forward to starting 2014 with an even bigger bang!
On 3rd October 2013 at the celebration of IkamvaYouth’s 10th Anniversary, we had the chance to share Funeka’s Story with Minister Trevor Manuel, our response to the National Planning Com story of Thandi (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIiRsFYsRcg). While Thandi’s story illustrates the challenges facing the country and the poor outcomes that the majority of South African youth can expect, Funeka’s Story tells a different story, one of hope, and offers a solution to our education crisis. Minister Manuel was moved to call Funeka’s story, a “story of change”, and went on to say, ” You are the change, the model that works. (Your programme) must be taken forward.”
Funeka (in pink) waiting to greet Trevor Manuel at IkamvaYouth’s 10 year celebration
Watch this updated version of Funeka’s Story (below) which explains the IkamvaYouth model and the positive impact that our organisation is having on the future for young people participating in our youth-to-youth programme. Share in our Vision 2030 which aims to bring this model to ALL young people people in South Africa. Contact us to get involved and make this vision a reality.
A BIG THANK YOU goes to:
- Funeka, for sharing your story and being such a professional voice-over artist!
- Dan Eppel who recorded and mixed the sound
- Freshly Ground for donating the tunes
- the staff and interns who helped behind the scenes,
and especially to:
Lynne Stuart for applying her design talents to explain what we do so concisely and beautifully!
[video:http://youtu.be/cJDM8LR6-9c]
On the 11th and 12th of October 2013, Masibonisane visited the Nyanga branch and conducted eye screening for Nyanganites.
The visit was a result of the Nyanga branch committee’s request that learners get their eyes tested, since some learners struggle with their eyesight, leading to difficulty in reading. 29 learners were screened, of whom 8 will get spectacles, generously organized by Masibonisane.
Masibonisane works with previously disadvantaged children all over South Africa, enhancing education through sight. The organisation does this by providing access to optometric evaluation, identifying special needs and referring and/or providing suitable eyewear to participants. This collaboration with Masibonisane resonates with IY’s Vision 2030, which will be achieved through, amongst other means, collaboration with partner organisations, to ensure that 1 million learners reach and pass Matric by 2030.
IY Nyanga offers a very special thank you to the Masibonisane team for providing this essential service to ikamvanites.
To mark IkamvaYouth’s 10th Anniversary, we’re celebrating the Superheroes who’ve helped us to achieve the landmark successes worth celebrating. Read all about them and our super achievements in the latest IkamvaYouth 2012 Annual Report.
If you want to download the file, click below
Annual Report 2012
Among superheroes, lessons learned and our vision for 2030, you’ll find a board game where you can play the highs and lows of IkamvaYouth’s first decade. Download the Game tokens here.
We are entering an exciting stage of our development as we enter the 10th year of delivering tutoring and mentoring services to South Africa’s youth. We developed Vision 2030 at the end of 2012, which is to see the one million learners who start Grade 1 in 2018 matriculating and accessing employment by 2030. For this to happen we need to work together.
We issued a call for potential community partners in July 2013. Applications came from all over South Africa and we have had the pleasure of meeting a number of these organisations and individuals. The selflessness that we have seen, the extra jobs people are taking just to pay tutors transport costs, to buy learning resources and to build extra tutoring rooms, has truly inspired us. The realisation that there are so many people who are unshakably committed to a better future for South Africa’s youth has led us to widen and deepen our call for partners. We want to involve as many people as we can in the collaboration project so that these superheroes are recognised for, and supported in the work that they do.
At the beginning of this year IkamvaYouth was proud to have supported over 3,000 students through grades 8-12. The majority of whom have gone on to study at universities and colleges, and secure themselves competitive job placements. This group of inspirational students, along with the volunteers and staff that have tutored and mentored them, are part of the ever-growing Ikamvanite family.
The IkamvaYouth model offers a solution to the education challenges facing South Africa. Bill Clinton once said “Nearly every problem has been solved by someone, somewhere. The challenge of the 21st century is to find out what works and scale it up.” We have a solution and through collaboration and collective learning we hope to scale this solution by enabling other actors to replicate these results.
We have spent 10 years making mistakes, learning from them and developing a high-impact tutoring and mentoring model based on these lessons. What has been produced is a model that can be easily replicated while allowing for adjustment to specific contexts. The key principles and success is based on starting early, maintaining commitment, tutoring not teaching, and assisting with post-school placements.
This sounds too simple to be true, but IkamvaYouth has proven that a solution to the education crisis does not have to be a complicated and costly project but can be a simple beneficiary-led programme driven by a passionate community. There are hundreds of organisations across the country working for the same ends, so why not work together?
We are now calling to everyone to scour the Western Cape for those movers and shakers, those individuals and organisations that inspire you, those who are going above and beyond to deliver education programmes for South Africa’s youth. We want to meet them, share with them, enable them and support them in the implementation of tutoring programmes that by 2030 will have supported every learner to reach Grade 12.
It is time for this family to get bigger! There are various levels of involvement from online access to resources to formal partnership.
Please contact zoe@ikamvayouth.org or call 0744767965 for more details about working together.
August is a special month for all women in South Africa as we all celebrate Women’s Day on the 9th of August of every year. ABI together with Joan Madibeng, a South African business woman and media personality, invited 10 of their mentee’s from IkamvaYouth Ebony Park to attend a very special occasion to celebrate all women on the 24th of August 2013. This event was titled, ” Women – The Real Architects of Society, ” and was aimed at providing attendees with some insights into the world and also provide guidance for them as they mature into women-hood.
The event was packed with inspiring speakers, incredible performers, amazing food, spot prizes and fabulous goodie bags. There were many special guest speakers and these included Herman Mashaba, Thabiso Sikwane, Edith Venter, Dr. Michael Mol and Azania Mosaka. The learners really appreciated being given the opportunity to attend this event largely because ABI paid R10 000 for all the Ikamvanites to get a seat and enjoy the day.
Joan said, “It is key that women be given the tools for their upliftment and be given access to information relevant to all areas of their dynamic lifestyles. It was a wonderful privilege to host fellow Women, and inspire them in a small way”
The learners have pegged this to be a day that they will live to remember for the rest of their lives!
Thank you Joan and ABI!!!
Lloyd Lungu