Where do I start, I really do not know… words cannot express enough how happy I am to have been part of the Quest conference, especially being part of the student panel. It was such an amazing experience. The panel consisted of 4 students, and administrators. I also learnt a lot from each and everyone who was part of the panel; the speakers brought so much to think of when I go back home. They were all amazing, I’ve realised that people are doing so many great things all around the world, it’s so encouraging. It motivates me to keep on doing what I’m doing at Ikamva. I met very dedicated individuals, people who are passionate about education, and it was so amazing to see how other countries invest so much in education, something that our country can learn from. In the panel on the pre-quest conference, which was televised on Roger’s TV (Canadian TV channel), I had to talk about everything that our organization is doing, our vision and all the programmes that we have.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/user/ikamvayouth#p/u/4/OC9SdxcjEWI]
Others also talked about the wonderful things they all doing in their schools. The theme of the conference was “Engaging learning in the 21st century” and was organised by the York region district. About 900 people came and so many speakers were respected people all around Toronto and other countries who came to be part of the conference. The 3 day conference went so well, we also got to meet with other South Africans, from the Gauteng legislature, who came to Canada on a study tour. It’s been very amazing being part of the 3 day conference.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/user/ikamvayouth#p/u/3/4oTDQ3j5MbE]
It was the first time I have presented in front of so many people but according to the feedback we got, everything went well. The learning continues if you are a member of Ikamva, one just never stops learning. I remember when I joined in 2004 as a grade 11 learner, I was just a kid who didn’t know what I wanted to do when I passed my matric. I didn’t even think I would go to varsity as I thought only kids that come from rich families can afford university fees. When I joined IY, the tutors made me realise that life has so much to offer and that anyone can go to varsity. I’ve been exposed to a lot of things ever since I joined the organisation: In 2006 I went to Singapore (see our 2006 Annual Report for the story of that trip!) and now Canada. It’s been amazing, being in Canada made me to want to go back home and continue doing what I’m doing. The organisation has been doing so much and so well with such little resources and I know that we will continue making a difference in our learners lives with what we have.
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The experience I got from being part of the conference inspired me a lot. It was fantastic. Thank you IY national committee for choosing me to be part of this amazing conference, I can’t wait to come back home and share about everything I have learnt here.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2dEL-VpkAk&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL]
[video:http://www.youtube.com/user/ikamvayouth#p/a/u/2/Grb66S6rJu4]
Ikamvanites got an opportunity to participate in one of the greatest conferences in Canada which deals with increasing learner achievement. The conference was packed with a vast amount of information on how we can engage learners in the 21st Century. The conference was well attended (900 people!) and sold out. It had people from the York Region and across Canada as well as other countries – everyone from Government officials to teachers and students. We also got an opportunity to present our great Ikamva Youth to many people at the conference and some South African government officials from South Africa.
We were welcomed by wonderful people in Toronto: Stephen Rensink and Scott Milne invited us to stay with their awesome families and they gave us a chance to see the beautiful country of Canada. First we went to see one of world’s greatest land marks, Niagara falls, which was an amazing experience. We also went to see the CN tower which is the 4th tallest free-standing structure on land.
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We have had enriching experience learning about Canada, the education system, and got new insights into our own work. Meeting with people from the Gauteng legislature, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Foundation and the York Region District School Board has been great for our organisation. It’s been great sharing our work with people from around the world, and we leave this place filled with new experiences, insights and contacts that will help us to build a better Ikamva.
[video:http://www.youtube.com/user/ikamvayouth#p/a/u/2/Grb66S6rJu4]
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Polly Saul came flying in to Masi 3 months ago to engage Ikamvanites in philosophy. With the assistance of Zoe Mann they delivered a course on the love of thought. Pondering expressions and inquisitive questions became the order of the day for the 11 participants on Thrusday afternoons. The sessions encouraged the learners to discuss questions, develop concepts and delve deeper into subjects they have never before given the time to.
The discussions were enthralling. Questions like; ‘what is certain in life?’; ‘What is evil?’; And ‘If we have a choice are we free?’ were generated throughout the last few months. As well as heated discussions about the Information Bill, Zuma’s many wives, and the value of culture in today’s society. A mind-blowing amount was discussed and many topics and ideas arose. Along with this many quotes were posed to the learners to get their philosophical juices bubbling in their minds. The favourite seemed to be ‘Nobody can be made to feel inferior without their permission’.
It has no doubt broadened their minds and started to provoke philosophical questions in everyday life. Their participation has improved their English skills, self-esteem, vocabulary, and the sense of self-belief is through the roof. We hope that we can continue this programme next year with a new group to crack open more young minds!
The award is a joint project of the Mail & Guardian and the Southern Africa Trust – a non-governmental organisation that supports public policy development to overcome poverty.
I regard myself as being fortunate to have been one of the few invited to the event.
I had the opportunity to interact with and be exposed to individuals as well as organisations that are qualitatively confronting the developmental challenges that the Southern African region continuesto face.
Among the winners was a community-based youth organisation called Ikamva Youth. Ikamva means future in isiXhosa.
