“On the third Saturday of September each year (20 September 2014), volunteers around the world take part in the world’s biggest coastal clean-up, known as International Coastal Clean-up Day. The event has been held internationally each year for over 20 years, when people head to the beaches and begin removing debris and rubbish from shorelines, waterways and oceans”.
This year was no different, as the Western Cape Ikamvanites took to the Helderberg Marine protected area coast to clean the 4 km of beach which is the least disturbed part of the northern shore of False Bay. The Western Cape Ikamvanites came out in numbers and were more than excited to participate in such a great initiative of keeping our coasts clean.
Sesethu Soboyisi says “If the current generation doesn’t take care of the earth, what kind of earth will the next generation inherit?”
“The Clean-up was fun, it took us outside of our usual areas of residence and had us doing something good for Mother Nature” says Bubele Fokazi
This great day was made possible by various partners, thanks to the ERM team for inviting Ikamva to the coastal clean-up day.
Thank you very much to Arne Purves for the beautiful pictures, as found on this blog.
“On the third Saturday of September each year (20 September 2014), volunteers around the world take part in the world’s biggest coastal cleanup, known as International Coastal Cleanup Day. The event has been held internationally each year for over 20 years, when people head to the beaches and begin removing debris and rubbish from shorelines, waterways and oceans”.
This year was no different, as the Western Cape Ikamvanites took to the Helderberg Marine protected area coast to clean the 4 km of beach which is the least disturbed part of the northern shore of False Bay. The Nyanga Ikamvanites came out in numbers and were more than excited to participate in such a great initiative of keeping our coasts clean.
IkamvaYouth is looking for a highly motivated, creative thinker to join the Cape Town office and assist with the Community Collaboration project and general administration for at least 3 days a week from September – December 2014. The internship is voluntary, but a stipend will be offered to cover transport costs.
IkamvaYouth has a 10 year track record of changing the face of education in townships by enabling disadvantaged youth to pull themselves and each other out of poverty with education. IkamvaYouth now has 10 branches throughout the country and is a by-youth-for-youth South African organisation that equips learners with knowledge, skills, networks and resources to access tertiary education and/or employment opportunities once they matriculate. Learners in Grades 8-12 participate in after-school tutoring, career guidance and mentoring provided by volunteers. Most volunteers are university students and many are ex-learners who have returned to pay-it-forward.
The community collaboration project is an initiative that is building a network of organisations who are working in the after-school space and strengthening these programmes through the sharing of resources, ideas and solutions. The ultimate aim is to replicate the impact that IkamvaYouth has had by supporting other organisations to deliver high impact tutoring programmes.
The project is in its pilot phase and has a lot of scope for development and expansion. We are therefore looking for an intern who is flexible and eager to run with projects and take initiative to make it happen! You will work with vaious staff members and get introduced to many different aspects of the organisation.
The responsibilities will include (but are not limited to):
- Desktop research e.g. learning resources, organisational profiles, education statistics, technology solutions etc. etc.
- Potential field research
- Networking with community organisations
- Scheduling and coordinating events
- Marketing and social media
- Writing; articles, training materials,
- Assisting with coordination and facilitation of workshops
- Consolidating data and assisting with the use of education management software
Specific requirements:
- Undergraduate degree (or other tertiary level qualification) preferably in a related field
- Excellent written and spoken English
- Fluency in an additional National language Xhosa/Afrikaans is a huge advantage
- Own transport/drivers license
- Use of own laptop
- Comfortable working in township communities
- Competent with Word, Excel and Power Point
General requirements:
- Positive friendly attitude
- Responsible and reliable
- Committed to making a difference
- Have a social entrepreneurial spirit
Watch this short animation about our model and impact. Please make sure that you have read about the organisation on our website before submitting an application. If you are interested in this position please email your CV and motivational letter to zoe@ikamvayouth.org by 29th August 2014.
