By Charmaine Gxekwa, Lindokulhe Ntombana, Aphiwe Tukani and Phumza Kibi
ENKE-MAKE YOUR MARK!!!
WHY WE APPLIED FOR ENKE
We wanted to gain knowledge and improve our skills by interacting and learning from other people. We wanted to get to know other people and their backgrounds. It was mostly about us adapting to other environments and working together towards a common goal, trying to change our environment as the youth.
WHAT WE LEARNT FROM ENKE
We learnt how to work as a team and most importantly that everyone plays a role in the team. We discovered who we really are and that everyone matters. We learnt to never underestimate people before you really know them and never let anyone tell you what to do when you know you’re capable of more. We also created friendships with different people from different backgrounds. We now have the knowledge of how one can change their environment matter how small the change is, it makes a difference at the end of the day it all matters.
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?
We are going to go back to our communities and identify a passion, major concern or problem that we to have and try to improve or change it .We are going to carry out our own projects as the youth and try to make a change, for we are the future leaders. Anything is possible and we intend to prove that. We want to create a movement, to create a better world for the future generation. We want to be the change we want to see in the world. We want to run a project that will help and inspire the community or change someone’s life. We intend on making a huge difference.
Visit the ENKE website: www.enke.co.za
Tuesday 24 July was an exciting day for the Ebony Park learners as they continued in the spirit of Mandela Month by giving back to their community. “Charity begins at home,” most learners said, whilst they decided on where exactly in the community they would spread the Mandela Month spirit.
Our Ikamvanites decided to give back by going to a Nursery School called Mission House located on the same premises as IkamvaYouth. The afternoon was filled with different activities including cleaning the house, decorating and painting the play areas. The principal of the School, Mrs Lindiwe Nxusa, was so overwhelmed with gratitude that all she could do was hug everyone close to her. She has encouraged our Ikamvanites to continue with all the great work.
Mandela Day is a call to action for individuals – for people everywhere – to take responsibility for changing the world into a better place, one small step at a time, just as Mr Mandela did. We are all determined to play our part in making South Africa a better place for all.
The cool kids on the block, Nyanga and Makhaza got their mascara and trendy threads out at winter school for a collaboation with Live Magazine.
Have a look here at a behind the scenes look at what happened when our stylish fashionistas got their hands on cameras and were let loose to scout locations around UCT for the perfect shot.
[Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHk6_v0n02Y&feature=relmfu]
They have also uploaded some of the stories writed that week on the Live magazine mobile channel.
Huge thanks to Nkuli, Julia and the Live Magazine team for such awesome workshops!
Wednesdays is usually Homework Sessions at our Vuyani Nkosi Memorial Youth Centre but all that changed for Mandela Day, where we dedicated 67 minutes of our usual 2 hour sessions to giving back once again to the community. The overarching objective of Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better. Well with the future in their hands, this is what IY’s Chesterville learners had in mind for their Mandela Day.
18 July ( Nelson Mandela’s birthday ofcourse ) saw Chesterville learners, staff and tutors return to the St Anthony’s Church’s Mission in a quest to not only finish painting a class we had painted during winter school but also brighten up another class we had been permitted to paint and this time it was in honour of our first democratically elected president, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela who was turning 94
St. Anthony’s Church has a mission which houses abused women and children. Mothers who live at the mission with their toddlers, have the pleasure of having their young ones attend a pre-school located in the premises of the church. These 2 classes are separated – one being for infants and toddlers while the other is for grade 0 learners.
having been the first black president in 1994.
Read a snippet about the event on the official Mandela Day site.
Some day we may be mining our landfills for the resources we’ve buried. A scary fact presented to the learners of IY’s Chesterville on their Operation Clean Up which was
held on the morning of Thursday, 28 June.
This was a new initiative piloting in Winter School in an aide to get our learners to give
back to the community that they’ve grown up in ( majority if our learners either attend
school within the Chesterville area and/or live within the area – or surroundings )
Durban Solid Waste and Ethekwini Municipality’s Parks and Recreation played a
major role in making this day possible. Thursdays activities started with the learners
taking a walk through the Education & Waste Minimisation Mobile Training Centre –
a bus which travels around various schools and communities within the municipalities
educating society about waste management and recycling through joint collaborations
between the municipality, Engen and the Association of Waste Management.
Mr Njebo, who is in KwaZulu Natal’s head office of Waste Management delivered a talk
about recycling and gave learners ideas on household waste they can recycle.
After all this, learners and tutors were separated into various groups and it was time to
walk around Chesterville to help clean up the community. DSW kindly sponsored gloves
as well as plastic bags which we would use to collect all the waste we found along our
way.
Our first stop was the local hospice where learners cleaned outside the premises, the yard
and gardens. Thereafter we took a walk down towards the St Anthony’s Church’s mission amidst
the support and cheers of local community members.
