Good Evening everyone. My name is Elroy Bell, I was asked to speak tonight on behalf of my team. I am one of a team of 15 members who are the 2013 Class of the South African Washington International Programme, or SAWIP. As part of our programme we have been participating in a community engagement short course through the FVZS institute.

A little bit of background: For those who are unfamiliar with what SAWIP is, SAWIP is a 6 months service and leadership development programme. A team of 15 students selected for the programme are chosen from Stellenbosch University, the University of the Western Cape and the University of Cape Town. We are from various backgrounds and disciplines, our team consists of a physiotherapist, a student of food security, politics majors, economics majors, a Latin scholar, finance, law and I am a student of theatre. SAWIP’s ethos “for service and leadership” rings loudly in our ears, in that common among all of us is the belief that to lead is to serve, the two go hand in hand. Our Team of 15 have been involved in serving our communities in various ways and it is this dedication to serving others that we are celebrating here tonight.

As part the SAWIP 2013 curriculum, not only do we have the opportunity to spend time with Leslie, Grant, Michelle, Delano and the rest of the MGD team, and benefit from their knowledge but we are also tasked with creating a community engagement project of our own design. For the most, this process has been an enjoyable one, however there have been trying times.

It was during this project that I realised why organisations that represent global leaders are some of the least efficient at implementing solutions. A group of 15 passionate university leaders, all determined to make this project work but each with our own ideas of what, where and how. It took us months to decide what this project would be.

We developed it while we were all working in Washington DC, this winter, and changed a lot of it when we got back, two weeks before we were to begin. But it is through this constant re-evaluation of what we were doing that we are now currently implementing a project all of us are proud of.

This past Saturday saw the first session of the Langeberg Leadership series in Robertson. We decided to partner with Langeberg High school and implement a two week personal development and leadership workshop series, with the core intentions to enable empowerment and broaden perspectives. From the beginning it was important for all of to do something that would have a long lasting impact on whomever participated and I think I speak for all of my team members when I say listening to those students on Saturday, we felt the ground shift as each of us sensed the benefit, not only that we may have had on the group of students working with us, but also the impact they had on us.

Driving back from Robertson on Saturday, I was struck by how easy it had all been, how much fun it was and I was left wondering why it was such a big task to organise. And with the anticipation of this Saturday where our young leaders will be coming to Stellenbosch to continue our workshops, I know that had it not been for all the emails, plans and schedules, none of us would’ve had the humbling experience of talking to just one student and walk away with both our steps a little lighter.

In reflection, one of our team members, Mario Meyer, was reminded of quote from Margaret Mead. In light of such adversity, it best describes our group of students from Langeberg : “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it was the only thing that ever has.”

Thank you.

There is no one single South African Story. To imply that, undermines our diversity and the individual ways people interact with their circumstances and their communities. One of the reasons I say this is because for the longest time I didn’t think my story was relevant, standing next to other friends’ “South African Stories”

I am not white enough to have worked through the misplaced guilt some of my friends experienced in school, I am not black enough to have grown up with parents who carried Dom Passes and I definitely didn’t fetch water down the road and in true African style, carry the bucket on my head, can you imagine the long term damage to these curls?

In true South African fashion, the first place I went to in defining my story was race.

A while ago I began to feel a little overwhelmed with the idea of telling my story to a group of people. Not just because they would be strangers but rather because I didn’t know how I’d fit my story into a speech.

Firstly, you aren’t strangers. I look around here and see people who have opened your home and your family to me, we have shared a meal, a glass of wine or two or three, had wonderful conversations, laughed and even gone out dancing. You are friends and family now.

Secondly, famed Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adiche reminded me of the dangers of a single story. The story I tell you here, will not be an all-encompassing tale of my life. At this point I have choices: I could tell you about my difficulties with identity, torn between one that defined my education and another that defined my family and the real story of how I became a good dancer – waltzing between these two lives that occupied this one body. I could talk to you about the difficulties in becoming comfortable with who I am and coming out as a gay man in South Africa, though that one may be a misrepresentation of the adversities people face in their journey to portray their authentic self.

