Pupils helped to pin down future career aspirations
A DOCTOR, an actress, a pilot and even a magistrate are just some of the careers pupils at two Port Elizabeth schools said they wanted to pursue, when the Keep A Dream Alive project got them thinking about their futures yesterday.
In celebration of Youth Month, the team carrying out the pilot project visited the Ilitha and W B Tshume primary schools in Kwazakhele in a bid to inspire pupils to dream big.
Youngsters were dressed in clothes representing the various fields they had chosen and were then photographed in anything from an engineer’s jacket to a doctor’s white coat.
Once photographed, they can opt to have the picture framed and put up in their homes to inspire them and allow them to focus on their goals as they take on life’s challenges.
Keep A Dream Alive founder member Loyiso Mali said the aim of the project was to inspire and get children from all walks of life to focus on achieving their best, despite their circumstances.
The project, which started a little over a month ago, would visit schools in previously disadvantaged areas, with an eye on taking the initiative to a national level later, Mali said.
Ilitha Primary School Grade 7 pupil Anesipho Somwahla, 11, whose father died of cancer, aspires to be a doctor.
She said she loved helping people and wanted to rid disadvantaged communities of diseases.
“I witnessed my father’s passing, so I never want to see someone die in front of me again, not due to cancer, or any other diseases,” Anesipho said.
Fellow Ilitha Grade 7 pupil Sibonga Luzipho, 13, has aims of soaring above the clouds as a pilot and said he believed people from all races and backgrounds could become one.
W B Tshume Grade 6 pupil Anele Desi, 11, aspires to be a magistrate because he wants to rid his community and city of crime and corruption.
Nelisiwe Sompa, 14, a Grade 7 pupil at the school, whose mother died last year and who now lives with other family members, said she wanted to be an actress so she could teach people about her culture and traditions.
Mali – who was born and raised in Zwide – said people often chose a career or field to survive, not because it was their passion.
“At the end of the day, we have people who are frustrated in what they are doing, because that was not their calling,” he said.
“This project aims to encourage children to dream and discover who they are, while at the same time try to live their dreams.”