This is my hand…..your hand
that hand that speaks to his and hers..
To this and That…Iam that….
Like compass ….I carry direction..see it in my veins..
Iam like a path leading to various routes…
from here to there..feel it in my palm…and fingers
Iam hand that makes and not breaks…
I bring the good and Not bad
Iam not a fist …dont fold me for I carry a seed in me..
A seed that blossoms when unfolded
There are opportunities in me…..
fingers are my support structure..Please dont burn them
this is your choice
take care of me
they say one hand washes the other…well, I could wash yours if you do mine
nurture me…Iam your hand that carries your future
Seek in me the path to the sunrays…
For I hold the light. (created by Modjadji:NSPW 2012)
This is will be a blog from the Makhaza branch… For now you can view the pictures from our “Phoenix” office party…
To view them go to the IKAMVA YOUTH home page and go to the flickr icon to see the goings on of the day…
Enjoy!
IkamvaYouth: Branch Coordinator
IkamvaYouth is a township-based non-profit organisation, established in 2003 and formally registered in 2004, with branches in three provinces, operating from Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Masiphumelele in the Western Cape, Ivory Park in Gauteng, and the greater Cato Manor area in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. While learners enroll at IkamvaYouth when they are in grades 8, 9, 10 and 11, the programme’s success is ultimately determined by the number of grade 12 learners who access tertiary institutions and/or employment-based learning opportunities when they matriculate. IkamvaYouth in the Greater Cato Manor area of Durban (comprised of Cato Crest, Cato Manor, Ridgeview, Chesterville and Bonela townships), has grown from the Maths Support Programme that was started in 2007 by students from the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Howard College campus for learners from the nearby Cato Crest informal settlement.
IkamvaYouth in Durban seeks to fill the position of Branch Coordinator for its flagship office, which will be based in the township of Chesterville. S/he will be a solutions orientated social entrepreneur who is passionate about the power of education to transform lives and communities, and wants to make a difference. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in a by-youth for-youth educational movement that empowers young people to take our future into our own hands. Previous exposure to volunteer work or an NGO environment preferable but not essential.
Responsibilities:
- Work closely with the Directors of other branches in a coordinated and collaborative way to ensure alignment of policies and processes, and prevent duplication of effort;
- Recruit, coordinate and support volunteer tutors and mentors;
- Liaise with the schools, parents and other community stakeholders;
- Fundraise to build the branch (meeting with funders, writing proposals and reports);
- Manage an office and ensure accurate and up-to date data collection and administration for monitoring and evaluation;
- Budgeting, financial management and reporting;
- Coordinate the organisation’s communications (website, group e-mail discussion lists, newsletters, etc.) together with other ikamvanites;
- Lead the team of volunteers to implement the supplementary tutoring, career guidance and mentoring and holiday programmes. Requirements:
- Post Matric qualification
- Project management skills
- Conflict resolution skills
- Financial management skills
- Report writing and presentation skills
- Organised and efficient;
- Enjoys working with young people;
- Able to work alone and take initiative;
- Adept at using computers and able to work virtually (many discussions, meetings and document development occur collaboratively online);
- “Can do” attitude and belief is very important (IkamvaYouth achieves great results despite challenging environments and minimal resources);
Send resume with covering letter to: zamo@ikamvayouth.org
Closing date: 29 July 2011
We have been studying the poetry from ‘Through Our Eyes’ in English class. My Year 9 High school students in Australia spent a few weeks reading and reflecting on the insightful and inspiring poetry from IkamvaYouth. I, their teacher, spent a year in Cape Town in 2008 and volunteered with Ikamva as a tutor as well as taking part in all the other wonderful things that were being done. I was at the exhibition of the photos from the book and ran an interactive body percussion workshop at the launch. Some of you might remember the slogan we sang: Pictures are our stories of the world through our eyes.
As a result, it was so exciting when I started teaching in High school and realised that I could use this opportunity to spread the story of IkamvaYouth, a self sustaining, innovative organisation. At the same time, I could expose my students to some new themes and introduce them to some of the passionate people I had met, through their poetry.
We spent a few classes discussing HIV and AIDS, exchanging information that is essential for all young people. This tied in very well with Thobela’s poem ‘I want the meaning of Positive’ and it sparked much conversation about HIV as a personal and global issue and what life might be like if the word ‘Positive’ took on a new meaning from the one you’d been taught as a child. ‘Do you know your status’ was also another poem that struck my students. Life can be planned. We can strive for dreams, but all that could come to nothing if we don’t know our status. ‘I had never realised’ was another poem that we enjoyed, because it told about how perspectives change as a result of experiences. Often we don’t realise things until they stare us right in the face. This poem allowed us to question our lives and our assumptions, and begin to wonder how many things ‘we’ haven’t realised yet. It also led us to discuss what might be similar in the lives of teenagers in Khayelitsha and Australia, and what things might be different.
