Community Engagement |
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SAWIP believes that all people have a duty to be active in community development activities and that. community engagement in poor neighborhoods is an essential part of developing compassionate and ethically responsible leaders and productive members of society. Group Community Project 2013
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 Community members registering for workshops |
 Students are parents registering for workshop |
Marian R. C. High School, located in the Lavistown area of Cape Town, was selected as the venue for the SAWIP 2012 community service project. The school, home to approximately 400 learners hails from seven different surrounding areas, which adds to the school's diversity. However, the legacy of apartheid, and lack of development in the post-apartheid era, had a negative impact on Lavistown community. The residents of the area are constantly faced with poverty, inequality, drugs and high levels of crime. These socio-economic difficulties automatically affect the school, learners and community outlook.
 Saif Islam (SAWIP Class of 2012) and Mr. Ismail Paleker of the University of the Western Cape. |
 Accountability Workshop |
The SAWIP team felt that they could make a genuine and tangible contribution by refurbishing the school library, which has been inaccessible to students for many years. They assisted the school to update their library and helped build networks with book sponsors as a means of sustainability.
 Mr. Morgan (Principal of Marian High School) with learners of Marian High School at the opening of the library. |
 Library opening - Mr. John Scrimgeour (SAWIP Advisory Committee Member), Shannon Lambrechts (SAWIP Class of 2012), Mr. Morgan (Principal of Marian High School), Mrs. Losper (Marian High School Educator). |
The team also felt the learners and residents of the community could benefit from skills development. They hosted various workshops for the Lavistown community from business plans to curriculum vitae writing. Advice on further education training and accessibility to tertiary institutions, as well as funding for these streams of education, were also discussed at great length with the learners and community members.
The culmination of the community service event was a robust discussion with the theme of accountability. Lavistown community members were able to hold their ward councilor (local political leader) accountable for service delivery and other pressing issues. The team fulfilled their aim of imparting skills and information to people who ordinarily would not have been exposed to such opportunities. South Africa's enormous skills shortage, literacy levels that are on a rapid decrease and the number of people who are unemployed are mainly due to a lack of education, a lack of knowledge about how to apply for jobs and a lack of knowledge about business documentation. The skills development element of the SAWIP community service project together with the library refurbishment and accountability discussion served as important elements in transforming South Africa to becoming a developed, skilled and educated nation.
Group Community Project 2011
Leadyoung - High-Impact Youth Leadership Programme 2011
The SAWIP Leadyoung Leadership Programme took place from the 16th to the 18th of September 2011 at the University of Stellenbosch. The project aimed to identify school aged learners in grades 10 and 11, from three different schools and to facilitate a South African themed leadership development curriculum to them. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the project.
SAWIP Team 2011
RATIONALE:
The SAWIP team of 2011 decided to embark on a community service project that could have definite immediate impact but that could also have sustainable long term results. As such we felt that making a meaningful contribution to a group of young people, by developing their potential and deepening their human capital would not only be beneficial to them in the short term, but would also bear fruits for the country and its economy in the longer term.
AIM:
To provide and facilitate a process that provides a cross-section of high school students representative of a diverse socio-economy with an integrated and transitional leadership programme.
OBJECTIVES:
The SAWIP Team of 2011 focused on facilitating community service work that was:
- Constructive
- Inspirational
Centered on harnessing and gleaning young potential leaders from a spectrum of schools towards a broader definition of youth leadership in South Africa.
OUTCOMES:
The Leadyoung programme produced several important outcomes. The immediate outcomes of the programme centred around the 24 participants. Each of the participants was identified as a future leader in their school. Leadyoung aimed to capacitate these young people and prepare them for the task of leading their peers. This was done by:
- Giving them a South African focused curriculum which gave them a greater appreciation for leading in South Africa,
- Focusing greatly on improving their communicative ability and particularly their use of English as a tool to convey important leadership ideas,
- Providing the participants with a range of skills to help them navigate the difficulties that they and their communities face,
- Inspiring the participants to aim higher than they would otherwise have thought possible,
- Providing the participants with mentors who they could relate to, and,
- Providing the participants with a network of peers who can provide peer-to-peer support for their projects and aspirations.
Beyond the direct benefits to the participants, several other outcomes were produced: a sustainable leadership curriculum was created which SAWIP can use in future generations. The SAWIP community service focus was preserved with the completion of another generation's project. The schools of the learners will indirectly benefit from the programme because they will be led by better leaders in matric.
Group Community Project 2010
Enthembeni Old age home
The Class of 2010 decided to assist the newly establish old age home. After having visited the home as a team, 3 particular areas in which we could add value stood out. Namely recreational activities, financial sustainability and community integration.
RATIONALE:
After having come across Enthembeni, our aim was to create structures and partnerships that will ensure the sustainability of the home, as we realised that in order for a new home to do well it had to be part of the community (Gugulethu) not just in location but in its running.
METHOD:
We had the understanding that the issues that needed to be addressed at the home were both short and long term in nature. As recreational activities were one of the immediate needs, we facilitated the appropriation of entertainment, as per requested by the Enthembeni residents. Such an example was a traditional games set. Similarly, from our prior visit to the home, we learnt that a number of the residents enjoyed spending time in the gardens of the home. This led us to creating a vegetable garden. Not only did this serve as a cost saving activity in the home by reducing food costs, but also made the garden more aesthetically appealing. 
In looking to have the greatest possible impact on the home we realised that we had to focus on forming long term partnerships with the home and organisations within the community. These organisations included J.L Zwane and Cape Peninsula Organisation For The Aged (CPOA). J.L Zwane will be providing dancing and writing lessons within the home. Whereas, CPOA provides a platform where the residents of the home can engage with other members of the community on a habitual basis.
An in depth analysis of the financial situation of the home was done and recommendations were made. In the long run, we hope that these recommendations will improve the financial position of the home.
FOLLOW- UP:
As part of the unwavering commitment to the project, the class team committed to return to the home over the ensuing weekends. Furthermore, structural recommendations made by the SAWIP team 2010 have been passed on to Be the Change (BTC) Africa, an independent organisation that assist non-profit in improving their core functions.
