YOUNG people in South Africa's public high schools have a superb home in the Anglo American and Sowetan Young Communicators Awards.
It is Anglo American's most popular corporate social investment and responsibility project and Sowetan's most successful youth development project through the Aggrey Klaaste Nation Building Foundation - in line with the philosophy of the late Sowetan editor-in-chief, Aggrey Klaaste.
Senior provincial education department officials serve as coordinators, ensuring that the Basic Education Department makes the awards (YCA) a crucial addition to its numerous youth development programmes that augment the curriculum-linked work done in the classrooms.
The YCA seeks to improve young people's presentation and oral communication skills; boost their leadership development and personal growth. and help to enhance their oral English communication.
Several previous winners include Asanda Magaqa of Eastern Cape who is now a radio and television producer, presenter and field reporter, and Bonginkosi Dlamini, known as Zola Seven, a musician, actor and community builder.
Reigning national champion Mati Ndhlovu of Eastern Cape from Clarendon Girls High School, won a R30000 bursary and a R10000 cheque for her school. Second-placed Ramba Siyabulela of Western Cape, from Sea Point High School, won a R20000 bursary and R7000 cash for his school. Third-placed Engel Ngobe of Mpumalanga won a R15000 bursary and R5000 for Sitintile High School.
After 17 years, the Anglo American and Sowetan Young Communicators Awards have become the nation's prestigious leadership development programme through public speaking, discovering and nurturing talented potential leaders among pupils in Grade 11 and Grade 12 in public schools, for whom English is a second language. Pupils are encouraged to research, speak and debate on a diverse range of social, political, economic and entrepreneurial issues. The top nine provincial finalists compete, and the top three receive bursaries for their tertiary education.
Model United Nations-South Africa (Munsa), a youthful academic development organisation that conducts and facilitates public speaking workshops and contests for the YCA, has released figures that show off the sheer size of this development programme.
Senior Munsa leaders Abdullah Verachia and Nwabisa Mayema have said that a dual workshop consists of 60 pupils and 20 teachers, who attend separate sessions, and that:
l A single workshop is made up of 50 pupils and 10 teachers, in the sameworkshop.
l The class sizes the teachers handle are an average size of 40 pupils. This means that a typical high school English teacher makes contact with 120 pupils daily.
l It is assumed that after the workshops, a pupil will share their YCA manual with four classmates, friends and or siblings.
On figures pertaining to the workshops in 2009, last year and this year, Verachia and Mayema said:
l Last year the YCA had hosted 65 workshops, of which 25 were dual.
l This year there were 75 workshops, 70 are dual, attended by a 4450 pupils.
lAbout 22250 pupils use the manual;
l About 1450 teachers attend the workshops.
l Teachers who had attended the workshops had transferred the knowledge gained on to 174000 pupils.
Provincial eliminations of the YCA will take place in Johannesburg on April 16, Pietermaritzburg April 30, Nelspruit and Cape Town May 7, Bloemfontein and Bhisho May 14, Polokwane May 21, Kimberley May 28 and Mmabatho June 4.
Top communicators talk the talk
YOUNG people in South Africa's public high schools have a superb home in the Anglo American and Sowetan Young Communicators Awards.
It is Anglo American's most popular corporate social investment and responsibility project and Sowetan's most successful youth development project through the Aggrey Klaaste Nation Building Foundation - in line with the philosophy of the late Sowetan editor-in-chief, Aggrey Klaaste.
Senior provincial education department officials serve as coordinators, ensuring that the Basic Education Department makes the awards (YCA) a crucial addition to its numerous youth development programmes that augment the curriculum-linked work done in the classrooms.
The YCA seeks to improve young people's presentation and oral communication skills; boost their leadership development and personal growth. and help to enhance their oral English communication.
Several previous winners include Asanda Magaqa of Eastern Cape who is now a radio and television producer, presenter and field reporter, and Bonginkosi Dlamini, known as Zola Seven, a musician, actor and community builder.
Reigning national champion Mati Ndhlovu of Eastern Cape from Clarendon Girls High School, won a R30000 bursary and a R10000 cheque for her school. Second-placed Ramba Siyabulela of Western Cape, from Sea Point High School, won a R20000 bursary and R7000 cash for his school. Third-placed Engel Ngobe of Mpumalanga won a R15000 bursary and R5000 for Sitintile High School.
After 17 years, the Anglo American and Sowetan Young Communicators Awards have become the nation's prestigious leadership development programme through public speaking, discovering and nurturing talented potential leaders among pupils in Grade 11 and Grade 12 in public schools, for whom English is a second language. Pupils are encouraged to research, speak and debate on a diverse range of social, political, economic and entrepreneurial issues. The top nine provincial finalists compete, and the top three receive bursaries for their tertiary education.
Model United Nations-South Africa (Munsa), a youthful academic development organisation that conducts and facilitates public speaking workshops and contests for the YCA, has released figures that show off the sheer size of this development programme.
Senior Munsa leaders Abdullah Verachia and Nwabisa Mayema have said that a dual workshop consists of 60 pupils and 20 teachers, who attend separate sessions, and that:
l A single workshop is made up of 50 pupils and 10 teachers, in the sameworkshop.
l The class sizes the teachers handle are an average size of 40 pupils. This means that a typical high school English teacher makes contact with 120 pupils daily.
l It is assumed that after the workshops, a pupil will share their YCA manual with four classmates, friends and or siblings.
On figures pertaining to the workshops in 2009, last year and this year, Verachia and Mayema said:
l Last year the YCA had hosted 65 workshops, of which 25 were dual.
l This year there were 75 workshops, 70 are dual, attended by a 4450 pupils.
lAbout 22250 pupils use the manual;
l About 1450 teachers attend the workshops.
l Teachers who had attended the workshops had transferred the knowledge gained on to 174000 pupils.
Provincial eliminations of the YCA will take place in Johannesburg on April 16, Pietermaritzburg April 30, Nelspruit and Cape Town May 7, Bloemfontein and Bhisho May 14, Polokwane May 21, Kimberley May 28 and Mmabatho June 4.
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