Walmer's Own is a group of journalists that love to write about things that are hip and happening in Walmer Township. We cover every single Masifunde summer camp and have a magazine that comes out in the second and third term of the school calendar. Our facilitators, Racheal and Alice, teach us about the different things that we need to know to be a journalist in the modern world. If you would like to learn more about Walmer‘s Own just contact the Masiunde office on 0415812543. We hope you enjoy this edition of the Summer Camp news!

1. THE FIRST OF ITS KIND, THE FIRST IN NEWS & THE FIRST IN WALMER
SUMMER
CAMPws 2011
Ne
VOLUME 5 • December 2011 •South Africa • Zuurberg www.masifunde.com
Leadership Learning how to lead from the front and the back
Talent in Walmer Showcasing who‘s got it
Team work Playing together, working together to reach our goals
YOUNG LEADERS rock the camp!

2. EDITORIAL
ONCE AGAIN
WELCOME TO OUR 5TH
EDITION OF
SUMMER CAMP NEWS
Back left to right: Racheal Chikadaya (facilitator), Ziphopethu Gavu, Samkela Myoyo, Bongiwe Chuna, Gcobisa
Mambuka, Alice-Cathérine Mackenstein (facilitator)
Front left to right: Lihle Kutase, Sesethu Zide
PROFILE
WHO WE ARE
GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO
Walmer‘s Own is a dynamic group of young journalists that loves to write about things that are hip and happening in
Walmer Township. We cover every single summer camp and have a magazine that comes out in the second and third
term of the school calendar. Our facilitators, Racheal and Alice, teach us about the different things that we need to
know to be a journalist in the modern world. If you would like to learn more about Walmer‘s Own just contact the
Masiunde office or approach any one of us at school. We are always looking for new members and ideas for articles.
We hope you enjoy this edition of the Summer Camp news!
2 I Editorial

3. CONTENT
VOLUME 5 • December 2011
SUMMER CAMP NEWS
04 Leaders for tomorrow 12 Rocking talent show
How the grade 9‘s shared the Campers compete for best act
knowledge By Ziphozethu Gavu
By Bongiwe Chuna
14 Keeping fit with fun
06 Joining powers Outdoor activities keep campers on
Cooperation between the facilitators their feet
and the learners By Gcobisa Mambuka
By Lihle Kutase
16 Paper or plastic?
07 Talent in Walmer What littering does to our planet
Show casing who’s got it By Sesethu Zide
By Ziphozethu Gavu
17 Presentation Day
08 Brains behind the camp Showing off what we‘ve learnt
By Lihle Kutase
Getting to know Chris and Zingi
By Ziphozethu Gavu
18 Teamwork
09 Leading from the front Playing together, working together
What does it mean to be a leader to reach our goals
By Lihle Kutase By Sesethu Zide
Layout and design was done by Racheal Chikadaya and Alice-Cathérine Mackenstein.
10 Walmer‘s Own and me 20 Painting the camp
Why I joined Walmer‘s Own yellow
By Gcobisa Mambuka The Masifunde arts group makes
their mark on the camp
11 The perfect venue Samkela Myoyo
All pictures were taken by Sarah Halbauer during the summer camp.
Zuurberg as the perfect campsite
All articles are the original work of the Walmer‘s Own members.
By Bongiwe Chuna
22 Snap shots
Creativity from our photographer
By Sarah Halbauer
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Content I 3