Tonight, I will tell you about my house. If you’ve been to Cape Town, you probably didn’t visit my area, it’s not a tourist attraction and the only way I can explain where it is to Capetonians from the nicer side of the railway lines, is by telling them it’s on the way to Mzoli’s Tshisi nyama, their favourite cultural dining experience in the township

I grew up in Vanguard Estate in Athlone, on the cape flats

After being forcibly removed from District Six by the apartheid government, my mother’s family moved a couple of times until my grandfather was able to secure this house. District Six was an area just off Central Cape Town that was mixed area. After the group areas act, the government forcibly moved everyone to other areas and demolished their homes. If you go on the District Six tour in Cape Town, that church in the center of CPUT campus, St Marks, is where my grandmother was baptised and later married my grandfather. I think there’s an admin building now where their house used to be.

My parents moved in after getting married, renovating and expanding the house. It used to be painted bright blue, I think my dad was trying to emulate some misplaced identification with the colour scheme of the Bo Kaap, a historically Cape Malay area with characteristically brightly colored homes. Our house became a bright blue landmark people used when giving directions down the Klipfontein main road.

When I refused to sleep as a baby, my parents would take it in turns to walk me around the house and take me to the windows facing the street and the passing headlights of the cars would always calm me.

I'm supposed to be part of the post-conflict generation but as young as I was, looking out of those same windows I remember seeing the bright yellow police combat vehicles or caspers, driving in to disperse crowds in Gugulethu, I remember the protestors marching past my house: crowds and the songs. I remember when the smell of teargas wafted into our home from the commotion on the street. I understand the events intellectually in retrospect but in that moment as a young child, all I had was what it felt like.

I remember walking down to the Community Center on a really hot day with my family, being really confused as to why we weren’t using the car. I was 5 at the time. We stood in lines for a REALLY long time. Everywhere we went, people were happy. For the next few days, I couldn’t understand why my dad wouldn’t let me change the TV channel so I could watch cartoons. How could I understand that my entire household was glued to the TV waiting for the election results. It was 1994.

I find myself doing a lot more of the re-evaluating retrospective work on memories that I was unable to contextualise at the time. Through the processes of some of our SAWIP conversations, I have found new meanings. My SAWIP team has become a family. We have had many opportunities to share stories, experiences and discuss issues with which we have had particular experiences. In the same way that I was able to understand the events of my early childhood as I grew up, I've been able to contextualise world events and my interactions with people in a deeper more meaningful manner.

Quite a lot of that growth has happened as a result of some conversations with Patti and Jon. For one, they've developed my understanding of child rearing. If I end up being half as good as they are at raising Sam, I'll be happy. I can tell we will be friends for a long time to come. I walked into your home, a stranger with whom you'd exchanged a few emails, I leave knowing I will be sharing memories with you in the future. I am so excited to see Sam grow up. I have no doubt each of my team mates have also forged unique relationships with their host parents, don't be surprised to receive those "America-homesick" emails in a few weeks.

I am inspired by this team of South Africans every day, resolute in our common goal of nation building. Each of us passionate about different things but supporting eachother in anyway we can. A new generation of South Africans whose mandate it is to move our nation forward together to a society that will one day truly be unified in our diversity and not divided for equality.

South Africans who know that the country we will grow old in and that our children will grow up in will be of our design. A country of millions of stories, working together and helping eachother. The power is ours. Amandla! Ngawethu!

My work placement is not as big a name as the World Bank or with a congressman on “The Hill”, whenever we go around the room introducing ourselves and our work placements, I am often asked afterwards, where and what is that? I am working at Sitar Arts Center in Adams Morgan. They teach a variety of artistic disciplines throughout the year and also during the summer. They have a beautiful and well-resourced center where they aim to make the arts accessible to all by charging families based on household income. I am currently working as the assistant acting coach for their musical summer production of Guys and Dolls.

For the longest time, I have always enjoyed tutoring, teaching and working with young people. There is an indescribable joy that one feels helping a student realise their potential. My colleagues at Sitar are wonderful, the environment is friendly and there are always smiles around. The programmes at Sitar are for all ages but I am specifically working with middle and high school students. Luckily I am not out of my depth in this position and when you’re actually working with children and influencing their growth, it is not a good idea for a teacher, no matter how short a time they may be with the students, to be ill-equipped.

