SIZANANI MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Would you like to mentor a matric learner from Alexandra Township? To take him/her to outings and advice him/her on his/her studies ?

Since 2007, professionals from South Africa and abroad (mostly France and African countries) have been helping Alexandra matric learners, who attend extra classes at St Marys school (Waverley). In 2011, about 50 mentors have been involved in the program, which benefited 70 matric learners, selected from 5 Alexandra high schools. The mentors invite the learners on outings (cultural, touristic, sports, etc.) to broaden their horizons. Each mentor arranges these visits according to their own availability (about one afternoon/month) and decide how many students (between 1 and 3) they want to take care of. The mentors help them to choose their field of study and access tertiary education. Most of them come from very poor families where they do not get this kind of support. There is no financial sponsoring in our involvement, except for a few meals and entrance tickets during outings. Our first meeting of the year is on February 4, 2012, at 12 30, at St Marys, in Waverley. You will get a chance to meet the Grade 12 leaners from Alexandra and maybe meet a girl or a boy that you want to help !

Testimonies of mentors :
Sbastien When I met Sihle for the first time, we went to a restaurant in Rosebank. It was his first time. The same evening, we watched the musical comedy, Umoja. It was his first time at the theatre. I didn't know that a smile could be so broad. He was whistling and clapping so much that some spectators started to turn to look at us. When we went to the Cradle of Humankind, he told me, looking through the car window, that he didn't know you can find rural areas in Gauteng. Obviously, it was his first time in Pretoria when we visited the Freedom park and the Voortrekker monument. When I organized for him a meeting with a career advisor, it was the first time someone was giving to him some clues about his future. Same thing at the open days of Wits and UJ when he met some students from the departments of engineering. This experience of being a mentor is about how to make a difference in the life of someone who didn't have the same chances to succeed than you Zamakhanya : I felt that the experience allowed me to be a part of something really significant to the development of young people in South Africa. It is an opportunity to interact with a young person in a way that may influence the choices they make for their future.

Program coordinator :
Valrie Hirsch 011 802 48 84 - 083 750 77 25 - valou.hirsch@gmail.com http://beststudentsofalexandra.blogspot.com -Facebook : Sizanani mentors

PARRAINER DES LYCEENS DALEXANDRA Nous sommes un groupe de Francophones et de Sud-Africains, qui aidons des lycens (Premire et Terminale) slectionns parmi les meilleurs lves de 5 lyces du township dAlexandra. Le projet a dmarr en 2007 linitiative de Laurence Leblanc (RATP international, venue Joburg, pour la construction du Gautrain) et Linda Giurich, directrice du volet "projets sociaux" lcole prive de filles St Mary, Waverley (prs de Sandton). Plus de 200 lycens dAlexandra (seconde la terminale) suivent des cours de soutien scolaire St Marys le samedi matin et pendant les congs scolaires. Ils ont ainsi plus de chance daccder lenseignement suprieur. Mais ces jeunes ont aussi besoin douvrir leurs horizons et, parfois, dun soutien pour sinscrire luniversit. Issus de milieux trs dfavoriss, ils nont souvent personne pour les aider dans leur famille. Cest l que nous, les mentors, intervenons, en parrainant un ou deux jeunes. On leur propose des sorties (chaque mentor sorganise comme il lentend, environ une fois par mois). Ces lycens nont jamais t au thtre, dans un muse, une gallerie dart, un restaurant de poissons tout les intresse ! Nous les aidons aussi choisir leur filire dtudes suprieures, s'inscrire l'universit ou dans un collge, demander une bourse si ils ont de trs bon rsultats scolaires (je peux vous aider vous dbrouiller dans le systme sud-africain et il y a aussi beacuoup dinformation sur notre blog www.beststudentsofalexandra.blogspot.com). Bref, cest un change culturel et social, autant pour eux que pour nous, et une occasion de changer la vie d'un jeune dfavoris : votre aide a souvent un impact dcisif sur son avenir. Il ny a pas daide financire la cl, en dehors des frais occasionns par les sorties.

De nouveaux mentors permettront plus de jeunes de bnficier du projet. Les entreprises, qui proposent des stages ou des bourses, sont aussi les bienvenues !
Si vous voulez participer au programme ou juste vous informer, vous pouvez venir ce samedi 4 fvrier une runion dinformation, a 12h30, lcole St mary, suivi dune rencontre avec les lves qui seront parrains cette anne. Apportez un pique nique (boissons fournies par lcole) pour vous et un jeune et envoyez moi un mail l'avance (valou.hirsch@telkomsa.net) Valrie Hirsch South Africa based journalist (Belgium, French, Swiss newspapers, Deutsche welle) 00 27 83 750 77 25