It wasn’t too long ago that women were barred from political, legal and economic rights. Thankfully, many positive strides have been made to empower women and African women have become an economic force to be reckoned with.
Joy Olivier, the founder and director of IkamvaYouth, was nominated as a finalist in The Most Influential Woman in Business and Government award. There were 9000 nominations from 31 African countries showing how popular this award is throughout Africa. Recently, she was eventually handed the award of the Most influential Woman in South Africa and the SADC region in the category of Welfare and Civil Society Organisations.
The whole event organised by CEO Communications recognises Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government and aims to sustainably celebrate and uplift women who are making a contribution to their communities and economies across the African continent. These awards were seeking someone who is not just doing their job but also someone who is a role model. Their initiatives have evolved into the Most Influential Women in Business and Government programme, which has been recognised over the course of several years as the pre-eminent recognition platform for women.
We applaud Joy for such an amazing achievement. Keep up the great work Joy! IkamvaYouth and Africa celebrates with you!
Ikamvayouth seeks to appoint an intern to its national office in Rivonia, Johannesburg.
The internship programme is for a period of 6 months.
Responsibilities:
- Handling of administrative tasks within the national office;
- Organising of travel arrangements, accommodation and vehicle hire;
- Liaising with various staff members nationwide;
- Drafting, editing and typing of correspondence, booklets, contracts, policies and presentations;
- Assisting with basic, sundry tasks on an ad-hoc basis.
- Assiting with HR Administrative duties (shortlisting, scheduling inerviews, keeping staff files updated, research, data management)
Requirements:
- Candidates must be book smart and street smart;
- Creative and fun;
- Personable;
- Computer literate in Microsoft Office;
- Willing to work in a non-formal setting during flexible hours;
- Self-motivating and result orientated;
- Able to work independently;
- Volunteer experience will be an added advantage.
To apply, submit a CV to careers@ikamvayouth.org under the subject heading ‘Ikamvayouth Rivonia Internship 2014’.
On Friday the 11th of April, University of Witswatersrand opened its doors to aspiring high school learners. 35, Ebony Park Grade 12’s came together to see what university life looks like as well as to decide on their tertiary options. With the help of our very committed volunteer Hlengiwe Radebe, the learners were divided into 3 specific groups upon arrival. The humanities groups was led by Nyasha Zvomuya, the Ebony Park Branch Coordinator. The commercials group was led by Michael Thema, the Ebony Park Branch Assistant, and the last group of aspiring scientists was led by Hlengiwe Radebe.
The open day was very organised with 30 minute seminars being hosted by different faculties in different lecture rooms. The facilitators explained what programmes were offered in their faculties, what the minimum admission requirements were and what career opportunities students could look forward to after completing their studies. The learners’ then had ample time to ask questions and meet the lecturers who teach in those faculties. It was a very exciting experience for our learners and has given them an even added push to do well in their final exams.
“I now know what is required for me to follow my dream to be a doctor, if I get accepted at Wits,” said Quintress Sefala, one of the Grade 12 learners. Another learner, Virginia Sibanda, could not express how grateful she was to get the opportunity to attend such a spectacular open day. She said, “Thanks to IkamvaYouth, we know that all things are possible”
On the 22nd of February 2014, the Nyanga branch held an Induction Day for new parents and learners, which doubled up as the first parents’ meeting of the year. The event, held at Zolani Centre was attended by more than 100 parents and learners.
The purpose of our Induction Day was to formally introduce IY to new Nyanganites and their parents, and to facilitate the meeting and exchanging of knowledge between old and new parents, learners and volunteers.
There were two components to the Induction day, namely the parents’ meeting and the learner session, which ran concurrently, after the initial welcome and introductions. Siphelele, the Branch Assistant, and our volunteers facilitated the parents’ meeting. This session covered a range of topics, including 2013 results, the IY model, what parents can expect from the branch, and what the branch expects from parents and learners.
Shuvai, the Branch Coordinator, facilitated the learner induction, in partnership with the Branch Committee and volunteers. This session covered topics such as learner conduct, attendance, expectations and the IY values. The branch committee spoke to their peers about their function and answered the different questions fellow learners had about being an ikamvanite. The learners later got into groups to investigate, discuss and debate the meaning of each IY value and present their findings to the larger group.
The day was a huge success, garnering positive feedback, from parents especially. Two parents indicated their interest in representing other parents on the branch committee, and both are looking forward to being actively involved at the branch.
Thank you to all the parents who attended, and to all our volunteers who showed up as true superheroes on the day. 2014 will be our best year yet!
In the event and celebration of finding a new BA for the Chesterville branch in KZN, the rest of the crew saw it as a great opportunity to get together, relax, and get to know each other while welcoming her with an evening to remember at the Galleria’s super bowling entertainment Centre.
The objective of this meeting was to increase the unity of the team by developing relationships and ability to work together as a team and the Centre served as an ideal scene for them to get a moment of sharing while being revitalized after a long and demanding year, and get geared up for the fast approaching New Year.