I don’t go to work dressed in a suit and tie, I’m sure the kids would laugh at me if I did. I’d also ruin every pair of formal pants I have if I tried to move around in them like I do normally in class. I often have to change straight after work to make sure I get to the evening SAWIP events looking as dapper as everyone else. Though, at this stage, I’m almost always certain I’ve had a more fun day shaping young minds and lives than most of them have had in their offices…

Before I delve into the subject of this post, I need to mention my issues with this particular format of blogging. I don’t keep a diary or a journal, all my reflective processes generally involve another person to speak to or my phone’s voice recorder. After doing the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator as part of SAWIP before we left for DC, I found that, that behaviour is consistent with my “type”. I’ve always known that about me, like I mention in one of my previous posts, different individuals function in different ways and systems are being adapted to be all inclusive. In my own education programmes, I encourage a vocal reflection as an alternative to the hand-written expression as I know not all learners identify with that. None the less I have no choice but to subscribe to the system until such time that start uploading vlogs through youtube.

Alright, now that the rant is over: American Politeness – which in itself is also a rant, so I feel as though Im being consistent. From the moment we got here, I’ve been having difficulty holding my tongue. In South Africa we speak about everything, publically, privately, with friends or strangers. This is not the case in the US of A. The land of Freedom of Speech is very particular about how free you are to say exactly what you mean. Perhaps it’s because our society has always spoken about these issues because they’re so ingrained in the social landscape of our country. Coming from such a melting pot of cultures we’ve gotten to a point where we embrace stereotypes, use them in humour and laugh together. I am sure there are arguments for how this makes us a society in denial or something but to be honest, it works for us. The thing is, we have gotten really good at discerning when someone is being malicious by making a cultural, religious, racial or gender based comment in a conversation. If that happens, we are VERY quick to hold people accountable but for the most part we talk about things honestly and freely.

In our first official session on this side of the Atlantic, we were informed about the necessity for Political correctness and cultural sensitivity. It was funny for me to hear about how some of the team had already received death stares from strangers on the metro system for talking to eachother in loud audible voices about the first impressions on the differences in perceptions about race here compared to home. I also keep grabbing my mouth the moment I say something, forgetting I’m not at home, quickly turn to whoever’s with me and ask if what I said is “PC” while casting my eye across the room to see if I’ve offended any unsuspecting eavesdropper.

It’s a very strange thing within a country that also implements Affirmative Action. The Supreme Court just sat with a case that dealt with these laws and didn’t make a definitive decision. In my mind, the interpretation of laws adapt to the will and opinion of the populous. When everyone refuses to talk about things that influence these laws, how can decisions be informed?

The basis of our programme is debate and discussion. We meet myriad experts in various fields, they talk to us and that generally acts as an impetus for discussion. The last Friday session was entirely discussion with our group. It’s incredibly stimulating and by far one of my favourite aspects of this programme.

There is, however, a problem. We all tend to agree with one another. We all agree on what issues need to be addressed and tend to agree with what people’s suggestions are to alleviate ills. It is wonderful that we all have a unified vision and we’ll most likely work with the same general goals in mind in our different fields. South Africa needs collaborative partnerships to reach unified goals. I am at least grateful that the SAWIP team is on track with that in mind. What I mean though is that we may not argue enough.

I believe in the title of this blog post. I don’t mean violent conflict (whether I agree with it or not, it has been used in the past to push progress), but the conflict of minds. When we interrogate concepts and call individuals out on their statements we’re able to re-evaluate our ideas. Different voices give different perspectives, the only eyes you have are your own, until you allow others to see too. We need to have enough respect for each other to be honest in discussions. I’m not saying we’re a team of yes (wo)men but we as a team could do more to voice suggestions for improvement, give a bit more of a rebuttle in debate because that is how change is encouraged.

My friends and boyfriend will tell anyone who asks how much I detest these inventions. I have an inexplicable desire to run up to people on them, throw them off and scream at them to use their legs like normal people. In a recent foot-in-mouth episode (I say recent because they happen quite often), I've had to qualify this position a bit. I completely understand the necessity for these "modes of transportation" in situations where an individual's ability to walk is impeded in someway. There is indeed a young woman at the University of Cape Town who uses a Segway on our mountainside campus for exactly this reason. That being said, after my time in New York I have to re-evaluate my position on these two wheeled self balancing personal transportation devices…

New York City is like no other city I have ever experienced in my life. It is a hub of energy, life and light. I have been lucky enough to travel to a number of cities around the world but once I arrived in New York, it felt like all other cities were running at half speed. Don’t get me wrong, the city stinks. Quite literally, I don’t think I made one trip without being hit in the face by a warm gust of steam that smelt like sewage water. The city is dirty. Correction: most of the city is dirty, there are areas (particularly the more affluent like the Upper East Side, for example) where the streets are kept spotless.

