A very big THANK YOU to Schneider-Electric – the global energy specialists – from a very excited group of Ivory Park Ikamvanites as staff from Schneider-Electric spent the afternoon with our learners and awarded awesome gifts to our top attending Ikamva-KNIGHTS!
After a presentation on Schneider-Electric and some insight into the multitude of career opportunities available to young motivated learners leaving school, we heard from Schneider-Electric staff who shared their personal career stories and experiences in the working world.
It’s easy to see that Schneider-Electric is a company specialising in energy management as the energy levels grew quite palpably as awards were made for learners based on their levels of attendance over the past year. Learners with the best attendance each received scientific calculators and a stationery pack in recognition of their commitment and dedication. Those learners who made the minimum 75% attendance criteria also received very cool stationery packs for their efforts too.
What’s more, Schneider-Electric purchased Mindset teaching DVDS to help with revision across a range of school subjects in grades 10-12. These DVDs will be sure to come in extremely handy as learners try to get to grips with sections of the curriculum they are struggling with. We look forward to the queues of learners lining up to work with the DVDs as they seek to improve their understanding.
Once again… a very big debt of gratitude to Schneider-Electric for a memorable afternoon and for enabling us to recognise the dedication of learners who truly are ‘taking their future’s into their hands’.
At IkamvaYouth we wish to empower students to be successful students as well as citizens. To do this, we wish to make our students aware of social pariahs that can be just as important to them as an upcoming exam. With this in mind, IkamvaYouth at Makhaza has embarked on introducing Siyayinqoba!, a programme promoting youth awareness of social issues such as HIV/AIDS, Teen Pregnancy, Hate Crimes, and much more. “Get Informed! Get Involved” is their slogan, and so IkamvaYouth Makhaza has chosen to get their learners informed and involved.
From 22 July 2010 to 29 July 2010, IkamvaYouth Makhaza’s 11th graders were introduced to a lesson on Teenage Pregnancy. They began with a fun icebreaker that made words that are uncomfortable to say easier to talk about. Afterwards, the 11th graders tackled the reasons why teenage pregnancy happen and what consequences might occur as a result. The topic ranged from STDs and HIV/AIDS to dropping out of school, being kicked out of your home, and also to never being able to obtain a proper education for social mobility.
During the second part of Teenage Pregnancy, the students began deliberating on the positives and negatives of engaging in sexual activities at a young age. They compiled a list of reasons on why to stay sexually active as well as a list of reasons to abstain. Results ranged from enjoying sex to peer pressure, disease and HIV to pregnancy, and even to opinions as wanting to be a sexually experienced partner in the future. No opinion was ridiculed nor disregarded, thanks to the open atmosphere offered by our learners.
Siyanyinqoba is here to stay, and we believe that equipping this group of learners will help them become great citizens and also give them full access to their future success.
JOIN US NEXT TIME FOR OUR 3 AUGUST WORKSHOP ON HATE CRIMES AND XENOPHOBIA!
During my break at the National Arts festival this year, I was able to attend workshops on securing funding for non profit organisations. Although the workshops were designed for arts based organisations, there are some lessons that we can learn. These tips apply most specifically to MIE, which I think we can get funding for separately as a creative way of facilitating holistic growth and learning for our learners.
The first workshop was Hands On/ Masks Off by Tony Lancaster CEO National Arts Festival. Tony worked for Old Mutual Foundation and has experience in receiving funding proposals while working for the Foundation.
The first thing Tony said was that the biggest no no is to tell a corporate that you are getting money to make them look good. They probably have a department whose job is to do research and make them look good, therefore your project alone will not reach that objective. Instead look for a way to synchronise their brand with yours, based on shared values.
He said your brand should have a fixed strategy with a consistent message. Your application should be based on their brand and its consistency – which should amplify their core message.
Image and integrity
- Be clear on what you’re about as well as what they’re about
- NB – corporates employ people who do research for them therefore don’t try to change what they do – don’t try to influence their business strategy, they know what they’re doing.
Begging Bowl Syndrome is a big no no
- See NB = value of project to the corporate
- Show them how they will reach their objectives, based on their values
- Put the value in rands
- Okay to include your salary in the budget
- Don’t be apologetic = be proud
- Do your research, ie read their press releases
- In your paperwork include problems you’ve encountered and how you solved them – don’t gloss over this
- Look for creative low cost ways to surprise them
- Make them believe that you’re taking care of their interests
- If you can’t keep your promises – warn them ahead of time
- Read their annual reports
- Find out financial year of different corporations
- Speak their language
Michelle Constant CEO Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) on Looking for Corporate Social Opportunities
According to Michelle, the largest shore of funds comes from marketing as opposed to CSI.
