This past Friday finally saw months of preparation and planning for our annual Career Indaba come together in a hugely successful day. Over 1800 students, parents, and community members flooded the Zolani Centre hall in Nyanga to explore their post matric choices and job opportunities.
IkamvaYouth’s founding motto is one of future-oriented thinking and pro-activity. The Careers Indaba is a fundamental step in fostering this mind set in the youth of South Africa. It is challenging to dream of a better future and to aspire to goals without knowing the realities of these goals and the opportunities that are available.
The event was open to high school learners from around Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Masiphumelele and surrounds, who came together to think about their futures and really take their lives into their own hands. They were informed not only about their career options, but also attended workshops on financial literacy by Capitec, and CV writing, interview skills and online CV development through Career Planet.
Over 25 Universities, companies, professionals and NPOs from all over Cape Town attended the Indaba as exhibitors. They did not merely provide factual information about careers and studying opportunities, but they also conversed with these young people and delivered a message of hope and possibility. This message is crucial for youth who are the victims of poor education systems and who live in a community plagued by poverty and all its products: IkamvaYouth focuses on changing the mind-set of youth, to think beyond their immediate circumstances and to believe in themselves and the possibilities that their futures hold.
The day was an inspiring success, with many learners and exhibitors commented at how much they had gained from the experience. Axolile, grade 10 from Sizimisle Technical High School said the most important thing he learnt is, ‘to know what you want to be in life and be dedicated, this will for sure get you to be where you want to be. ‘ While Sizalobuhle from Sinako High School said that, ‘ the Career Indaba helped me learn more about my dream career of being a lawyer, where to study and how to get into the best courses and universities. I also found out about how to apply for bursaries, and how to manage my money through the workshops.’
To organize an event of this size we partnered with Equal Education in helping to organize exhibitors and set up the event, and SAEP and the Department of Social Development joined the crew. We are also hugely appreciative to Mxolisi and his team at the Zolani Centre for the use of the hall and surrounding spaces.
IkamvaYouth branches in Chesterville and Umlazi need tutors, mentors, workshop facilitators, and administrative interns. This is a great opportunity to gain experience working with youth and community projects, build your skills, and help the youth of today.
Find out how on our volunteer_invite.doc.
On the weekend of 31 March and 1 April IYKZN hosted it’s 2nd SPW at the Chesterville branch. We had the priviledge of being joined by our National Coordinator Zamo Shongwe and our Director and Co-Founder Joy Olivier, who was also present at last years SPW. Excitement and enrgy filled the centre as we were joined by tutors from both our branches – Umlazi and Chesterville. Unlike last year where the SPW took place after one of our Saturday School sessions, we had a full 2 days to spend planning 2012 and going over 2011 with those that joined during the year as well as addressing ways of improvement that could be implemented.
A mixture of new and old tutors gave us a chance to discuss the growth of IYKZN over the years and all our achievements till now. New tutors and learner reps got a chance to contribute their thoughts and participate in an active conversation about IY’s plans for 2012 while learning from those who have been present over the years. This meant that most of day 1 was spent around understanding IY and our mission and values as well as recognising our achievements. New members also had the chance to contribute towards our budget, enforcing our open door policy to all those present.
Day 2 began with our previous Branch Comm going through each of their portfolios and the success of 2011 within each portfolio. Thereafter we had a chance to listen to motivations by group members who were present and interested in forming 2012’s new Branch Comm. Which was very heartwarming as a few learner reps also stood up and shared their interests. Though there are now 2 branches, seems like both Branch Comms are a passionate group of people who are committed to passing forward love and knowledge to all future Ikamvanites. Overall, our SPW was a great success filled with love and laughter as we used fun and games to bond and shared our thoughts in an inviting circle of acceptance filled with individuals with a common love and goal for Ikamva KZN. To LIFT AS YOU RISE!!
Follow the link to read the full report: strategic_planning_weekend_report_-_kzn.pdf
IkamvaYouth is speedily setting about garnering the support and partnerships we need to establish more branches across the country. Our results come with the responsibility to replicate, and while our high impact model is also low cost, scale is nevertheless expensive.
IkamvaYouth is also very fortunate to be supported by visionary donors who’re providing the means we need to grow in the face of the overwhelming need for our services. However, in looking far forward into the future of our organisation, we’re planning to create an income stream that is directly related to our key assets: the wonderful ikamvanites. Our first step in this direction was a brainstorming workshop held in April last year, facilitated by Freda Gray.
Now, with generous support from the Bertha Foundation, IkamvaYouth is working with Mindstir, an innovation company, to develop a social enterprise who’s aims align with the organisation’s key mission of enabling ikamvanites to access post-school opportunities, which would also generate profits, to be donated to IY.