After an intense 2 weeks of tutoring and workshops for almost 100 learners, Nyanga tutors spent a very well deserved afternoon at Ace’s in Khatyelitsha, for their tutor appreciation.
This year’s tutor appreciation was unique and extra special, since the majority of tutors who participated are Nyanga ex-learners from the classes of 2011, 12 and 13. As such, the tutor appreciation became something of a re-union for these Nyanganites who were once learners together, and are now paying it forward by tutoring younger ikamvanites during school and university holidays.
The superheroes chose the theme ‘Lets cool the sweat’ in recognition of the hard work they put in over the 10 days of Winter School during the July holidays.
One of the tutors had the following to say: ‘I really agree with the team when they say we’re cooling the sweat. We worked very hard those 10 days; running to Zolani Centre in the morning to catch the bus, intense tutor meetings with disagreements and livey debates and of course the tutoring everyday.’
Well done to our committed volunteers who made Winter School a success, and your appreciation event was well deserved!
On the 9th of August 2014, IY Nyanga attended a Women’s Day event organised by Ilitha labantu in Gugulethu. Nyanga branch com’s head of Health and Life skills, Onelisa Qwaka attended the event on behalf of the branch.
The theme of the event was ‘Young women emancipating themselves from abusive relationships.’ The day was a mix of activities, including group discussions, presentations, and individual opinion sharing. The ladies got a platform to outline the challenges women face in the different environments, such as school, work, home and on the street. A number of issues came up, including teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, crime and gangsterism and child abuse.
After outlining the different issues affecting women, the women did mini workshops to find solutions for the challenges. Key lessons garnered from this exercise were that women abuse is everyone’s problem and communities should unite in fighting it. The group also identified certain tools that can be used to fight abuse and some were as follows: introspection, reporting abuse, educating women about their rights and trusting one’s instincts.
Nyanga representative, Onelisa Qwaka had the following to say, after the event: ‘ It was successful indeed, and we left the hall feeling empowered, happy and seeing room for improvement in their lives.’
A very special thank you to Ilitha labantu f Young women emancipating themselves…
or inviting IkamvaYouth to this important workshop.
IY JOINS THE COMMUNITY IN SAYING NO TO WOMEN ABUSE!
My name is Sesethu Nika, doing my 1st year at UCT
I joined Ikamva Youth (Makhaza Branch) in the year 2012 while doing grade 11. A friend of mine brought Ikamva to my attention so I decided to apply. Luckily for me I got accepted. Joining Ikamva was the most helpful decision for my academic life.
Even though I was an average learner, I needed an environment that would allow me to reach my fullest potential and Ikamva Youth provided me with that platform. Not only did I get great assistance with my academics but I also got a chance to make new friends and meet phenomenal and inspirational people.
Attending the career exhibitions with my fellow Ikamvanites helped me a lot. I got to see what my strength and weaknesses are in order for me to choose the career path that was most suitable for me. I also got involved in the Ikamva Youth Debate Club which helped increase my confidence levels and public speaking skills. Ikamva prepared me for the big bad world.
With all of the assistance, positive energy, encouragement and inspiration from both tutors and learners, I was aspired to work harder and achieve my best. Because of my matric results I was accepted at UWC and UCT and decided to take the UCT offer.
I am currently a student at UCT doing a degree in BSocSci majoring in Environmental and Geographical Science as well as Public policy Administration. Life at university is not all roses. It is quite demanding and needs someone who is focused and knows what they want to achieve in life. Having independence is wonderful and helps one find their feet and be able to stand on their own. Unlike high school where one can depend on educators, university is a totally different story.
Getting to university is not a walk in the park and completing a degree is even more challenging. One has to know what they want in life, they has to be hungry for education. Having education is the sharpest weapon that one can use to fight against poverty, crime, unemployment, ignorance and all other forces that are preventing people from reaching success.
Like all Ikamvanites would say “Ikamva Lisezandleni Zethu”..
Lloyd Lungu