On a sunny Saturday morning on 30th April, Makhaza gr. 11 Ikamvanites travelled to the leafy UCT campus to attend a University preparation workshop organized specifically for them, by UCT Golden Key Society. Golden Key is an internationally recognized, non-profit organization and the world’s largest honour society, whose membership is limited to the top 15% of degree students at selected universities.
IkamvaYouth learners were welcomed by UCT GK Service Director Katherine Tredinnick, Committee Member Kossivi Fangbemi and Service Sub Com Members Tinashe Choga and Lindsay Cook, who gave short presentations on a variety of study-related subjects. The importance of a healthy diet, exercise and sleep were highlighted as effective ways to reduce stress. Fun videos and slide shows advised Ikamvanites on the benefits of avoiding a big study sessions right before exams and improving time management by organizing a timetable with shorter studying sessions. The 9 best scientific study tips were shared in detail with the enthusiastic audience.
During the question and answer session, Ikamvanites engaged GK members with a number of questions on university student life and on their personal studying techniques. Their answers highlighted the importance of making notes in one’s own words, asking teacher or tutors for clarification if needed and organizing small study groups with close and motivate and always studying to understand so that you may confidently pass on the information to the next person, “If you can’t explain it to someone else then you don’t know it.”
Keynote speaker for the day was the formidable and passionate Ms. Nambita Ntshongwana, Student Recruitment Officer at UCT Admissions Office. Ms. Ntshongwana reiterated how high school students residing in Cape Town metro should feel a sense of ownership towards UCT and strive to ensure their rightful place there, by keeping up their grades to allow for admission. She urged learners to be responsible in their choices and to be wise with time allocation, “If we know which PSL teams are playing, we should also know in just as much detail, university admission requirements and other information key to our future.” We need to invest today in the vision that we have for our tomorrow, we must have not only dreams but solid plans. Ms. Ntshongwana mentioned the existence of a strong partnership to allow students to reach a bright future through tertiary education: the government, NSFAS (National Student Financial Aid Scheme) and their parents are ready to support their vision, but they need to actively participate and ensure good grades in school to qualify for that support. By focusing on and prioritizing their studies, with great and constant motivation, they can turn their heir dreams into reality.
The workshop has been a great opportunity for Ikamvanites to get exposure to UCT campus, to receive guidance and practical tips from university students and to get inspired about the possibilities that their future might bring.The day was memorable and highly motivational, as shown by the posters and presentations learners prepared on the focal points of the experience.
We thank UCT Golden Key members for coordinating the day, for their time, passion and support. We look forward to organising similar events in partnership with tertiary education institutions and a number of students associations, to ensure Ikamvanites will have useful tools to succeed in the future, since we always say ikamva lisezandleni zethu, the future *is* in our hands!
The news of the passing of one of our Ikamvanites has come as a shock to the IkamvaYouth family. Thembakazi Nyakatya joined IkamvaYouth in 2008 while she was doing grade 10. As a young girl from the township, education was the only option for her to become successful. Despite the peer pressure young girls experience in townships she chose education and kept up her attendance until she matriculated in 2010. While she was in grade 12, her positive influence encouraged her little brother Unathi Nyakatya to join the programme, thereafter her second brother Bazise Nyakatya in 2012. In 2011 Thembakazi came back to IkamvaYouth as a tutor. She believed that her background could not be an obstacle to achieving her goals, and it wasn’t. In 2014 she graduated with a diploma in Management at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. In April 2016, while she was sick in hospital, she missed her BTech graduation.
Thembakazi was a role model not only to her siblings, but to many in the IkamvaYouth family and the community at large. We would like to express our condolences to her family. Lala Ngoxolo Thembsie.
If you ever wondered what drives IkamvaYouth branches for the whole year, then you should listen up…
Take a little bit of inspiration, add to that some coaching and a lavish dose of planning, then you have the ultimate recipe to run a branch for the entire year. The 27th of February 2016 was the day Makhaza decided to try out that recipe…..once again!
09:00am sharp, parents, learners and mentors came together to launch the mentoring programme for the 2016 Matric cohort. Highly expectant and excited to meet one another, you could tell they were a bit anxious about the day. Tamara Stelman, Mentoring Coordinator from UCT, started off by thoroughly explaining to the attendees, what the programme was about; what is expected from each party and what she is hoping will be achieved by the end of the mentoring year. She then moved on to pairing the learners with their mentors, you could really see from the faces of the learners and parents, that they were more than impressed with the profiles of their mentors. We were off to a good start, the learners were inspired!