We were only in NYC for about 4 days but I was impressed with how quickly we mastered the transport system. I’ve been spoilt here in DC, our metro (although not the most efficient in the world) has large spacious and clean stations; a stark contrast to NY subway’s low-maintained, claustrophobic, chaotic stations. There was so much we needed to pack into this trip, I think over the four days we were in the city, we slept for about 14 hours in total. Most of our events were in the mornings, brunch with Standard Bank and the UN event, for example, meaning we would be exploring the city in formal wear and smart shoes. By the end of every night I felt like tiny little men were poking me feet with hot needles. These were the moments when I began to re-evaluate my position on Segways, wishing really hard that one would magically appear at my side to make life in the “Big City” easier.

I didn’t mind in the moment though, running across the city from the Met, to Time Square to see Chicago on Boradway, staying up until 5am after walking across the Williamsburg bridge to catch a glimpse of the Brooklyn Bridge across the water. Running to Times Square in the rain at night and having the lights hit you in such a dazzling fashion that you think you’ve fallen into daylight. This city is incredible and I for one, can’t wait to visit again.

One of the greatest aspects of the experience of living in DC for these 6 weeks is where we stay. The host families who open their homes to us and invite us into their families for our time here are incredibly amazing people. They don't really know what sort of people we'll be before they meet us, they have our bios and email us once or twice before we walk into their homes when we land. Besides knowing our areas of interest and the fact that some of us have annoying dietary requirements (I mean who doesn't eat meat, right?), there are a host of unforeseen issues that may arise. Yet, here I am, writing this blog on the couch with my host mom and my host brother sitting across from me.

Patti, Jon and Sam are my family while I'm here. I keep telling everyone who will listen, how lucky I've been with my placement. This house is full of warmth and love. It feels like real people live here. That may sound strange but I've been to homes where people are sitting next to each other and it feels like the room is empty, where people are so preoccupied with their professions they can't be mentally/ emotionally present with their family.

Patti and Jon have made me feel so comfortable and at home in their home, that I've been forgetting to call my own parents. This feels so much like my own home right now. Sam is about 18 months old now, he is one of the most active one year olds I've ever seen. It took me about four hours from when I first met him, to get him to give me a high five and things have been fantastic since then. I play with him while Jon and Patti may be busy or if they're in need of a break. when I say he's active, it's an understatement, he's so active and resourceful, someone needs to be vigilant at all times. As Jon so proudly said yesterday, "he's all muscle," this little baby has about 1%baby fat, is SURPRISINGLY strong and has an impressive pitching arm.

Patti and Jon are of the youngest host parents we have on SAWIP, they are so easy to talk to, we laugh and enjoy our time together. Some other team members have a different dynamic with their host families, I'm sure that works for them but there's no one else I'd rather be living with than here.

We live in Silver Spring and although everyone else who lives in Montgomery County is relatively close by car, they're all on the opposite end of the red metro line. I soon noticed that when I'd make an announcement in the team about weekend maintenance work having an effect on this end of the metro line, it didn't mean anything to anyone but me. My living environment would be COMPLETELY different had been placed here with another SAWIPer and I'm really grateful I wasn't.

We're so busy all the time so I cherish the time I get to spend at home. Thank you Jon and Patti Pace for welcoming me into your family and also just for your general awesomeness. See when I get home tonight.

Here's a picture of the family at the baseball game this weekend.

SAWIP is an incredible programme, I realise that more and more from the people we interact with on a daily basis while we're here in DC.

Two days in, we sat down with Glen Ackerman. Glen runs Ackerman & Brown, the largest LGBT law firm in the United States, he also happens to be neighbours with SAWIP on the 2nd floor of our building on Connecticut Ave. The intention was to have Glen talk to us for about 8 minutes on the legal dos and don'ts of life in DC. This session ended up lasting 2 hours.

