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!
Lloyd Lungu