NPO equips youth with tech skills
IKAMVAYOUTH, a non-profit organisation and the I-CAN centre are providing the public with educational inspiration while teaching technological know-how.
Located in Atlantis, Gugulethu, Makhaza and Nyanga, IkamvaYouth offers peer-to-peer support where pupils can attain skills and better prepare themselves for the job market.
Simone Peinke, district manager in the Western Cape, described it as a space where pupils primarily focus on what needs attention and is “learner led”.
“Meaning they decide what they would like to focus on and have a dedicated tutor to assist them.”
“IkamvaYouth aims to enable the youth to pull themselves out of poverty and into tertiary education and/or employment. We do this by providing a free after-school tutoring programme to high school learners from various townships across South Africa.” The importance of learning how to interact with technology was also key to the tutoring. Peinke said three of their branches have “structured e-learning programmes for maths and English, as part of the Department of the Premier’s Year Beyond Programme.
“We have eight branches in the Western Cape. In addition to tutoring, IkamvaYouth branches also offer a computer literacy programme, career guidance, as well as a mentorship programme for Grade 12 learners. The aim of this programme is to ensure that our learners have the technical skills required to succeed post-school.”