The current thinking is around linking BBBEE Skills development contributions to student loans, bursary programmes, learnerships and internships. Business struggles to find the right students to support: they mostly recruit students via campus exhibitions/ advertisements but receive loads of applications and it is costly to sift through them, get aptitude tests done and eventually when they select the students they will sponsor, they are not sure if the relationship will work. Businesses have to spend money on “institutional based theoretical instruction” as it contributes to the Skills Development points they can earn to make up their BBBEE score.
As IkamvaYouth works closely with committed learners who prove themselves over many years, the organisation can provide these businesses with an attitude indication and develop a way to match students with corporates.
One potential solution is to provide a service to corporates similar to that where foundations manage CSI spend for companies, but focused on bursaries and student loans. Corporates would pay us a small management fee and this enterprise takes the pain and cost of recruiting students as well as reduced risk that these learners will drop out of tertiary.
On 3rd February, Freda Gray and Anneke de Bod facilitated a scoping session where ikamvanites and key supporters collectively brainstormed the concept and set the scope for the pre-feasibiliy study. Ikamvanites were lucky to be joined by IY Chair and MD of TSiBA education, Leigh Meinert; Amrik Cooper from ikapadata; Prof Darren Lorton, Executive Dean of Applied Sciences at DUT; Charles Ainslee from the Learning Trust ; Lolita Barends from Capitec and Susan Godlonton (IY board member and PhD fellow at the University of Michigan); each of whom contribute significantly to supporting and growing IY.
The scope for the pre-feasibility was set, and interviews are currently underway. IkamvaYouth is grateful to all those who’re giving their time to participate, and we’re looking forward to finding out whether our ideas have wheels to hit the road towards self-sustainability.
District Co-ordinators IkamavaYouth
IkamvaYouth is a township-based non-profit organisation, established in 2003. With branches in 7 townships nationally and a growth plan in place, IkamvaYouth seeks to appoint 3 District Co-ordinators:
– Eastern Cape based in Grahamstown
– Gauteng based in Midrand
– Western Cape based in Cape Town
S/he will be based at township, and must be an enthusiastic and pro-active social entrepreneur who is passionate about the power of education to transform lives and communities, a person who aims to make a difference.
This is an exciting opportunity to join an amazing team of change makers and to play a pivotal role in a by-youth for-youth educational movement that empowers young people to take their futures into their own hands.
Responsibilities:
- Steering the strategic direction of the district and enabling growth
- Budget development and financial management
- Manage stakeholder relationships, including funders, sponsors and the community
- Fundraising
- Producing narrative and financial reports
- Site visits to branches
- Supervise branch staff to ensure that the required outcomes are achieved
- Provide support & oversight to branch coordinators
- Represent and liaise with branch coordinators for Natcom
- Fulfill related HR functions for branches
- Ensure quality delivery of programmes and implementation of IY policies and processes at branches
An individual with excellent communications skill, both written and verbal will feel at home in this position. A background in project management or the NGO sector will be considered but is not essential. If you are driven, reactive, flexible and able to work with others to help them reach their potential, then this could be the position for you.
Please view www.ikamvayouth.org for more information about the organisation and send a CV and strong motivational letter to: zamo@ikamvayouth.org
Salary expectation R15,000 –R18,000 (Depending on experience)
Closing date 09 March for Western Cape and Gauteng position.
Closing date 30 May for Easten Cape position.
Correspondence limited to short listed candidates only. No late applications wil be considered.
IkamvaYouth Gauteng hosted a very successful Open Day this past Saturday, 21st of January 2012, at the IkamvaYouth Centre in Ebony Park. The day started at 9:30 am with a spectacular turn out of over 700 people. The hall was filled to capacity and there was a hub of excitement from the learners, parents, volunteers and other supporters.
Several activities took place with the Branch Co-ordinator, Joe Manciya, introducing IkamvaYouth to all those who attended. He encouraged the learners to take their education seriously as their future is in their hands and pointed out that IkamvaYouth in Gauteng had opened a second branch located in Ivory Park. The day was filled with lots of information and fun, with Ikamvanites providing entertainment through music and dance. The successful Ikamvanites who matriculated in 2011 also got a chance to speak to the crowd, encouraging their peers to take their education more seriously by becoming an Ikamvanite.
Several sponsors were present, including ABI and The Tzu Chi Foundation. ABI, which was represented by Beverly Selepe, their CSI Specialist, donated the branding that was used on the day, t-shirts, beverages and entertainment. The Tzu Chi Foundation was represented by Howard and announced that they had made four, R20 000 scholarships available to the 2011 successfully matriculated Ikamvanites towards their tertiary education. These successful matriculated Ikamvanites were strongly encouraged to apply.
In conclusion, the Open Day was a resounding success, many of the learners took the application forms after the presentations and IkamvaYouth is looking forward to a very successful 2012 with all your continued support.
Lloyd Lungu