Home 5 News 5 Celebrating IkamvaYouth’s Future Green Economy Champions’ Success in Atlantis

10 February 2020

Atlantis learners and tutors and celebrated when the 2019 matric results were released on 8 January 2020. The Atlantis-based IkamvaYouth programme class of 2019, in partnership with GreenCape, has once again shown the impact of the IkamvaYouth the programme, with an overall pass rate of 79%.

The IkamvaYouth programme, now in its fifth year, continually demonstrates the value that educational and psychological support has on the improvement of students’ results amid socially challenged environments. The after-school tutoring and mentorship support unlocks opportunities for learners to access tertiary institutions and financial support for further study, breaking the cycle of poverty through education. 

The national report from IkamvaYouth announced that their 2019 matric class had a pass rate of 86% across the five provinces that they operate in. The IkamvaYouth national news release stated: “We believe in the power of after-school programmes. With challenges of teacher-learner ratios in township schools, many learners leave the classroom without a basic understanding of concepts. IkamvaYouth’s after-school tutoring model has filled in that gap. In the past year, over 2 500 learners received tutoring at our 17 branches.”

Atlantis Ikamvites class of 2019 achieved an overall pass rate of 79%, which is a significant improvement on their 2018 results of 64%. The 2019 Ikamvites shone even brighter with 63% of Atlantis branch securing a bachelor or diploma pass, a 13% increase, which ensures their eligibility for tertiary education. 

These successes have not come without numerous challenges. Atlantis is located 50km outside of Cape Town which makes recruitment of volunteers difficult due to its distance from many colleges. However, many alumni of the IkamvaYouth’s school support have been mobilised by their own experiences of the programme, leading them to become tutors to their upcoming peers. The Atlantis branch is also affected by gang violence in the broader community, which affects learner safety as they make their way to and from the sessions. With the help of GreenCape, IkamvaYouth Atlantis has been able to provide safe learner transport during the week to assist in addressing some of these challenges.

“IkamvaYouth has placed the responsibility into the hands of the learners, by allowing them to dream through education about a better tomorrow for themselves and their community of Atlantis. The empowerment of learners in this fashion will have a ripple effect on how societal challenges are bridged. IkamvaYouth learners are breaking the cycle of poverty in their families,” said Lindiwe van Staden, GreenCape Skills project manager.

The Atlantis Greentech Special Economic Zone (SEZ), has been earmarked as a green technology manufacturing hub. The ASEZ has the potential to create exciting opportunities for the Atlantis community to develop green economy skills and secure employment.

“IkamvaYouth, with GreenCape’s support, continues to provide a programme that speaks to the context of Atlantis while mobilising learners to reach their future potential and, in turn, develop their community,” said Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management. “We are committed to seeing the future workforce connected with the changing economy. Skills development in the Atlantis region is prioritised in the City’s Resilience Strategy, particularly under Pillar 3, with the goal to foster green economic growth, which we support through catalytic sector partners like GreenCape,” he added.

Victoria Brown, an 18-year-old matric learner from the Atlantis branch, highlights the value of the IkamvaYouth programme: “Since 2017, through IkamvaYouth I received all the support I needed. Not only academically but also the emotional support I needed to be focused and achieve. Now I have a Bachelors pass and I am going to study B.Comm Financial Accounting at the University of the Western Cape,” she said.

While Chrislonne Snyman, another Matric graduate, also shared her gratitude: “I started attending the IkamvaYouth programme in grade 10 and that was back in 2017. I just passed my matric with a Bachelor pass and one distinction. My future plans are to study a Bachelor of Arts degree at UCT. I just want to give a huge shout out to IkamvaYouth volunteers, my fellow learners and GreenCape for making it possible for people like me to have such opportunities!”

GreenCape is excited to partner with IkamvaYouth for the 2020 year, to further invest and support the youth of Atlantis to become the future green economy experts.