Thandulwazi Saturday School Celebrations
The final Thandulwazi Saturday School of 2022 took place on Saturday 29 October on the St Sithians College campus and it was a bumper day, filled with inspiration, creativity, motivation and gratitude. The day started with assembly where our Thandulwazi learners were addressed by a fellow student who wanted to say a goodbye and thank you to the Thandulwazi teachers and to leave his peers with a message of hope and inspiration, and that he did!
Thandulwazi Matric student Wisdom gives and emotional and inspiring thank you to his teachers.
Then 50 very excited Grade 9 girl learners peeled off to enjoy a morning of breakfast and motivation; the Ubuntu Project ran its inaugural 'Dine with a Mentor' breakfast where the girls were split into groups and partnered with a mentor. Their place in this special event had been secured by participating in the Grade 9 Creativity Event where interested students made creative submissions in three categories. The themes for 2022 and creative opportunities were:
- ESSAY WRITING - The future I wish for us, as a youth
- POETRY - I am not my struggles
- ARTWORK – Challenges of today's youth
The top 50 submissions were chosen and our talented students were selected to 'Dine with a Mentor'.
The mentors spoke to the girls about persevering no matter what their circumstances and how they must have a vision for their futures. They were treated to a catered breakfast. Huge smiles were the perfect indicator of an event much appreciated by One and All.
Why? The number of challenges facing young girls today is concerning and perhaps there aren’t enough role models, mentors, sisters or aunts who are encouraging the girls to persevere and fight for brighter future. The goal is to inspire and motivate young girls about the opportunities that await them and to encourage them to go back to their schools and motivate other learners to strive for success.
The purpose: To empower, motivate and give practical tools to young girls as they pave their way to success.
Mentors: The mentors were selected based on different career paths and experiences; from CEO’s, investors working at the JSE, chartered accountants, lawyers, education professionals, business owners, aviation specialists and representatives from the medical field, it was an incredibly rich group of mentors with a wealth of knowledge to share with our Thandulwazi grade 9s. The guests were served a delicious breakfast and lunch, whilst engaging in serious conversations and raising questions.
We thank our Rector, Mrs Celeste Gilardi and Mr Velaphi Gumbi Head of Thandulwazi Maths & Science Academy for their support of the event and for being inspiring mentors in their own right.
Our gratitude goes to Empact Foods who was the major sponsor for the meals enjoyed by the mentors and the girls. Thank you to Servest who sponsored the decor for the event. Gifts for our attendees were arranged by Webber Wentzel and many other donors and we are so grateful to each and every sponsor that played a part in making this event the success that it was.
The experience was thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by the students and parents and we thank all of our inspiring mentors for giving of their time and their immense experience and insights to our Thandulwazi students.
At the end of the school day emotions ran high as the Matrics said tearful farewells and thank you's to their teachers. Thereafter all the learners were treated to an afternoon of games, dancing, music, fun and laughter to end off and celebrate another very successful Thandulwazi Saturday School year.
We wish our Thandulwazi Matrics all the best for their final school exams which started today (1 November 2022) with English Paper 1. We are so proud of them all and look forward to watching their progress with interest. To the rest of our Thandulwazi Saturday School Learners - we can't wait to see you all next year!
#OneAndAll #InspiringExcellence #MakingAWorldOfDifference #PassionDriven
