Below is Victoria Cliche’s account of one day
spent at CEF YouthWise South Africa.
A Page from the CEF YouthWise
South Africa Journal
Here we are in Stellenbosch, a quaint town established by Dutch settlers. The inn where we stay is steps from the prestigious Paul Roos Gymnasium, a private school for boys.
During the four academic vacations each year, such as this week, the school is attended by youth who are referred to in this culture as “black” and “colored” children. Most of them speak Afrikaans or Xhosa and speak English only as a second or third language. They have been identified by their schools and selected by Paul Roos to attend the Akademie program – the only one of its kind in the nation. The program is dedicated to supplementing the children’s education with academics, culture and Creative Problem Solving skills. The two primary goals of the program are 1) ensuring the youth can pass the 11th grade “matrics” exam that determines University placement, and 2) broadening their horizons and giving them better choices in life.
Our mornings are spent with the 10th Graders (our YouthWise “Level 4’s”) who will be deepening their learning about creative thinking while being exposed to new concepts on leadership. There are 33 children divided into four “Leadership Teams,” each facilitated by two adults. There are many smiles, many hopes and many dreams. Their major assignment - woven into the CPS teaching - is to create a flag for the Soccer World Cup being held in South Africa in 2010.
“Each of you will design your own individual logo” Donna Milani Luther, Head of School, Inly School, tells the students. “As a team, you will design a logo for South Africa that will tell the world what you want it to know about your country. You will place all of the logos on the flag and make a unified presentation.” The room is a buzz with ideas and discussion as each team works through the CPS process.
John Frederick, Executive Director, Center for Executive Leadership and Change, Daemon College and volunteer organizer of CEF YouthWise for two years, announces that we will be moving into our “Coaching Teams,” which are composed of 3 students and one CEF volunteer or staff member. We break into 11 teams and spread out on the lawn outside the lecture hall. The students bring their journals. The assignment is to identify a leader in your local community and the qualities that make this person a leader. What qualities would you like to emulate and potentially incorporate into your personal logo?
When asked who he had chosen, a boy in my group replies, “My father because he gives me everything I need: food, shelter and education … and he treats me with no terror.” This prompts a discussion about discipline, fairness and respect. Each teenager shares their role model and journals reflections in the small group. The children are all able to find someone to look up to: a parent, community worker, minister or a teacher.
In each grade level, CEF introduces ways to work on communication skills and presence. For the 10th graders, they have the opportunity to be interviewed on video tape and/or make a statement about creativity. These interviews are conducted continuously by Belkist Padilla, President, Insights Marketing Group, first-time CEF YouthWise volunteer and John Holcombe, CEF Board Member and volunteer.
The students reconvene in their Leadership Teams and prepare to close out the day. They have a journaling exercise reflecting on what they learned and then all come together in a circle for a closing song lead by one of the Leadership Teams.
The students break for lunch. The CEF team, composed of South Africans and Americans, scrambles to prepare for the two afternoon groups: twenty-one 11th-graders (level 4.5) for whom this is their last week of their final year at the Akademie, and fifty-four 9th-graders (level 2) for whom this is their second exposure to CPS.
The 11th graders are introduced to using Lego Serious Play as a tool for building models that frame community challenges and solutions that can be brought back to their communities.
Ian Corbett, Knoco South Africa, who has volunteered with CEF for several years, leads this level with assistance from John Frederick, Judy Reid, Literacy Specialist, and John Holcombe. The young men divide into four groups but struggle with the concept of a metaphor. John Holcombe sets up an exercise using Visual Explorer, a multi-image tool created by David Horth and Chuck Palus at the Center for Creative Leadership. This allows the participants to select images that can be used to represent ideas. There are many “ah-ha’s.” The word metaphor is now constantly on their lips. They have grasped the concept and the teams are now ready to tackle their assignment of representing challenges with 3-D models they craft from Lego.
The groups create models that frame the issues of HIV/AIDs (both the threat of the disease and issues facing those infected), gangs and child abuse. “What is that about?” I ask one of the groups. “This is called ‘The River to Success.’ The model has little figures (youth) on one side and a shiny trophy cup and a man dressed in a tux and top hat on the other. Between the two sides are a path and a river. Across the entrance to the bridge over the river is a huge crocodile with a skeleton in its mouth.” The group explains, “There is only one path. Everyone must go this way. It is hard to survive.”
The CEF team understands this all too well: In previous years Tiyo had emerged as one of our shining students. Derek Swartz, the Paul Roos math instructor had been trying to assess how he might be able to send Tiyo to University as he saw so much promise in him. Tiyo had been in touch with Judy over the course of the last year to inquire “Please ma’am, you said I was a leader. Please remind me how?” Tiyo did not return this year. He was killed by a stray bullet from a gang shootout near his home last December.
I return to the 9th graders who have already completed a review of “What They Know” lead by Kitty Heusner, CEF Board Member and first-time CEF YouthWise Volunteer. Additionally, they have been introduced to a four-part song by Donna and participated in an experiential CPS activity lead by Tom Potter, CEO, Parent Education Program, who is returning to CEF YW in South Africa for the 4th year.
They are now to be introduced to Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. “I wonder if I asked ‘Who in this room is smart?’ how many of you would raise your hand?” Laughter, a few hands go up, a class wise-guy jumps up waiving two hands. “What does it mean to be smart?” There is less humor, more thoughtful reflection. “You’re good in math!” one child offers. “You can write,” shares another. These are acknowledged as correct. “What if I told you, ‘You are all smart?’” Over the course of the next hour, the 9th graders learn about the eight smarts. They assess their view of their abilities relative to the “smarts.” They self-select their area of preference and join with others of the same preference. They then plan and perform their chosen smart in front of the larger group.
One of the volunteers, Suzie Nussel, has brought her camera and printing equipment. Students, some of whom have not yet been photographed, clamor to get in front of the lens. At each tea time they ask for extra photos. There are pictures of pairs of friends, a student with a facilitator and group pictures, all of which helps to reinforce their experience.
The 9th graders also end their day in reflection through a journaling exercise on “I wish statements” lead by Belkist and Suzie. Before departing, they fill out a “Way to Go!” slip for their learning buddy and drop it into the individual’s mail pouch created from a paper bag with his/her photo clipped to the front.
It is 6:30 pm. Day one is done we are exhausted but rewarded.
CEF has been conducting the program in South Africa since 2003 and was proud to see the first 21 young men, out of the original group of 60, graduate from the Akademie. We are eager to see the next group of the thirty-three 10th grade boys and girls graduate next September. We hope the CEF community will give generously to this program. Each life touched may be a life saved or, at the very least, a life changed for the better.
By Victoria Cliche