The 2013 IkamvaYouth Annual Report highlights the remarkable achievements that we have made in 2013 by enabling disadvantaged youth to pull themselves and each other out of poverty with education.You can view the full annual report here but here are some of the highlights from 2013:
- 92% of our learners passed their matric (including supplementary exams); 62% achieved a bachelor pass (compared to 30.6% nationally) and 90% of our learners accessed a post school opportunity (tertiary, learnership or employment);
- The first survey of IkamvaYouth’s alumni was conducted. The findings were more encouraging than we could have hoped: IkamvaYouth learners are almost half as likely to drop out of tertiary studies, four times more likely to graduate and are three times less likely to not be in education or employment than the average South African young person.
- IkamvaYouth WON the Stars Award which exists to reward outstanding local organisations improving the lives of children in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. IkamvaYouth WON in the category of Education in Africa and the Middle East.
Thank you for taking the future into your hands, and to holding ours. Let’s keep reaching for the stars together.
©Neo Ntsoma/Majority World
If you are having trouble with the link please click on the below link:
ikamvayouth_annual_report_2013.pdf
On Friday, 29 November, the 2013 Prize giving was held at Desmond Tutu hall. Over 200 learners, tutors and parents were present to join the celebrations and be part of making a difference in these learners’ lives. The masters of ceremony were two vibrant grade 11s, Aviwe Apolosi and Sakhumzi Bhatala they kept the crowd entertained.
This is an event that allows the branch to celebrate the achievements of its learners and recognizing all the individuals that contributed to those achievements, namely the Tutors and Partners. They have committed the time and worked tirelessly with learners equipping them with knowledge and skills that they require to succeed in their studies and life. Certificates were awarded to learners, tutors and Partners. The categories were as follows: Academic Achiever, Most Improved, Certificate of Recognition, and Branchcomm Certificate. The learners also got a chance to vote for their peers that they felt were active and helpful to them during the course year. The categories for the certificates included Learner of the year, Outstanding Leadership and Most Committed Learner. Learners said words about their mentors that headed up workshops, praised them for the skills that they have acquired from their sessions and awarded certificates and thank you gifts for their efforts, partners including Numeric, Nazeema Isaacs Library amongst many were recognized. “I am now comfortable with using a computer and can even create games and write blogs easily thanks to Marion for her programming workshops” said Ndilisa May a grade 11 learner.
Learners also got a chance to show their talents, performing their poems and show casing their dance moves to a cheerful crowd.
The event was a huge success as everyone came out to support and contribute to the day’s events. Cheers to 2013………….
This year’s Winter School in Gauteng was one with a difference, with the theme 10 Years- My IkamvaYouth, My Future!! Not only were we celebrating IkamvaYouth at 10 years but we were also celebrating all the plans and hopes that we had for this Winter School. For the Winter School 2013 ‘official opening’, we were graced by Anastasia Peters Francis, from the Absa CSI department. Anastasia elaborated on Absa’s commitment to youth empowerment, among other CSI initiatives. She encouraged the learners to give their best, even as Absa believes the IkamvaYouth learners across the country are well able to pass. Absa funded Winter School costs for six IkamvaYouth branches across the country. Concluding with Susan Boyle’s YouTube video, and sharing her story of fighting cancer, she charged the learners not to lose hope, but to become the best that they could be during this Winter School. Excitement filled the hall as learners paid attention to every single word spoken by the Absa representative. Pankie Rapholo, an Ikamvanite who matriculated in 2012, and who is now studying a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Johannesburg told his story on how such programmes as the Winter School had made it possible for him to pass. “Anything is possible,” were the words that came out from both speakers.
The next ten days were managed in an orderly manner with learners starting off their day with either compulsory Maths or English fundamentals. There was a huge presence of tutors who came to support and help the learners. Tutoring took place right until lunch-time and those who were eager to continue after that were given the room to do so whilst food was being served. One of the tutors, Mbali Dlamini, had this to say; “I would rather spend my university vacation with the learners than spend my time sitting on my couch watching TV.”