4. LEADERSHIP
WE ALL KNEW THAT OUR GRADE 9’S AND 10’S WERE YOUNG LEADERS AND ROLE MODELS BUT AT THIS
YEARS SUMMER CAMP THEY SHOWD OFF THEIR FACILITATION SKILLS AND REMINDED US THAT THEY ARE
IN DEED ...
It’s not very often that you LEADERS FOR
find a group of young adults
making an impact on the TOMORROW
lives of their younger peers.
At this year’s summer
role models that can share gained that they are the leaders for tomorrow
camp, the grade 9’s and
knowledge with their peers. by practicing those facilitation skills
10’s showed that they have
that they got during the pre-camp
what it takes to make a dif- At the pre-camp, the 30 grade 9 and 10
when they facilitated the outdoor ac-
ference in the lives of oth- learners were split into 3 groups each
tivities of the younger kids. The activi-
ers by being role models choosing names relating to leadership:
ties included games that taught trust
and facilitators at the camp. The Path Finder’s, the FRT’s (The Fo-
and team work, obstacle courses and
cused, Responsible and Talented) and
In October, the ’Learn4Life!’ sports.
the Future Leaders. Each day they prac-
grade 9 and 10 learners
tically learnt about topics of reading, We are looking forward to seeing what
took part in a leadership
research, presentation, facilitation and these bright stars will do in the future!
workshop. The workshop
leadership skills. The learners did ex-
prepared them for the sum-
tremely well and more than deserved
mer camp, where they co-
the certificates that they received at
facilitated outdoor activities
the prize giving ceremony on the last
for the younger learners.
night of the camp.
This was very exciting and
was done to fulfill Masi- The topic for this year’s summer camp By Bongiwe Chuna
funde’s aim of developing was ‘Leaders for Tomorrow’ and the
grade 9’s and 10’s really showed us
4 I Leadership

5. LEADERSHIP
Grade 9‘s lead from the front
futut
r e lead
ers gi
ving i
n struc
tions
team work
group
work
at the
pre-c
amp
me s ups
oor ga y gro
outd stud
Leadership I 5

6. TEAM WORK
NO ONE IS TOO SMALL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND AT THE SUMMER CAMP EVERY ONE CONTRIBUTED.
THE LEARNERS AND FACILITATORS JOINED POWERS TO MAKE IT ALL WORK.
JOINING POWERS
On the 9th of December 2011 the Summer Camp kicked The basic foundation of a family is learning to work
off at the Zuurberg Campsite just behind Addo. After all with others as a team and considering each and every
the sweating from planning and organizing, the show individual´s needs. This was put to practice when differ-
was finally on the road. More than 100 people took ent groups had to take turns on helping with kitchen
part and covered plenty of kilometers on a long jour- duties as well as to be there for a team member in out-
ney. Like the other Summer Camps, this camp de- door activities. Since the main topic of the camp is
pended on the hand-in-hand cooperation between the leadership, the games enforced this concept. During
facilitators and the kids. kitchen duties the kids had to collect the dishes and
When the kids stepped out of the bus they were cups, bring them to the kitchen, wash everything and
awaited by huge smiles and thunderous applause from also wipe the tables. During the outdoor activities,
the facilitators which by the looks of things promised a these were challenges and games like trusting your
fun and exciting time. At the arrival and welcome with team-mates while jumping to land on their arms. One
cheers, the kids were dragging their heavy luggage and of the games was the robot game where two members
loaded it off on the new surroundings making their way had to wear blindfolds and stand inside a circle with
to a summer camp to remember. only their listening skills to help them maneuver
around safely.
This spirit of working together to ensure every person
was a happy camper carried on and it did not disap- In every respect of what made this camp a mission ac-
point. Combining the different efforts between the fa- complished, there would be an overall feeling of to-
cilitators and the kids was a daily mechanism and it getherness that everyone would have witnessed and
took place during workshops, at the obstacle course, in been a part of. A place of belonging and a home for a
free time activities and during meal times. As one big family comes together when everyone contributes a
team and family, daily struggles were looked as at step- share which will form one super force.
ping stones to achieving a deeper connection with one
another.
By Lihle Kutase
6 I Team work

7. TALENT IN WALMER
THERE ARE SO MANY TALENTED YOUNG PEOPLE IN WALMER AND SOME OF THEM WERE AT THE CAMP
THIS YEAR. ZIPHO TOOK SOME TIME TO FIND OUT MORE.
TALENT IN WALMER
We did not know that we have such amazing talent in so they were ‘born free’. “We have got a very special
Walmer. The kids from the children´s choir, for exam- gift and a wonderful talent. We want to inspire others
ple, sang beautifully at the camp with their many differ- to let their talent be heard”, Ntosh said.
ent voices and tones.
Born Free started in June 2010. Every Tuesday they
The choir started in October 2011 because there was have rehearsals from 3 to 4:30 PM at the Xolelanani
talent recognized in Walmer. That talent must be Youth Centre. So far they have produced a play called
shown and be seen by the community. “I enjoy singing “Walmer Side of Love” about teenagers against alcohol
very much and I love being watched by my family and and peer pressure. At the moment they are performing
the audience”, said choir member Nomfusi. The par- a play called “Leave a Legacy – Not a Mess” which is
ents surely are proud of their young singers. against polluting the environment. “Your future is in
your hands”, said Andiswa. Soon they will do auditions
for new members to join the group.
We do not only have singers in Walmer, but we also
have actors, dancers and artists among us. The actors
call themselves Born Free. The reason why they call It is such a wonderful thing to see the kids showcasing
themselves that is because they were born after 1994, their talent. So let your talent shine as well.
By Ziphozethu Gavu
Talent in Walmer I 7