Arriving at the mission, we were greeted by a Parks and Recreation truck which was
there to deliver the tools sponsored by the department which would be used to clean up
the yard.
Once again learners were separated into groups and cleaned around the yard of the
mission as well as clearing the yard of weeds.
Learners enjoyed clearing up the garden and we are looking forward to hopefully return
to plant a few vegetables for the abused and abandoned women and children which this
mission houses.
After our Operation Clean Up, Chesterville learners returned to DUT for academic
tutoring. At this time, Umlazi learners, who had started the morning in the classroom,
began their Operation Clean Up with a presentation from Zanele, from the DSW
education department. The presentation focused on various aspects such as awareness of
pollution, waste management, different disposal areas in KZN and what effect waste has
on the environment.
Zanele futher empasised the importance of “the 3 Rs” (Reduce, Re-use, Re-cycle), in
combating the negative impact waste has on the environment.
Another important aspect which they touched on was the illegal dumping of waste
especially by our households when they miss the scheduled time of the municipal truck
picking up waste in the neighborhood.
After the insightful presentation, learners were taken to the beach, not to swim, but to
give back to their environment, by cleaning up the litter in the area.
Having Joy Olivier ( co-founder of IkamvaYouth ) and Zamo Shongwe ( IY’s National Coordinator ) join
The clean-up was an added treat for the learners. The amount of litter collected in the
few minutes that the learners were there (just under 30 minutes) was a real eye opener.
Learners really got to see just how bad the issue of pollution on our beaches actually is.
We hope that this is the start of a great initiative and that learners will be able to use all
the knowledge that they gained about taking care of their environment, within their daily
lives.
Last year the Makhaza branch had an opportunity to pilot a project with Education without Borders (EwB) who aims to provide improved educational opportunities and facilities in disadvantaged regions of the world. The program focussed on Grade 8s in aid to work through and understand basic math principles that highlight the simplicity of mathematics and emphasises the critical importance of foundational skills while acknowledging the complicated challenges and circumstances of life, which many of IkamvaYouth learners are coping with.
With the phenomenal results achieved in 2011 that you can read about here, the program continued with our new cohort of grade 8s. Beginning in January thus far they have completed two of the books in the program, and during winter school made headways into the third book.
Thus far, of the 20 learners who started the program at the beginning of 2012 in total, 3 were excluded because of poor attendance, 1 dropped out and the rest have begun to show the results expected looking at last years group. The group is a complete mix from 6 different schools in Khayelitsha.
Class Assessment
We have held two internal assessment tests during the first two terms. The first assessment test held in term 1 was based on work covered by Book 1. The second assessment test held in term 2 was based on the work covered by Book 2. The results of learners for the first two tests are shown below.
The chart above shows clearly the increase in math ability achieved by 16 of 20 Grade 8’s who wrote the assessment tests in the first two terms. Some learners were still finding it difficult to catch up with others as they still struggle to understand the basic fundamentals, however there is quite an improvement judging from term one school results.
Comparison of average percentage in Internal assessments vs. School results
It is clear that almost all learners scored higher in the internal test than their school results, not only does this program cover the basic fundamentals in basic math literacy, through the peer to peer learning and an environment created while attending tutoring sessions at IkamvaYouth that these students excel in many of their other subjects, as well as with their self confidence when approaching problems that arise and the means to approach them.
Learner performance
The learners who have be attending regularly showed great improvement and the results are showing improved confidence and with increased attendance the better the results, there has also been significant peer-to-peer learning and problem solving collaboration.
While most students show increases in results there have been 5 standout students who have excelled showing significant results with the internal tests administered as well as excelling in their school results.
|
Learner
|
Results %
Book 1 Book 2 School avg
|
|
A
|
98
|
76
|
80
|
|
B
|
96
|
74
|
79
|
|
C
|
81
|
70
|
77
|
| D |
83
|
64
|
75
|
|
E
|
65
|
70
|
70
|
Looking at the past Grade 8 group currently in Grade 9: *
Since this is the second year implimenting this program with our Grade 8s, it is also interesting to look at the results of the grade 9s and to compare those who were part of initial grade 8 group versus new students in grade 9 who began this year at IkamvaYouth. To do this a test was administered with the following results:
Existing Ikamvanites scored an average of 23.6/60 on the test versus new Ikamvanites who scored an average of 19.9/60
This test is one, imperfect, snapshot of the mathematical competencies. It could be criticised for being “too hard” and including many problems not yet covered in the syllabus. However, a very basic conclusion can be drawn that the existing Ikamvanites scored better than the new Ikamvanites and attained a higher average as a group.
* Many thanks to Andrew Einhorn for administering the tests and providing these results
Well done Grade 8s keep it up!!
Special thanks to:
Cecil and Ruth Hershler -funding provided through Education Without Borders
‘Yes We Can’ math books writen by Dr Rahael Jalan
Nicholas Mei – Grade 8 tutor
Lloyd Lungu