Ikamva Youth Masiphumelele
November Newsletter
I am inclined to call this newsletter the Christmas newsletter, so Merry Christmas Ho Ho Ho…(sorry, I am from England and we start this Christmas thing in late October).
We have closed tutoring for 2011, the Grade 12s have finished writing and much of the Ikamvanites have already boarded buses to the Eastern Cape for the festive period. What a year! I would do a run down of all the significant events but I am trusting that you are all avid readers of this newsletter so there should be no need for a recap.
Instead, please read about a few of the activities and adventures that happened in November.
A Royal Visit!
Phindi Buhlungu, Vuyelwa Adonisi, Khanya Gutyana, and Anathi Bekiswa were the lucky Ikamvanites who had a royal chat with Camilla Parker-Bowles (Duchess of Cornwall) when she stopped by at the library on the 5th November. The girls spoke about the IkamvaYouth programme, how their exams were going, how often they come to the library, why they come and what they want to do in the future.
See a longer article by following this link: http://ikamvayouth.org/blog/2011/11/07/royal-visit
Mzantzi Carnival welcomes Ikamvanites
The eMzantzi Carnival (http://www.emzantsi.org.za/) is a fantastic project that aims to unite young people in the Southern Penninsula through the means of art, dance and music. The programme is a remarkable idea that is having a real impact on youth. It draws youth together from Fish Hoek, Ocean View, Simons Town, and Masiphumelele for a carnival parade on the 3rd December. IkamvaYouth were lucky enough to be a part of this initiative. 12 learners attended the rehearsal and were decorated with cloaks, flowers, masks and other indescribable costumes (you’ll just have to see for yourself on the day).
The theme, this year, is focused on sustainable development. All of the costumes have been made from recycled materials. Youth will parade with 800 other young people from all over the South Peninsula Communities. It will be a time to celebrate our cultural diversities.
Prize-giving
Those of you who attended the prize-giving on Friday will understand what an important occasion it was for the Ikamvanites. It is easy for learners to lose sight of why they are attending the library 3 times a week, why they are giving up their Saturday mornings to study in addition to an intense week at school. The prize-giving offers them much needed recognition of their efforts.
We must appreciate that the Ikamvanites face a multitude of problems (many of which are unknown and unimaginable to the more privileged person) that result from living in conditions of poverty, and managing to face this adversity with the spirit that they do is overwhelming. Being part of the IkamvaYouth programme means that these learners have already taken a momentous and arduous step toward a better future. Friday was about acknowledging the importance of this step and to encourage them to keep walking up the ever inclining hill that is the South African education system.
To those who managed to attend, contributed to the prizes or were part of making this year happen I would like to say a huge thank you. Photos to come…
Timothe Senot
This week our dedicated and wonderful volunteer Timothe left for France. He will be missed. He immediately got stuck in and helped dramatically with all sorts; he established a French club at the library (FL Team), helped with report collection, was the register master, and always had time for everyone. The FL team will continue in his absence and if anyone would like to get involved in teaching French, learning French, or fundraising for an exchange trip to France please let me know.
Social Media
The IkamvaYouth Masi Facebook page is now up and running. I was forced to face my technology phobia and get to grips with social media. For those of you on Facebook please ‘like’ the IkamvaYouth Masi page and keep in touch through this platform. It is a great way to share photos and news as well. It will hopefully enable us to build an alumni network and retain the Grade 12s for tutoring next year.
Recruiting Tutors
We desperately need more tutors for our weekday tutoring sessions. Physical science, and maths are the biggest problem areas for most students and we would like to address this early in the year so that the learners have a better chance of achieving the grades that they deserve. If you know anyone who may be interested or have any ideas about recruiting more tutors please do not hesitate to suggest them or bring them down to the Open Day in January.
Dates for your diary
14th January 10-12: An Open Day will be held at the Masiphumelele Library with the aim of recruiting learners and tutors. If you have any friends who are intrigued by what you do in Masiphumelele bring them down to meet the staff, learners and other volunteers and lets build the IkamvaYouth family. This is also an opportunity to suggest clubs, activities and workshops that you may want to run/get involved with over the year.
The 1st tutoring session will be held on Monday 16th January at the normal time of 3.30pm.
So that’s all folks…
Zoe
Have a Merry Christmas!
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