Glen gave us an opportunity to just talk, something we as a team grabbed with both hands. The conversation started with the legal consequences of getting on the wrong side of the law while we're in DC and went on to discuss everything from the Affirmative Action laws in front of the Supreme Court right now, the rights and laws related to Native Americans, LGBT rights and gay marriage to the US's ability to minimise the discrepancies in access to quality education according to household income, just to name a few.

Glen has been one of the greatest non-SAWIP support we as a team have had while we've been here. He's made it abundantly clear that we call his cell if we have any issues at whatever time of the day (which we of course hope we'll never need to do). He has met with many of us individually and given us access to his extensive network. He's invited members of the team to gala events where their area of interest is the focus, to courtroom proceedings should there be cases that are of particular interest to us, and put us into contact with people in our disciplines. In fact, yesterday I heard that he’s been instrumental in getting our new University of Pretoria students work placements for the short time that they’re here too. He does all of this because he believes so completely in the programme and in us.

In that session, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, having just landed in this "brave new land" He brought us down to earth. We asked him how he'd achieved what he had in his life. His answer was simple and I'll remember it for the rest of my life. He said, "Take your seat." He explained how people may develop a victimized complex because they may become marginalised through the "boy's world" or corporate America. This taking your career into your own hands had been the key to him succeeding.

Each of us have a reason we’re in DC. We also know exactly what we each want to achieve while we’re here. I spoke to a couple of my team members and I think the older members of the team who are closer to leaving student life have a clearer understanding of what they want to accomplish with this opportunity. I think many of us were a little less sure of how to accomplish that in the big bad idea of what corporate America was. Glen’s talk gave many of us the “chutzpah” to brazenly do what we came to do. I truly appreciate it, especially so early in the trip. It encouraged me to be very vocal in times where I may have felt I’m not qualified to make a statement. It’s also made me a lot more direct in my networking and has, in just a week, gifted me lunch meetings and coffees with various people which will I am sure will be invaluable relationships to cultivate.

I guess this post, is just a small thank you to Glen. He probably may never read this but whoever does, should know what effect this one man’s words have had on a group of 15 South African leaders.

I just looked at the headline of this post and wondered whatever happened to the young creative who loved writing poetry and short stories for children. I once heard you become the person the world needs you to be, maybe that’s what’s beginning to happen…

A few weeks ago we had an evening session with the wonderful Harry Culver, a former executive at a large corporation in South Africa, SAWIP board member and active citizen passionate about the future of South Africa. He introduced and facilitated a discussion on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within the South African context. We outlined what the general idea behind these ideas meant. We explored some of the work being done by some of the large companies in the country. Things were going well…

It may be a result of hyper-critical minds, cynicism, or a general distrust of the ethics of large corporations and “boardroom philanthropy,” but the discussion quickly began to interrogate the motivations for some of these initiatives. I think the work being done by these corporations is commendable: some corporations implement excellent welfare systems for their employees, ensuring there are support structures such as health care, child care and education subsidies available to them and their children. I also realise that a workforce that is holistically supported would have less quotidian “stresses”, thereby elevating Human Resource problems in the company and maximising productivity. The support of entrepreneurial enterprises and the support of programmes to grow the middle class allows growth for the country as a whole and in so doing raises the amount of expendable household income, allowing for an increase in consumerism that benefits the future of a lot of the same corporations.

I’m sure I may come across as some theatre student who has no concept of the various initiatives being implemented that have no feasible benefits AT ALL to the companies that implement them. I do acknowledge that there are indeed true altruistic executives in the world. SAWIP alumni, ahem… None the less the motivations behind the work being done is not that important, the fact is CSR initiatives are being implemented regardless of reason.

‘It is much easier to have sympathy with suffering than it is to have sympathy with thought.”

Oscar Wilde, The Soul of Man Under Socialism

To be honest, I don’t know if the way we’re bridging the stark economic differences in this world is the best or most efficient. That video is VERY interesting but it still doesn’t offer practical solutions of what the RIGHT thing is. What I am finding is that his final thoughts are EXCATLY some of the things we in the team have been talking about. Some of the CSR initiatives we have been exposed to in parts of this programme don’t have sustainability in mind or elements of self-actualisation ingrained in them. That, I fear is contributing to our society’s sentiments of entitlement post-Apartheid and its continued implementation is doing more harm than good.

