A heads-up discussion with parents led to IkamvaYouth winning the hearts and support of many in North West in a meeting held at IY Ikageng Branch on Saturday the 27th of July 2013. A detailed background of the organization was given and various issues were enlightened giving a clear layout of IkamvaYouth’s aims and objectives as a driving force towards education and development in many poor communities.
The main areas of focus in the meeting included how the IkamvaYouth programme would benefit the learner through tutoring, career guidance, mentoring, e-literacy, and HIV programmes in a culture of self responsibility in learning, participating in IY holiday programmes and learning in a safe supportive environment while accessing free learning support materials. Issues of how the parents can get involved in making IY efforts succeed were also pinpointed mainly involving giving support to boost motivation on learners’ attendance, encouraging learners to participate in all IY programmes, building strong communication ethics with IY staff on matters affecting learners and smooth flow of the programme, help install discipline and build a culture of studying in learners and attending to all IY parents meeting to get new briefs and updates as well as mapping the way forward to successful goal achievements.
It was also discussed that most learners would be hungry when they attend the afternoon sessions making them concentrate less during homework sessions and henceforth ideas were set for parents to prepare more food to cover for learners ‘lunch time at school as well as after school for IY homework sessions. Matters of security pertaining to burglary and theft incidents having been experience almost three times in three months from the Branch’s official opening day were also discussed and ideas were brainstormed on how best the problem could be resolved and these included hiring a security guard to patrol the premises. Parents also agreed that they will report to the branch if they hear or see any of our stolen goods in their community or from their children.
The meeting brief cleared all speculation surrounding IY as it successfully officially opened for the very first time in the North West province. Parents were given a platform to brainstorm on the knowledge they had about IkamvaYouth as their children spent much time with the organization after school hours. ”I do not know much about this IkamvaYouth, but I must admit that since my child started attending to this programme, her school results have impressively improved…this organization is fighting for a good cause fellow parents…”, many parents remarked on this statement agreeably. Much praises over one and half term’s achievements installed hope in many parents and pre-evaluated IY’s great expectations and a gigantic future success.
Lloyd Lungu