Empower youth through education in S.A

Honouring our learners is central to our work. It is important that we celebrate their efforts and achievements so that they know that they are seen and valued and therefore encouraged to continue working hard towards realising their dreams.

On Friday, 10th November 2017, one of our partners, Year Beyond, hosted their annual prizegiving at their Gugulethu Branch in Cape Town. Year Beyond, or YeBo, is a partnership between the Western Cape Government and numerous NGOs (including IkamvaYouth) aimed at improving educational outcomes and encouraging a culture of volunteerism. Using the IkamvaYouth model, YeBO is currently working with 184 grade 8 & 9 learners enrolled across three different branches in Cape Town.

The event programme started with a welcome by the Year Beyond School Coordinator, followed by entertainment from a talented group of learners who performed a dance piece. The learners then received awards in the following categories: Appreciation, Academic Achievement, and Achievement for their participation in Olico and Fudza study programmes.

In a thank you speech to the tutors, one of the grade 9 learners, shared a bit about her experience saying that, “The main thing I loved is that I got to be able to learn a lot of things and add to the knowledge I had.” She added, “May this programme expand to many schools. Our future is bright because of you.”

To say this was a fun and inspiring event would be an understatement. It was also illuminating in that it gave us a glance into the impact that our work has on the lives of the learners. The qualitative kind that can only be expressed through the visible courage and determination of our learners to succeed.

Thank you to each and every one of our donors who continue to support our work - your contribution to IkamvaYouth is unparalleled!

For further information please visit our website: http://ikamvayouth.org/