We also spent some time looking at the Photo Gallery on the IkamveYouth website, and that allowed us to spend an afternoon seeing Khayelitsha through your eyes as well as catching a glimpse of some of the poets in the photos. Here are my students’ reflections on some of the poetry. We’d like to thank all the poets and photographers for the snapshot of their lives, that allowed us to enter and learn from the experience. I’d also like to thank Joy for allowing us to share our reflections with you.
Eva Franklin
On Saturday 25 June, IkamvaYouth Ivory Park hosted its inaugural Careers Indaba at the IkamvaYouth Centre in Ivory Park, near Midrand. Despite icy conditions, the event saw approximately 300 learners and members of the community attend the free event that was hosted by Ikamva Youth together with participants of the 2011 Nexus Programme at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).
For photos from the IkamvaYouth Careers Indaba in Ivory Park, click here.
The Careers Indaba comprised of a number of major exhibiting corporates including Deloitte, ABI Beverages, KPMG and Accenture as well as representatives from the CSIR, a collection of tertiary and NGO organizations and over 40 volunteers. Tertiary institutions like WITS, Midrand Graduate Institute, Ekhuruleni West College and St Augustine College advised interested learners on courses and qualifications required for future study opportunities.
Halfway through the well-attended event, the surprise arrival of Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, caused much excitement amongst learners and exhibitors alike. Despite only staying for 10 minutes, Motshekga visited all stands personally and gave an impromptu speech to the appreciative audience. Speaking predominantly in Xhosa, she urged learners to stay in school and work hard, saying education was the single most important investment you can have in yourself. She said, “We are grateful for IkamvaYouth and for all the work they do with young people in education and we are especially thrilled to see so many supporters, companies, organisations and volunteers getting involved alongside IkamvaYouth to help build a better nation”.
Andrew Barrett, coordinator of IkamvaYouth Gauteng and a member of this year’s Nexus intake at GIBS, was overwhelmed by the attendance of the event, saying, “The lack of knowledge about potential career opportunities is a major obstacle for township school learners and so this sort of day is invaluable for so many of them. The vision of the Careers Indaba was to increase awareness and access to opportunities for individuals from impoverished communities to improve their circumstances and better plan for their futures. Based on the success of this year’s experience, we hope to make it an annual event.”
Aimed at Grade 10-12 learners but open to all interested members of the community, individual volunteers were encouraged to dialogue with attendees on a one-to-one basis sharing their own workplace and education experiences.
Dylan Kerr Balkind, a volunteer in his own capacity, shared his experience as a copywriter in advertising and was inspired by the new generation of learners who he communicated with. He said, “I feel like I got more out of today than most of the learners. It was wonderful to share our stories and as a whole, I found them motivated, ambitious and determined to make a success of their careers. I am looking forward to working with many of these bright young stars in the future.”
Tea and coffee kept the exhibitors warm while food sponsored by Pick n Pay and beverages sponsored by ABI Beverages kept the attendees refreshed and in high spirits. The event also hosted a series of motivational workshops for the learners and finished off with a raffle draw, with gifts and prizes being donated to the excited crowd by Deloitte, Pick n Pay and WITS.
IkamvaYouth is a South African not-for-profit organization focused on the empowerment of youth through education, e-literacy and career guidance. Established in 2003, the organisation currently operates in three provinces nationally, in Khaelitsha, Nyanga and Masiphmelele in the Western Cape, Ivory Park in Gauteng and Cato Crest in KwaZulu-Natal respectively. The Ikamva Youth model is an innovative, township-based, volunteer-driven project achieving remarkable results through offering attendees supplementary tutoring, mentoring, career guidance, HIV education, life skills development and e-training. Their success rate is astonishing, with the Western Cape Ikamva Youth matriculate pass rate at between 90 and 100 percent each year. An advocate of Ikamva Youth, Motshekga has previously been quoted as saying, “The NGO sector has continued to play a very important role in education. We were fascinated by initiatives of young people supporting other young people, like IkamvaYouth.
For more photos from the IkamvaYouth Careers Indaba in Ivory Park, click here.
Written by Jane Lewis – GIBS Nexus 2011 delegate
Lloyd Lungu