We were visited by Love Life from the Tembisa Region every afternoon and these representatives would take all the learners through fun youth-minded building activities such as HIV/AIDS Awareness, Body Awareness, Identity, Life Skills, Singing and Dancing. LoveLife’s Making My Move Programme was an action-oriented, personal discovery programme which the learners quickly got hooked to. Making My Move was a young people’s call to action for personal growth and development. The programme took young people through a process of identifying and pursuing opportunities for their own personal growth and development.
We were also visited by Standard Bank on Wednesday the 26th of June as they came to give all our tutors a financial literacy workshop. Financial literacy is the ability to understand how money works in the world: how someone manages to earn or make it, how that person manages it, how he/she invests it and how that person donates it to help others. More specifically, it refers to the set of skills and knowledge that allows an individual to make informed and effective decisions with all of their financial resources. Raising interest in personal finance is now a focus of Standard Bank and this was a little way of appreciating our tutors- by availing free personal financial management training.
Our Career Expo was a huge success with many exhibitors spending the day with the Ikamvanites as well as the community at large. Workshops were held out throughout the day and were open to anyone and everyone who was interested in knowing more. Many tertiary institutions availed learners with information on their requirements, and the various study fields. Companies present availed information on what it will take for the learner to be working with them in the years ahead. Absa had a mobile bank to help learners to open bank accounts.
Capitec bank came through on Wednesday the 3rd of July to conduct Financial Skills Workshops with all our Grade 11s and 12s. The learners were exposed to a world that they had never been to before. This information was further pressed onto the learners by Tzu Chi who brought in their representative, Shelton Chadya, who spoke to the learners about saving for tertiary and planning for their educational future. It is evident that IkamvaYouth is a great place to gain knowledge and our learners are more informed to make decisions that will impact the rest of their lives.
The 5th of July was the day the learners all went out for the much awaited for excursion. The day was filled with much fun and excitement as most of the learners had never been outside of Midrand. Freedom Park in Pretoria was the first destination for the day, where the Tour Guides told us that, ” The mandate of Freedom Park was the creation of a memorial and monument that will narrate a story spanning a period of 3.6 billion years through the following seven epochs: Earth, Ancestors, Peopling, Resistance and Colonisation, Industrialisation and Urbanisation, Nationalism and Struggle, Nation Building and Continent Building; as well as the Garden of Remembrance to acknowledge those that contributed to the freedom of the country.” It is also home to the Wall of names – an awe-inspiring structure (697m), inscribed with the names of those who died during eight conflicts within South Africa’s history.
Our last stop of the day was Union Buildings which form the official seat of the South African Government and also houses the offices of the president of South Africa. They have a beautiful park on the premises and that is where we had lunch and gave out our certificates of appreciation and collages to all the tutors.
We want to continue to appreciate all the hard work put into this year’s Winter School. The learners are all very thankful for being given such awesome experiences, and are so grateful to our sponsors, staff and tutors. We look forward to next year!
The weekend consisted of planning for 2013 as well as an election to choose the new branch committee as well as choosing the different heads of the different portfolios. Present were more than 30 learners from different grades and tutors and they all had a chance to discuss the decision making, planning and electing the branch committee.
The Main goal of our SPW was to elect a branch committee (in charge of roles and portfolios) and for new volunteers (grade12 from last year returning) to take ownership of programme and become part of the management team. It was also a great weekend for the leaner reps and tutors to get to know each other better.
On Saturday we discussed the year program and we also had a look back at what happened in 2012. The morning started off with an introduction and the group explaining what their expectations of the weekend will be, we then discussed what happened in 2012 and then we ended with looking at what IkamvaYouth is doing well, what challenges we are facing, what IkamvaYouth is offering learners and the community and what we can do to improve the programme. We had a lot of first time branch committee members, but the rest of the group made them all feel included and welcome.