8. BEHIND THE SCENES
WHERE? WHEN? WHO? WHAT? AND HOW? — GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR THE ANNUAL SUMMER CAMP.
WE WANTED TO GET SOME INSIGHT FROM THE TWO DRIVING FORCES BEHIND THIS YEAR´S CAMP,
ZINGISA SOFAYIYA AND CHRISTIAN SPECKEMEIER, INTO THEIR ROLE AROUND THE CAMP.
INTERVIEWS WITH THE
BRAINS BEHIND THE CAMP
Zingisa Sofayiya has worked for Masifunde since Decem- Masifunde has camps is because it gives the opportu-
ber 2010. She is the “Learn4Life” coordinator. Her job is nity to reward the learners for their good participation
to ensure that the “Learn4Life” sessions run as envi- during the year.” Zingisa said that the most rewarding
sioned, that the learners have relevant lessons which are thing about her job is seeing the kids in the programme
fun and educational. learning and sharing her knowledge and wisdom with
them.
All the work she does, she does not do alone. She gets
help from facilitators. She tries her best to reach her
Christian Speckemeier is from Germany and has been in
goals and when she fails she always tries her best to try
South Africa since August 2011.
again. She coordinates because it is something she al-
ways wanted to do and it is something she enjoys doing.
She even studied psychology. “Helping people, educating His hobbies are soccer, tennis, sailing, travelling, and he
people is truly the greatest thing I ever did”, Zingisa said. likes to hang with friends. He describes himself as loyal
to others and he likes to listen to music. He is a trainer
for community and behaviour learning processes.
She chose the Zuurberg campsite because she figured
that there would be more than 100 kids joining the camp.
The campsite is a very open space that has many rooms. “I am a volunteer for Masifunde as a co-ordinator for
“I came here early in 2011 with Jonas and Msikeleli to the summer camp. I set the content for the pre-camp in
check out the campsite and accommodation. I loved this September and I have been briefing the facilitators
campsite because it is surrounded by nature. It has got a about this camp´s structures”, said Christian. First, he
nice view and it is outside of Port Elizabeth with a moder- got an overview of the kids´ learning needs. Then he
ate distance between PE and Zuurberg.” She had already wrote content structure plans for the facilitators, e.g.
started in January looking for campsites. It takes hours the daily plans of activities and time tables. He does it
making phone calls and looking on the internet. It even- because he wants to support the kids who do not have
tually took two to three months. “It was very difficult to a chance to higher education. He wants to give some-
find a perfect campsite”, she said. “As we are a big group thing back to the community and lead the grown-ups
we found either expensive sites or sites that were too towards a proper way.
small for us.”
Christian said that the most rewarding thing about his
“There are visions behind the camp. job is looking in the eye of the kids when they say
During the years we have had “thank you” and when they show learning outcomes
‘Learn4Life!’, Walmer´s Own, Arts Group that make them happy.
and much more. The camp helps us to
actually reach our highest potential, to
help the kids with problem solving and By Ziphozethu Gavu
leadership”, Zingisa said. “The reason
8 I Behind the Scenes

9. LEADERSHIP
SUMMER CAMP 2011: „LEADERS FOR TOMORROW“
LEADING FROM THE FRONT
Looking at the political his- role models. Some of these leadership qualities are pas-
tory of South Africa, it is na- sion, confidence, courage, positivity and determination.
tionally and internationally
rich when it comes to great Learners like Manelisi Billy who have only joined the
leaders who all helped to shape up what this country is Summer Camp this year but have made an impact and
today. With leadership as the main topic of this year´s lead with bravery. