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Celebrating Young Women Beyond After School Programmes

In celebration of Womens Month, The Learning Trust shines a light on two inspiring young women who share their stories of hope and triumph as they navigate the world on a mission to change it for the better. 

Beyond the Classroom – Quarterly Newsletter

This short issue shares updates on the ways the After School sector continues to expand its reach, advance education outcomes, and make a difference in the lives of youth most affected by the irregularities of schooling during this pandemic.

Investing in the sustainable future of South African youth

The After School sector offers a diversity of programmes, models, and focus areas that are all united by a common goal: to enable learners to thrive and succeed. Given the belief that our future is in the hands of our youth, it is reasonable to expect that the investments put into education actually result in quality learning outcomes for youth.

Ikasi Soccer School

#AfterSchoolYouthLeaders – Dumisani Ntsodo: Ikasi Soccer School

Dumisani Ntsodo is the Founder and Director of Ikasi Soccer School. He was inspired to create opportunities of access for young girls in Khayelitsha to prosper and succeed’. Dumisani gathered his peers to visit different schools introducing a programme that develops and empowers young girls to reach their full potential. Upon completing his CAF license, Dumisani saw an opportunity to use soccer to drive his concept whilst introducing the importance of sports in lower-quintile schools. His main role in the organisation includes fostering strategic partnerships and seeking local funding opportunities.

Established in Khayelitsha (2018), Ikasi Soccer School’s mission is to assist educators, parents and learners by providing a safe after-school program that enables young girls to be independent and become better citizens through soccer, academic support and life-skills. The programme is implemented by volunteer coaches through training sessions that take place three times a week and once on weekends. Currently, Ikasi Soccer School impacts 85 girls from 4 partner schools.

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Mihandzu Learning

#AfterSchoolYouthLeaders – Khanya Memela: Mihandzu Learning

Khanya Memela is the passionate Founder and Managing Director of Mihandzu Learning. She is a qualified Charted Accountant from the University of Witwatersrand. Her After School journey all started with offering academic support to learners from child-headed homes in the area of Ivory Park. In her role as Managing Director, her focus is to lead the fundraising, strategy and sustainability efforts of the organisation.

Mihandzu Learning is a non-profit organisation with focus on improving poor performance in under-resourced schools by providing After School academic support for high school learners. Since 2016, this youth led organisation has served over 2500 learners running after school classes in Maths, IT and Career Guidance. Their programmes serve approximately 250 learners on a weekly basis who are tutored by university students.

We caught up with Khanya Memela to find out what being a youth leader in the After School sector means to her.

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Mamelodi Initiative

#AfterSchoolYouthLeaders – Abiel Biza: Mamelodi Initiative

Abiel Biza, an aspiring Neuro-Surgeon, is a medical student at the University of Pretoria and the Programme Coordinator at the Mamelodi Initiative. He joined the organisation in 2015 as a volunteer, led by his passion for community and youth development. Abiel continues to excel in his academics whilst paying it forward through his work in the organisation.

Established in 2007, The Mamelodi Initiative is a collaborative effort initiated by young people who are devoted to bring change to the community of Mamelodi and its youth. The Mamelodi Initiative provides resources to enable community engagement and improve access to education. Thousands of youths have benefited from Mamelodi Initiative’s programme offerings, ranging from computer literacy to sports and holiday camps.

We spoke to Abiel to learn about why he continues to volunteer in the After School sector.

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Sophumelela Youth Development Programme

#AfterSchoolYouthLeaders – Sophumelela Ketelo: Sophumelela Youth Development Programme

Sophumelela Ketelo is the Chairperson and Founder of Sophumelela Youth Development Programme (SYDP). The organisation was established in 2017 and is led by a group of young leaders. SYDP recently became a grantee of The Learning Trust in 2021.

Based in Makhanda, Eastern Cape, SYDP aims to:

  • Uplift learners from three underperforming high schools in Makhanda through after school support programmes.
  • Foster the spirit of paying it forward in University students, by creating opportunities to engage high school learners through mentorship and tutoring.
  • Eradicate socio-economic issues faced by high school learners through working with various stakeholders to provide life skills education.

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    • The After School Investment Case 2021

    For some time, there has been a need for new and local research into the impact of After School Programmes (ASPs) on learners’ education outcomes. We now bring the After School Investment Case, a report that outlines the return on investments into programmes serving learners in lower quintiles. As a backdrop, the report demonstrates how … Read more

    Beyond the Classroom – Quarterly Newsletter

    From this past quarter, we reflect on key lessons from our Communities of Practice, looking at how to strengthen the Education Ecosystem in order to support the recovery of learning losses caused by Covid-19 school closures. In addition to this, we share the ways this is further made possible by leveraging social media to connect … Read more

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