“If you just operate the child then they live a little bit better but in the same situation which produced them.”

Oscar Wilde

Although as an honours student I don’t write exams, some may think that exempts me from the stress the undergraduate students on the team face in the pre-departure rush. In retrospect, I would have welcomed the joys of exams – whoever said doing theatre was an easy way out has never done the honours course at UCT.

One of the things filling my plate in our last few weeks in Cape Town was the culmination of this semester’s service learning component of the degree. Through the year we’re required to work in various schools around Cape Town that don’t offer drama as a subject. We either teach weekly drama classes (known as process drama) or, as was the case for me this term, implement a programme for learners addressing a curricular or extra-curricular area relevant to the year group using drama (known as “Theatre in Education”). Bianca and Néna, two of my classmates, and myself focused our attentions of a grade 7 class. After a site visit and meetings with the educator we determined, to my delight, to focus our 3 week programme on leadership. As the senior class of the primary school it’s not difficult to understand why this was determined as the area of focus.

Through our rehearsal process we explored leadership scenarios each of us had either encountered or demonstrated that were successful examples of various leadership styles as well as the more unsuccessful ones. The interesting thing to arise out of this reflective process was how often the shortcomings or failures we experienced that lead to growth were not unique to each of us. We fictionalised some of these situations for the purpose of the workshop and adjusted them to achieve our desired outcomes for each of our sessions. I designed a workbook to accompany the practical aspects of the lessons (the two pages seen here are from that book). The workshop was thoroughly enjoyable for all and through a verbal evaluation we were able to identify a drastic improvement in knowledge of leadership skills and techniques thanks to our experiential drama teaching techniques.

Although I adore self-promotion, you may wonder why that story was relevant. Apart from the fact that I’m pretty sure my team don’t really understand what I do and I’m debating the necessity and relevance of “drama education” a little too often at times, I recently had an interesting conversation with some of my team members during the “walk-time” between programme events. The topic this time was “learning disabilities” a term I absolutely detest. I’ll explain why:

It’s perfectly understandable that human beings process information differently. Some people are logical, some more irrational in getting information organised. Some of us, as Kevin Sullivan said a few days ago, are “married to Mrs Spock” and find everything systematically and categorically processed devoid of emotion at times. As the Myers-Brigg indicators tell us, some of us process through writing reflectively, some delay, some talk through what they need to understand. These are individually determined; everything doesn’t work with everybody. Similarly, it is understood that not everyone ingests information in the linear fashion prescribed by education systems for the last 50 years. To state that a learner who may absorb information better through lateral processes or the type of experiential processes I’ve been working with for the last 3 years, has a “learning disability” is an egregious error of judgement.

If truth be told in I have found, through informal experiments I have done working with young Capetonians, that information is better absorbed, remembered and later better recalled when the information has been conveyed through experiential teaching methods. These are, of course, not as easy as traditional teaching methods and do in themselves require some lateral, out-the-box thinking, I truly believe that no person is incapable of learning. I believe each person just needs to be exposed to a variety of processes to determine which is the best method of learning for them.

After watching this video, I was reminded that while living with a few North Americans and Europeans at boarding school in Italy, I was interrogated about a fair number of “African” stereotypes. Though, honestly the most obtuse assessment came from a grocer in a supermarket in Italy who refused to accept that I was from “the dark continent” as she called it, because I was a light mulatto, like her. There were more of those comments than I’d like to admit during my time in that country. Nonetheless, I took these and countless others as an opportunity to educate, to broaden perspectives and to explain that hyenas are not common pets in my neighbourhood (again, I am not joking).

I encountered the TED talk above in a research seminar in the Drama Department a couple of weeks ago. The root of what we do in theatre is telling stories so I feel this idea of “the single story” is something that needs to occupy our minds when we create work so we don’t fall into the trap. This clip was also my first encounter with the extraordinary Chimamanda Adichie.

I was reminded of this talk a number of times since seeing it the first time, particularly while reading Mario’s blog post and coming back from the Graham and Rhona Beck Skills Centre in Robertson on Saturday. As part of SAWIP 2013 we will be working with the skills centre to implement a self sustaining community intervention programme in one of the sectors of the community where the skills centre is philanthropically involved. We were overwhelmed by the warm welcome we received from the staff at the centre. Throughout the day we were presented with the various programmes the skill centre is involved in, either directly or through the development division of the winefarm, or through their assisting the principal at Langeberg High School. To name a few of the areas of concern: we were made aware of the apathy within the community and how that is also reflected in the lack of community driven support structures, and the problem of alcoholism and substance abuse among the youth as well as their parents.