Following that, was a workshop session that included a one-on-one session for further introduction; signing of the mentorship agreement and the sharing of goals,fears and expectations for the year. During the workshop session, Busiswa Dayimani, Branch Coordinator, had a brief meeting with the parents about their expectations for their children, what is required of the parents and the planning that they must do to prepare for the following year. In that meeting a parent, who is a teacher at one of the schools in Makhaza, stood up and voiced what she thought of IkamvaYouth. She said, “I have been watching IkamvaYouth for a period of time now and i want to commend the work that you are doing in this community, you are definitely bringing about a good change in our learners!” Whoop whoop, go team IY! Before you could take it all in, the event came to a halt.
Immediately after that, it was Strategic Planning time! This is where the branch committee, a committee that consists of staff, tutors and learners, gets to set targets for the year, decide on structure that works bests for all members and gets ideas flowing on how to make Makhaza a better branch. The programme for the day kicked off with some really colourful and interesting looking name tags. Yanga Totyi, Branch Assistant, lead this team of Superheroes in discussions in which the team delved into the objectives of the 2016 committee; dissected the responsibilities of each portfolio; set targets for each portfolio and engaged in discussion on the quality of results at the branch and how improvements can be made. All work and no play makes a Branch com dull, hence Lungile Simakade, Branch Intern, shook things up with a few games and icebreakers in between discussions.
Phew! What a day! It is in events like these that the engine of IkamvaYouth branches is oiled and if you would like to get involved in any way…as a mentor or a tutor, please check this LINK out!
Someone once said, “The world is changing, BE ON THE TRANSITION TEAM!”
IkamvaYouth launched the Community Collaboration Programme (CCP) in 2014, which was established to connect with, train, and support other after-school organisations who share the same goal of enabling young South Africans to pass matric, access post-school opportunities, and secure gainful employment.
Although the CCP has only been in operation for two years, the programme is already reaping the fruits of dedication and hard work from learners, tutors, parents and programme coordinators. In 2015, organisations who were part of the CCP amazed everyone when they collectively achieved an impressive 93% Matric pass rate. Of that, 46% were bachelor passes, 26% Diploma passess, 28% Higher Cerificate and a total 12 distinctions. The organisations included in these results are; Just Grace, Sisaya Phambili, Sozo Foundation,Emagqabini and SALT.
Just Grace, has been receiving training and support over the past 6 months. They have been working with Isilimela Secondary School in Langa, Cape Town, since 2011. The Just Grace team consists of several inspirational staff members and volunteers who have been working diligently to help a cohort of 15 grade 12s achieve the success that they deserve. The support of the school’s management and staff, together with the learners and tutors tireless commitment on Saturday mornings and Friday afternoons has finally paid off. For their first round of matrics Just grace has been able to obtain an 81% matric pass rate. Even more impressively 85% of these learners received a Bachelors pass and a total of 10 distinctions were awarded. 62% of their learners have been accepted to university and over the next few weeks staff will work to ensure that all these learners secure post-school placements and begin the next stage of their bright futures.
Yongama Fayi, Just grace Programme Coordinator said: “2015 was a successful yet challenging year for Just Grace, especially because this was our first year to support the matrics. We didn’t know what to expect, but we are happy with the outcome. We are excited and looking forward to 2016. We are definitely going to do even better!!!”.
Just Grace is yet more proof that with passion, commitment, and hard work anything is possible for the youth that we work with. IkamvaYouth is looking forward to seeing these organisations progress and make a huge impact on the youth of South Africa.
If you would like to find out more about any of the organisations mentioned here or more about the CCP and how you can start, develop or grow a tutoring programme and assist young South African’s to reach their full potential, please get in contact with zoe@ikamvayouth.org or call 0744767965.
The national matric pass rate dropped from 76% in 2014 to 71% for the class of 2015. And so it was with nerves and excitement that IkamvaYouth learners, volunteers, parents, staff and donors made their way to the organisation’s branches in ten townships across five provinces last week. However, with relief and celebration, the figures confirm that the collective efforts have paid off, and the Ikamvanites have shown that with hard work, peer support and committed volunteer tutors and mentors, the odds can be impressively overcome.
