At JumpStart we think every day should be World Teachers’ Day! Our chief goal is to support under-resourced educators in classrooms where teacher-pupil ratios are very high. We train unemployed youth living close to the schools on our programme, developing their skills as maths tutors. They then assist in early grade maths learning by offering one-on-one attention to struggling children. Many young people discover a deep sense of purpose in the classroom and are eager to get onto career paths towards becoming teachers in their own right. World Teachers’ Day is a day to celebrate how teachers are transforming education. This is a chance to reflect on the support teachers — and future teachers — need to fully deploy their talent and vocation. We celebrate having secured R40 000 of financial aid that will help six tutors become educators. Youth reaching out to youth An exciting CSI initiative was started in April this year by […]
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A year with YES4Youth & Lightstone
Last September JumpStart became an implementing partner with YES4YOUTH and Lightstone. This novel decision was a turning point in our model. We could boost the Sasolburg team (which is funded by Sasol) by an extra nine youth tutors. That took the cohort of education assistants to 24, expanding significantly the effectiveness of the programme. “At a time when post-COVID catch-up teaching was an urgent priority, we saw a tremendous recovery,” said General Manager, Callen Hodgskiss. “Many Grade 1 learners had not learned to count due to closure of Early Childhood Development centres during lockdown. Our EGMA assessments across foundation phase show tremendous recovery in maths learning here. The Sasolburg cohort have bounced back to pre-COVID levels.” “What an exciting day that was!” Nobantu Mshumpela is the Project Coordinator who supervises the team and she awarded the interns their certificates of completion. at the farewell held at the Boitjhorisong Resource Centre on 30 July. “We see […]
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YES4YOUTH – Interns tell it like it is – August 2022
Every YES 4 Youth intern comes to JumpStart with the help of a corporate sponsor, a YES Implementing Partner. This is typically a life-changing opportunity — especially for young graduates who find themselves stuck without jobs to go to. YES youth gain real world experience and skills in classrooms or offices that prepares them to launch professional careers. Best practice technology platforms help them grow important skills, like budgeting, professional presentation, how to prepare a CV, and the subtleties of corporate communication. Fundamentally, the modest stipend enables YES participants the opportunity to “put bread on the table”. This restores their human dignity, improves mental health, and gives hope for a future out of poverty and into meaningful work. It’s easy because we do it with love Asemahle Sinandile (24) tutors at Gando Full Service School in Cofimvaba, Eastern Cape and is sponsored by KSB. She shares her experience: “I always find ways to make the […]
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Maths in Mpumalanga with Zintle Makumsha
On Women’s Day we celebrate our team of strong, capable and visionary women who show up daily to transform under-resourced classrooms into centres of mathematical excellence, while tackling the topic of youth employment. With support for our Bridge Bursary fund, we can empower young women like Zintle Makumsha, who aspire to be teachers in their own right. Our “fun and fearless” team work in the field across four provinces as our programme continues to expand, and behind the scenes in the office. Our excellent squad comprises Nomta Ndola, Nobantu Mshumpela, Betty Oliphant, Daniella Lekgau, Ditiro Madiseng and Zintle Makumsha, who shares her story this month. Zintle is the daughter of two teachers and comes from a large family with conservative traditional values. She brings a gentle spirit of kindly curiosity to her work as Project Coordinator for our Mpumalanga and Ekurhuleni South projects. Where it all started I had my fair share of great and […]
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YES4YOUTH – Interns tell it like it is – July 2022
Internships with YES 4 Youth are changing young lives. This business-led collaboration with the government addresses youth unemployment, which is at an all time high. Using best practice models and technology platforms YES gives unemployed youth a quality work experience for 12 months, as the first step toward meaningful employment. YES Youth are placed in organisations through YES Implementing Partners supported by corporate sponsors. These partnerships allow us to expand our programmatic reach while simultaneously providing youth with valuable work experience and support for their personal development. Sitting with a struggling learner Nthabeleng Ntsoele (20) tutors at Nelson Mandela Primary School, Sasolburg, Free State and is sponsored by Refinex. She shares her experience: “This internship has been a great experience so far as I love working with children. My colleagues have shown me the ropes and I can talk with them about anything. It helped me to strengthen my communication skills and keeps me intellectually […]
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