On Sunday the election took place and everyone had a chance to vote for the different nominees. The nomination and election process were very democratic and the nominees had to explain to the group why they were best suited for the different portfolios. The different portfolios were Tutoring, Volunteer Coordination, Career Guidance, Media, Image and Expression, Computer Literacy, Health and Life Skills and Alumni.
The different portfolio members also had to discuss their portfolios and present a plan of action for the group and will need to present this plan of action to all the Ikamvanites at Makhaza. They had to present their goals, when the goals should be reached and by whom. Emihle, a grade 8 learner and newly appointed portfolio member said that the weekend was a dream come true and that she enjoyed the interaction and discussions that took place and that she is really happy and proud for being chosen as part of the health and life skills portfolio.
Mandisi Gladile, a tutor says, “the weekend was really informative and made me realise the value IkamvaYouth adds not only to the learners but also the community and I feel really inspired for the things that we have planned for 2013.”
strategic_planning_week_2013.pdf
It’s a new year and the KZN branches were planning and preparing for open day and prize giving. Indeed all of the hard work paid off and was a success. The branches then decided to surprise the learners with a trip to uShaka Marine World. The trip not for all but for the learners awarded and deserving as it was a way to show each learner that their hard work and dedication to committing themselves to their work is recognised, so IkamvaYouth decided to take all winners on a trip to uShaka Marie World. Here the Umlazi Branch met up with the awarded learners from the Chesterville Branch together they took a journey into the sea world learning so much about the different types of creatures that live in the ocean.
All learners were so eager and asked a lot of questions and couldn’t stop taking photos of such beautiful creatures. The fun did not end there they got an opportunity to also see the Dolphins at Sea World Stadium as they were putting on a magnificent show for them. There was a lot of singing, dancing and cheering as the wonderful staff from the Sea World kept everyone entertained. It was a long beautiful day for the learners but it was not just all about fun and games, they also learnt a lot especially about how to take of such creatures as well as what career opportunities there are in taking care of such creatures. Some learners even spoke about going back to uShaka Marine World for another awesome experience.
Umlazi Open Day/Prize giving
More than 150 community members from Umlazi AA section and surrounding areas came to the AA Library to learn more about IkamvaYouth last week Saturday on the 19th of January 2013. Among those in attendance, were existing and potential lkamvaNites, parents, and partners ABI & the library.
The Branch Assistant N’thabiseng Zwane welcomed our guests with the help of one of the IkamvaYouth learners Sindisiwe Sibisi who sang a beautiful song to open the day, Branch Coordinator S’bonelo Cele presented Funeka’s story which explains IkamvaYouth in 3 minutes and then briefly explained in broader detail what IkamvaYouth does. A group of learners presented a play/poem on what IkamvaYouth means to them, followed by one of our tutors Samukelo Jili who spoke on behalf of all the tutors explaining to the community what they need from them in assisting the learners in problem areas.
The ABI Cooperate Social Investment Coordinator from KZN Samukelo Nkosi, spoke on behalf of ABI explaining the role they play in society including IkamvaYouth and shared some words of wisdom to everyone in the hall. This was followed by Andile Memela the Head Liberian at the AA library on its involvement with IkamvaYouth.
After a word from our guests, the floor was opened for a Q and A session with S’bonelo. During the refreshments break guests were treated to a performance by two local poets who recited a piece on HIV/AIDS, later joined by two local contemporary dancers. This was followed by a rap group that performed a song they had written about IkamvaYouth which got crowd interaction.
As the final part of the day we moved on to prize giving. The prize giving is IkamvaYouth’s way of commending the learners who are dedicated to the program. This year’s prizes were sponsored by ABI, which shows their ongoing support for the branch. The learners took pictures with their gift bags, followed by lunch which was sponsored ABI. Now we look forward to the year ahead.
Lloyd Lungu