Two weeks ago, the SAWIP team had a session on American elections with U.S delegates from the republican and democratic office. What had seemed to me a session not worth attending, because of my lack of interest in politics, sparked a curiosity and intrigue on this subject. When it comes to politics one can talk for hours or even days and dissect the topic into different facets and components, but here I discovered something else about politics than the usual legislative or parliamentary issues. What came up in this session was the concept of leading with values and beliefs, and of being held accountable for those values and beliefs. This got me thinking as to how politics actually work, or rather should work; I began to understand politics a little bit better. This philosophy behind politics seems sound, but it is known that leaders have governed with immoral and tainted principles and beliefs. But thinking about this principle or value driven system of governance in the context of South-Africa, made me realize it either doesn't exist or is lost in the politics of today. When I think about politics in this sense I realized; people vote for ideals and not ideas, people come out to vote not only because of what you believe, but what they believe and see reflected in you; a shared believe. We need people who can stand up for our beliefs when we are unwilling or unable to. We need people to create an environment which is governed by the values of the people and in so doing create a positive, peaceful and uplifting nation that we all can excel in. We need those people that believe, what we believe, that value what we value. We need them to create a safe space for us to practice and live out our values and beliefs, without being judged or discriminated upon.

If our leaders would understand this principle I am certain that South-Africa and the world would be a better place to live in. Of course this in not easy, especially in our diversity of class race and culture, but I believe this provides the opportunity for us to become united. Our constitution makes provision for leaders to lead with values and character, but we seldom find leaders willing enough to state what they value and believe and being open to be held accountable for that. We often lay strong criticism and judgement on politics when it is not the politics that is at fault, but the way in which politics is being practiced. Our politicians, just as our nation needs to be re-educated about governance and democracy. If we could teach our future leaders to practice politics on the right principles; with values and beliefs, ideals and ideas, we can achieve the standard of living which we are capable of, we can overcome our many complex challenges crippling our society, and because of this I believe there is hope for South-Africa.

We have officially passed the halfway mark of the program and our stay in Washington D.C. No one could have predicted it would go by so quickly, but after an amazing and extremely informative three weeks in D.C, we’re halfway home. Still, at times this entire experience feels like a dream and I pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. It has been a phenomenal three weeks in D.C. I have never learnt and grew so much in a personal, professional and leadership capacity, as I am sure the rest of the team have. What has been most outstanding is the extraordinary young leaders I have met in the Washington-Ireland Program (WIP) and New Story Leadership (NSL) group. When I interact with my SAWIP team, WIP and NSL, I feel absolute confidence that the future is bright. I have learnt immensely from my fellow SAWIP team mates and shared with them life changing moments. On all our discussion and dialogues I have come to realise my role and purpose within SAWIP and the world as a whole. I have learnt to develop, nurture and educate myself toward the responsibility that has been placed upon me.

This experience, though extremely exciting, has been most uncomfortable, but this I believe has been a good thing. I believe it’s a good thing because it’s a sign to me that I’m busy growing, I’m internally being shaped and formed by my experiences and it’s uncomfortable, because of the growth it stimulates. I don’t believe anyone of us on the team has been at all comfortable. If we were this entire experience would have been worthless. I feel grateful and honored to be a part of this program and realise not only is the future in good hands, but so am I.

Five years ago I set upon a mission to attain a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Stellenbosch, and I finally did it. After viewing my semester marks and passing everything, I realised that I completed all my modules and credits needed to obtain my degree and all I need to do is pitch up at graduation at the end of this year. After realising this, an overwhelming wave of emotion swept over me and I just wept.

It has been no easy task. I started my first year coming from a disadvantaged school, entering one of the most prestigious Universities in the country. I was in way over my head, with standards so high that I failed most of my modules in my first year. Here I felt the pressing need to give up and join the rest of my family in a dead end jobs working for minimum wage. However, I did not give up, due to divine intervention I was able to still make it into second year, but lost my residency on campus. I set out to stay elsewhere, anywhere but home, because I knew I would not be able to make it through university in the negative circumstance at home.

I redeemed myself in my second year by passing everything, but failed again in my third year. Failure seemed to wait for me around every corner and I couldn’t understand why. I eventually was tempted to quit again, but I met a mentor who changed my life. The Dean of our faculty of Science taught me something so profound it changed my outlook on life. He said to me that he has failed in so many things in life, that he learnt to make failure his friend, and I should do so too. I was confused by this, but the Dean explained to me the soundness of his advice. He graciously sat down with me and explained that success in anything, teachers you nothing, it just affirms your ability to do something. But when you fail, you always find a lesson behind it and become a better person. I took every single word to heart and made failure my best friend. After doing so, I never saw myself failing anything again. I took every negative and turned into a positive.

Even though I graduate two years after all my peers and friends, I don’t see myself as being two years behind. I've always believed everything happens for a reason and being a part of SAWIP made the reason for my academic journey crystal clear to me. I thought attaining my degree would be the end of my journey, because that’s all I ever wanted to do, I just wanted to break the stigma and prove that it’s possible, and I did.

Now I realise it’s only just the beginning. Getting my degree is the gateway to all the awesome things that is about to follow. I realise that I’m going back to South-Africa more aware of the world and more equipped to make a difference. But I also feel obliged to go back and study outside of my field to understand the world better, disciplines like the economy, law, philosophy, etc. I know now that I should further educate myself to a level which I can have a global perspective and impact. This is the next check point for me on this journey.