Ikamva Youth is a township-based nonprofit organisation with branches in Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Masiphumelele in Western Cape, IvoryPark in Gauteng and Cato Crest in KwaZulu-Natal.
The organisation runs after-school classes for pupils from under-resourced schools. It is run by volunteers – including students from nearby universities and local professionals who offer their time to assist pupils from grades 8 to 12 in navigating all their school subjects.
Asked why he got involved in the project, IkamvaYouthIvoryPark branch coordinator Joe Manciya said: “We are driven by the dire situation prevailing in our schools.”
According to Manciya, of the 30000 schools in the country only 1500 are “good schools”. That is, they have all the necessary resources and facilities, including libraries and laboratories.
Manciya says an estimated 24000 throughout the country are “bad schools”. That is, they are badly under-resourced.
A South African Institute of Race Relations survey released last year showed that only 10percent of the South African youth access tertiary education. Only a fraction of this comes from the townships.
“As Ikamva Youth we do not believe in folding our arms and pointing fingers. We assist the youth who come from poor communities like IvoryPark to take their future in their hands.”
The project’s success is measured by the number of Grade 12 pupils who access tertiary institutions and-or employment-based learning opportunities when they matriculate.
So far (according to the organisation’s records) Ikamva Youth’s matric pass rate has been between 90 and 100percent each year since 2005. More than 70percent of the last two matric groups gained access to tertiary education (compared with the township average of about 5percent).
Manciya says what makes the project unique is the fact that it is run “by the youth for the youth”.
The call from Manciya is that the country needs “an education revolution where all sectors of the community are involved”.
Parents must play an active role in supporting their children, while teachers must show their commitment to providing quality education.
Ikamva Youth is just one of the initiatives with which ordinary people in the region are making a contribution to bringing change to the lives of the poor and marginalised.
Having a youth-driven project winning such an award is an indication of the role they can play in overcoming the obstacles created by the unequal societies they find themselves in.
The awards must in general also serve as a clarion call for all sectors of the society to be involved in the fight against poverty and underdevelopment.
But it is important that those who do get involved do not do so because it is good public relations but because they are committed to changing the society they live in.
They must do so also driven by their commitment to social justice, and the belief that such justice will only come when those who do not suffer injustice are as angry as those who do.
Saturday the 18th of September 2010 was dedicated to a 3 hours cleanup on Long Beach in Noordhoek.
12 learners from the Masiphumelele branch, fully equipped with yellow bags, have been tracking abandoned rubbishes from human activities. Last year, they counted 3 600 different types of objects. Among those items they all found products that humans denigrated to put into a bin.
From glass bottles to heaters, passing through cotton buds, or lollipop sticks, plastic bags, wood logs, are the daily life of migratory and local birds.
“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors: we borrow it from our children” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
The exciting thing about working for an organisation that is for youth and by youth is that you can experiment with technology and come up with innovative ways to make machines work for your benefit.
IkamvaYouth has been working on IkamvaYouth-in-a-box which aims to translate the experiences that many Ikamvanites have collected over the years into an information pack. This information pack seeks to turn this information into knowledge that will give Ikamvanites the power to drive the learning revolution.
This super high tech system will enable us to store information in a central database that will make all the information accessible to those who need it. Since we will be working on a model that is based on Open Source, all our templates for reporting financially, programmatically and operationally will be available to everyone who wants to use it. That translates to 1 goal for sharing and 0 for selfishness with information!
An important topic of discussion this afternoon was on tutor recruitment and retention. The different branches have had similar experiences with tutors not staying with the organisation, which has resulted in a lack of continuity with the relationship that tutors have with learners. Possible solutions to this challenged were proposed by various Ikamavanites including:
* introducing tutors to the vision of Ikamva so that they can have the holistic view that the rest of us have of the programme
* getting tutors to tell us what their expectations of Ikamva are so that we can better meet them
* Encourage strong tutor/ learner relationships so that tutors can see their relationship as being primarily with the learners, who we all seek to serve, rather than just pleasing members of the organisation. This means tutors should see themselves as being contracted to the learners rather than Ikamva. Ikamva is there to facilitate the relationship between tutors and the learners who benefit from the knowledge that these young people bring with them.
* letting tutors know that they are valued and showing appreciation by organising social activities that will also strengthen the bond between tutors and give them an avenue to get to know each other better (this includes management!)
* recommendation letters will also be written for tutors who have shown commitment to the organisation
* Each branch is to host a Strategic Planning Weekend that includes tutors and volunteers so that they can contribute ideas to the work to be done. This also ensures that tutors understand that they OWN Ikamva in the same way that the learners also own the organisation.
Phillip Mcelu, a former learner and committed volunteer from the Makhaza branch said, “[volunteering has helped me through what I have learned. Knowing that learners look up to me and knowing what I do for them helps them, makes me feel good”.
Therefore we need to retain as many tutors as possible and make sure that they also have gains for the precious time and knowledge that they give for free to committed learners with big dreams. Ikamva is currently looking at ways of incentivising these selfless young people for their contributions. Watch this space…
Lloyd Lungu