Highlights of Matric 2015
Although 87% of Ikamvanites attend no-fee schools in townships, they managed to succeed against the odds and consistently beat the national average matric results:
- 80% of Ikamvanites passed the matric exam compared to 71% nationally.
- 69% of Ikamvanites are eligible for tertiary study (achieving either bachelor or diploma passes) compared to 55% nationally
- 40% of Ikamvanites qualified to study for a bachelor’s degree at university compared to 26% nationally.
Ikamvanites choose to take more difficult subjects & do better than average:
- While nationally, only 41% of matrics take mathematics and of those only 49% pass; among Ikamvanites 51% take mathematics and 58% pass.
- While nationally, only 30% of matrics take physical science and of those only 59% pass; among Ikamvanites 39% take Physical Science and 67% pass.
Many learners achieved exceptional results. Chumisa Yaphi from Makhaza achieved 6 distinctions, and has been awarded a scholarship to study at UCT. She is weighing up her options at different institutions, and wants to study either Geology or Pharmacy. Read more about her achievement in the Q&A we did with her.
Most of the learners who did not manage to pass this year are eligible for supplementary exams (61%), and so their journey towards a matric pass is not yet over. They will be tutored at IkamvaYouth branches until they write these exams.
The organisation is particularly proud of branch performance in the notoriously poor-performing regions in Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape. The Umlazi branch is celebrating an 87% pass, with 74% eligible for tertiary (39% bachelor and 35% diploma), while the Chesterville branch achieved an 89% pass (27% bachelor and 50% diploma).
Ntombikayise Mjaja, a parent at the Umlazi branch, thanked IkamvaYouth’s donors, volunteers and staff for their initiative, saying “our children are achieving because of this work; we have seen the improvements, and we are so proud of them”.
Bongane Chavane, who joined the Umlazi branch in grade 10 when he was failing Maths and Life Sciences, said that, “the matric exams were of high standard, but with IkamvaYouth in my corner I managed to get a Bachelor Pass that I am very proud of. Today I am very proud to have passed Maths with 70% and Life Science with 72%. IkamvaYouth is a programme aiming at helping pupils with their future, and this year I am going to study Geological Science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and also give back to this programme by becoming a tutor.
Despite challenges including lacking access to electricity, water and sanitation, as well as Maths and Physics teachers, the Joza branch just outside of Grahamstown achieved an 81% pass (33% bachelor and 24% diploma). Khonaye Mpofana joined IkamvaYouth when he was in grade 11, as he had poor results in grade 10, and was unsure about his post-school career options. He is now celebrating being one of the top matric achievers at his school, and is going on to study Psychology at Rhodes university.
Here’s a graph comparing Ikamvanites bachelor passes against the national averages in the Eastern Cape:
Learners from the class of 2015 are going on to study a range of important fields that will equip them with the skills they need to build South Africa, including medicine, engineering, social work, and Information Technology. In addition, they are also committed to paying forward the support they received; and many of them are returning to volunteer as tutors, and uplift more learners as they rise.
IkamvaYouth has maintained a matric pass rate of between 80 and 100% each year since 2005, and true credit for these results must go to the learners, volunteers, the staff, partner organisations and donors.
“IkamvaYouth would like to express particular thanks to our remarkable volunteers and IkamvaYouth’s five largest donors in 2015: Amalgamated Beverage Industries, Omidyar Network, Capitec Bank, Montpelier Foundation and ELMA Foundation. Without these and all of the other wonderful donors, these results would not be possible. We appreciate your support hugely and are looking forward to continuing to working with you in the years to come,” says chairperson Leigh Meinert.
For more information on IkamvaYouth, please see our 2014 Annual Report. If you would like to donate to IkamvaYouth, please do so via Given Gain or Global Giving or contact: alex@ikamvayouth.org.
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This video is for you, our supporters. Thank you for being a part of IkamvaYouth!
We are proud of our Masinites who achieved a 79% pass rate this year.
4% of them got a National Higher Certificate pass, 38% a Diploma pass and 38% a Bachelor pass.
We are wishing them all the best for their development in future.
Lloyd Lungu