Hi there

My name is Shannon and this is my first blog. Up to this point I’ve been procrastinating writing my blog simply because of the enormous expectation I felt pushing down on me. However I’ve decided to take a different approach to blogging and do a three part piece on my experience on this programme and how I have come to view a lot of the challengers I went through as a child and teenager, from an objective point of view. First, allow me to share a little on my history. I was born and raised in the heart of the Cape flats (Clark Estate, Elsies River) and grew up in poverty, drugs and gansgterism. The only talent I thought I had at the time was being verbally active through profanity. When I was 8 years old my parents decided to move out of Elsies River to Kuils River where things were mildly better. Here I still exercised my verbal talent against the teachers and obviously landed me in the principal’s office many times. I never cared for school or education for that matter. I never cared to work hard or do my home work, because what was the point? I wasn’t going to get far in life anyway. My family was poor, I have no role model and I don’t know anyone who finished school and did something with their life. So what’s the point really?

This was the mentality I had from as soon as grade R until grade 10 and it seemed to me nothing could break that mentality. How I got as far as grade 10 I surely do not know, your guess is as good as mine. But there I was in one of the worst schools in our district, because I couldn’t get into a good high school for obvious reasons. I was thrown into a so called new school with 300 other teenagers who were in the same boat as me. So there we were the bunch that couldn’t get into a good high school, all in the same place (not the education department’s brightest idea, but something needed to be done). From here on one can only imagine the chaos that was unleashed on this school. Havoc and mayhem was the order of the day. And after 4 years few of us graduated as the first matriculants of Kuils River Technical High with a 97% pass rate. But those were the good times, maybe the best times and I like to think I was privileged to have gone through such a unique schooling career, privileged not in the traditional sense.

But all of this obviously had a huge impact on my skill set and development as a young South-African. I quickly realised I had a huge gap and backlog in my education compared to other students my age. However, a paradigm shift which occurred in the middle of grade 10 changed my entire outlook on life. This vary paradigm shift took me from an F Maths student to an A in just a few months. And from thereon I set goals for myself to go to University and make something of myself. Here I am today almost 6 years down the line and the life I had back then seem like a bad dream that I woke up from and forgot. But I didn’t forget, in fact I remember all too well. SAWIP has truly made me reflect so hard and critically on my past that it all came back to me in wave of memories. Attending the workshops, events and outings, each had an enormous resonance with my past. All of these events left me feeling so enlightened and provoked more questions, personal questions, in me then ever before. I quickly realised as I did a few years ago that I have a huge backlog in what I know about what is going on around me.

This of course led me to asking myself “Why am I so behind on information?” Why don’t I have more knowledge on this or that?” And why can’t I give a valuable input?” It was only pondering these questions for days that it occurred to me that I was never on the outside, viewing and analysing most of the pressing issues and challenges facing our country, I was on the inside, smack in the middle and going through it all. So much so, that there wasn’t time to sit back and analyse the situation. We just had to survive and survival was all there was to it.

Of course being where I am today and part of this amazing programme I have come to realise the wonderful predisposition I have, and the wonderful people who has gone through some of the most difficult challenges common to almost all South Africans today. I began to feel like I belong, not just because of my past, but also because of the common vision and like-mindedness we all share. And I actually have had time, lots of time to sit back and analyse the challenges I grew up in and although this isn’t the first reflection on my life and my past, it’s the first time I have had to critically reflect and write an objective opinion about it. I’m not good at being objective in some of the challenges we have discussed over the past two moths, simply because I went through most of it. But this is certainly something I am learning to do through this platform.

One of the most inspiring influences thus far has certainly been the township tour to Gugulethu, Langa and Khayelitsha. Meeting the two phenomenal women, Mama Vivian from the Iliso Care Society and Mama Vicky who owns a flourishing bed and breakfast in Khayelitsha. What was most striking to me was not just the success of these initiatives, but the amazing ripple effect it is having on the community and especially the children. I remember watching the children play in the street and being taken back to my childhood years. Although I didn’t grow up in Khayelitsha the atmosphere and games the children played was exactly the same as ours in the Cape flats. This again affirmed to me how much we have in common as South-Africans regardless of race or colour. What was more striking was hearing what Mum Vivian is doing at the Iliso Care Society and how this is having a profound impact on the lives of these kids, a paradigm shift in their minds. A shift from thinking “This is all we know.” to “There are so many wonderful people and opportunities out there.” This simple act of active citizenship from a caring individual is revolutionising the minds of the young and revolutionising South-Africa in the process.

I believe it is these small acts of active citizenship which will transform South-Africa into the glorious country it needs to be, because these small acts have a everlasting impact on the lives of the people and especially children it comes into contact with. It’s not so much just solving the current challenges of our country, but to make sure the next generation does not inherit the same mind-set that caused these challenges to arise in the first place. This is the true meaning of transformation, not forgetting our past, but investing and nurturing a new mentality in all South-Africans and with it a true sense of pride for our Democracy and Constitution.

A wise man once told me there are three things that will change your life; the people you meet, the stories you hear and the books you read. SAWIP has found a way to integrate all of these into one phenomenal programme and change the lives of the team of 2012, as it has for many before us.

Thank you SAWIP and God bless all you amazing people who made all of this possible.