One or two of the issues discussed reminded me of the reasons my friends and I began working in Bridgetown, an area along the N2 not unfamiliar with drugs or gangs. I began to wonder if this is the stock image we have for the representation of coloured communities in this area of the country. I know, it isn’t but I have no right deciding what other people may believe. I am not disputing the fact that there are negative social issues affecting these communities but I know there is hope in the same streets. I know there is a mother baking bread for a neighbour, or older siblings helping the young ones read, teenagers are singing in backyards or groups of children playing sport. Some of the talks spoke about the wine farm’s involvement in these areas but I think one of the ways forward will be identifying those activities in the Langeberg school community. I would have loved to engage with the learners in the community, to talk to them and understand their situation from their mouths. We will no doubt go back to do a more “on the ground” assessment later.

For any work we do to having any lasting impact it is imperative that we not look at the community through the lense of the data we know or only the general issues. This is People Centred Development; the way forward is finding solutions with individuals who make up the whole: they live there, they have the tools.

Mario’s blog post: http://www.sawip.org/sawip-team/team-blog/entry/everyone-has-a-story-the-power-of-authentically-shared-and-meaningfully-listened-to-stories

The Graham & Rhona Beck Skills Centre: www.skillscentre.co.za

I applied for SAWIP in secret. I was so convinced I wouldn't get into the programme that I didn't want to have to tell my friends when I’d been declined. One might ask, why apply at all? You see, I've been raised with a mentality of trying. I suppose it’s a result of my father encouraging me to take advantage of all opportunities available to me from a very young age; seeking out avenues for personal growth and education everywhere I can. It’s been my approach since I was in high school, it’s seen me awarded a variety of thrilling experiences and opportunities but also deal with the disappointment of being declined others. Either way, every time I've applied for something I've come out of the application process changed somehow.

I enjoyed writing the online application; it had been a while since I’d engaged in that level of reflection. When I pressed the “submit” button there was a definite feeling of weight lifting off my chest - my psyche’s response to finally processing experiences I hadn't revisited in a while. Each phone call I received thereafter, was met with an overwhelming feeling of disbelief as I progressed through the selection process - particularly after returning from the selection camp, where I felt entirely at peace should anyone of the 31 other candidates receive “my” place in the team. Everyone so deserved it that I wouldn't have felt robbed in anyway.

I’ll remember the phone call offering me a position on the 2013 team for a long while. Kim, the Project Manager asked me to sit down and I’m convinced I could hear a rendition of the Hallelujah chorus from Handel’s Messiah playing in my head by the end of the call.

About a month into the programme, and here we are. There’s been an intensive orientation camp, we've had a number of very informative sessions and we’re thinking critically about our approach to community intervention projects. I've already noticed shifts in my approach to topics and my conversations with people, even total strangers. I've never been afraid to speak but lately I've felt overtly empowered to speak and engage critically with my own and other people’s opinions and perspectives. This is largely due to my interactions with my SAWIP team members. I've come to realise we don’t hold back when we’re discussing things, especially the debates separate from the stipulated sessions and I love it.

I have no doubt that this programme will change me. I learnt a while back that having expectations for what we may learn is a good thing but in truth the greatest lessons are the ones we’re least expecting. These are the lessons that become part of our embodied knowledge that one only realises months down the line. The 15 of us come from vastly different backgrounds but we are all leaders, we are what I like to call “game-changers”. There is no doubt that SAWIP is an incredible opportunity but it doesn't hold the key to our future. This programme will show me a variety of doors: countless opportunities, exposure to the unfamiliar, put me in rooms with extraordinary people but it’s up to me to make use of those opportunities. For me to develop and for that development to filter down and be reflected in my community I must be ready to speak up, to engage, to challenge. Even as I write this I can feel myself getting “fired up”.

What’s ahead in the coming months? I don’t know, just that there’ll be a lot of work and sleepless nights. The other thing I’m certain of is that there’ll be doors ahead of us, many doors and I for one have a bunch of keys in my hand. ..