She suggested the following corporates to look into: Thebe Bank, Telkom and FNB for visual art, Plascon Paints for in kind sponsorship and the MTN Foundation for Education.
In an ideal sponsorship:
- Both parties benefit equally
- Strong potential for return on investment
- Benefit and uplift community
- Create good brand awareness
- High positive reputational impact
- Fit perfectly with brand strategy
- Contribute to company BEE scorecard
- Must be able to assess/ measure the no. of people reached
- Look for long term approach
Why business gives money
- Create awareness/ exposure/ promote company
- Build brand/ image reinforcement
- Social responsibility/ community involvement
- Showing that they care
- Experiential/ create loyalty and affinity
- Create business opportunities
- Job creation
- Education
- Media exposure
- Employee engagement
Conditions required to ensure success:
Requirements for perfect brand synchronisation
- Aligned values and agreed objectives
- mutual respect and understanding
- commitment from all
- targeting CSI or marketing within the corporate
- flexibility and willingness to experiment
- keeping good communication channels
- a partnership that is well executed, exciting and creative
- provides ongoing assessment
What Business wants to see from your proposal
- Spend more time preparing proper budgets and cost analysis
- Your proposal must include:
o In for lines – summary budget, what and how whether it’s directed at Marketing or CSI
o Clearly spell out benefits the sponsor can expect
o Be clear on all expected contracted media plans – especially TV
o Address skills development aspects (education NB)
o Clearly show whether provincial or local government structures will be involved and provide support
o Do proper research about the company approached as a sponsor to understand how their objectives can be met
o Do not tick all boxes in terms of what you do
I hope these tips work. In the meantime please send me info on MIE from the different branches. I want to put together a proposal for BASA to match us up with a sponsor for MIE.
CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS
As an introduction to the winter school we ran a ‘body maps’ workshop on the first day. This
is a process by which students trace the outline of their body and then using paint, pastels and found objects such as beads, feathers and pompoms, fill in the ‘map’ of their body. We were overwhelmed by the moving, fascinating and fun final products.
In addition, there were also the following activities that ran throughout the winter school where learners broke into smaller groups: IkamvaCares, Digital Photography Project, Poetry and Drama, Hip-Hop and Dance.
XENOPHOBIA—’WHERE DO I STAND?’
IkamvaYouth screened Molly Blank’s thought provoking documentary “Where do I stand?” on xenophobia which prompted much reflective and introspective thoughts from Ikamvanites. Be sure to log on to our website IkamvaYouth for some of the responses from our Cape Town learners.
HIV/AIDS AWARENESS—VOLUNTARY TESTING & COUNSELLING
Ikamvanites learnt that taking charge of their futures also means taking charge of their health and specifically, take charge of their status. The first step is to test and KNOW YOUR STATUS. During the winter school personnel from New Start presented on the confidentiality and voluntary testing procedure followed by presentations and disclosure from the members of the Philani Support Group based at Ivory Park. More than a third of our learners and volunteers went and tested. The turnout exceeded our expectations and as a result New Start will be invited again later this year.
YOUTH DAY 2010
Ikamvanites marked Youth Day with a time of reflection by lighting candles for the victims of the past and the present. Ikamvanite Joe Manciya led the group through a multimedia commemoration of the events of Soweto in 1976 and brought these to our present consciousness as Ikamvanites asked themselves what we can do to shape our world.
Media, Image, and Expression
By Luyanda Kota
Once again the Media, Image and Expression programme was well represented at the last Tsiba Winter School. The line up of activities started with Chri Fan getting organised and offering Creative writing workshops, creative writing provides a platform for expression and when that foundation is there poetry and many more writing activities such as essay writing are possible.
We also had Art workhops with Donna and our learners created tangible things such as tags which if I may say were beautiful while they had strong messages on them. From there we had poetry and we are happy to present the poem at the bottom of the article as the artcle written by our learners while they were at the Winter School.
Last but by no means less we had our photography sessions were conducted by Sena Allen, Emma van der Vliet and Nicola Pallit. This provided a lot of pretty pictures that had a theme called FIFA Fever. These provided enough for the exhibition that was held at Desmond Tutu Hall in the Talent show.
Music Is…
Music is my passion
My inspiration
Makes me think of passion
Music is my everything
It reminds me of old days
It is my inner voice
Makes me feel good
Makes me feel sad
Music is my freedom
Music makes me feel welcome
Feel energetic, makes me feel warm
Music makes me feel pessimistic
Not happy at all
Music is my home
Music is my let out
Let out for sadness and stress
Let out for anger and pain
Music is my mentor
Music is my world
Written by the 11B students of IkamvaYouth Makhaza Winter Programme
Taught by Christopher Fan, IkamvaYouth Intern
Lloyd Lungu