The day began with an indulgent lunch at the newly opened Cafe Gitano’s where the new BA had her first exciting, yet initially reluctant, taste of mussels.They then later on all proceeded to the bowling court where they had an awesome time, with the uMlazi BA coming out first…this was indeed a well-deserved outcome for the uMlazi branch as the uMlazi BC had to endure some not so pleasant, unforeseen circumstances, as he stretched out to bowl and felt the stitch of his pants let way and when he felt a breeze coming in he knew that his outfit was in ruins!!!!
Overall everyone had an amazing time and got a moment to let loose their hair and create a lasting memory while getting to know each other better.
Matrics in the Western Cape have taken Winter School to a whole new level by being the first group to participate in a Matric camp. An innovative part of IY’s annual Winter School holiday program, the Matric camp was launched in 2013 by the Western Cape team and has seen 62 Matrics from Makhaza, Masiphumelele and Nyanga get together for a week getaway at the Rotary Glencairn camp site, for 5 days of intensive tutoring, academic workshops and exam practice.
The first day saw all the learners arriving at the site and immediately getting into energetic team-building exercises led by Masi Branch Coordinator, Johnlyn. The exercises proved a worthy ice-breaker as learners started interacting more freely across the branches, and working collectively to earn points for their various teams, comprised of Matrics and volunteers from each branch.
Johnlyn led the group in a workshop on vision and goal-setting, where she spoke frankly about being in Grade 12, the imminence of exams and what it takes to reach goals and achieve desired results. The session was an inspiring one for many learners, and Yonela Jongilanga from Nyanga branch had the following to say: ‘This is different from the other camps I have attended. I like it because the focus is about being serious.’ Tutoring started in earnest and learners spent the rest of the afternoon working on their schoolwork.
Makhaza Coordinator, Zukile took the learners through a valuable workshop on how to calculate their aggregates and types of passes they are currently receiving in their school reports, for the purposes of tertiary studies. The session also covered the National Benchmarking Tests and their importance for accessing studies at certain universities in South Africa. The workshop ushered in a very sombre mood amongst the group, as learners realised the amount of work required of them, in order to access university. Nyanga Branch Assistant, Siphelele, then led the group into an energetic slogan, where learners re-stated their confidence in their ability to achieve their dreams. The evening wound down on an emotional note, as the group openly shared individual experiences and challenges individuals have experienced.
As the Matric camp continues, the learners have all managed to do take part in a variety of activities aimed at preparing them for their final exams and tertiary studies. On day 3 of the camp, the Matrics’ mentors joined the group for an afternoon session of tertiary applications and each learner applied to 5 tertiary institutions for study in 2014. Afikile Nkonyana said the following: ‘’I am glad I had people to help me with my applications. My first option for study is Chemical Engineering and I applied to Stellenbosch, NMMU, CPUT, Wits and TSiBA and I hope I will get a place at one of them for next year.’’ Later that evening, the learners went on a trust hike up the mountain, which is one of the activities that has enriched the learners’ overall experience whilst on the camp. Luyanda Jaranda from Makhaza branch said the following: ‘As we have bonded, it has become quite easy to be tutored together and we have become so relaxed and free during the sessions.’
On the last full day of camp, the learners started the day with a workshop on writing amazing applications. For young people who are on the verge of exiting the school system and entering tertiary education and employment, this workshop came at the right time. Many of the learners are interested in accessing bursaries and other sponsorship for their studies and were very enthusiastic about a workshop that addresses writing to potential funders and employers.
One of our Masi volunteers, Janna, ran a workshop on study guidelines, schedules and time-keeping, which is essential since the Matric exams are a month away. The group also got to enjoy a refreshing walk to the beach, where they had a fun afternoon playing games, swimming, chatting, doing photo-shoots and having lunch at the beach. After walking back, the learners were exhausted, but had enough energy to get ready for a Maths workshop, facilitated by SAAO.
True to ikamvanite culture, the learners got into a rigorous tutoring session after the day’s many activities and spent a number of hours getting assistance in their school subjects from their tutors, who as usual were more than up to the task. Lindiwe Grootboom, a volunteer said the following: ‘I have found the camp very inspiring. I hear the stories from the learners and tutors and I am amazed by what they go through every day, and yet they are here, studying and working to make their lives better.’
Matric Camp has been a success so far, and Kuhle Riti from Makhaza said the following: ‘The camp is a success because we have got a chance to focus on our studies and help each other as Matrics from (the Western Cape). ‘’ This strongly echoes IY’s value of peer-to-peer sharing and IY is excited to witness the fruit of the Matric camp as the learners write their mock exams in September and final exams in November.
A very special thank you to Pick’n Pay Fish Hoek, for generously supplying camp catering, and ensuring that all our learners, volunteers and staff are well fed every day of the camp, as well as Rotary for the accomodation.
Matrics 2013 Yes we can!!!
Lloyd Lungu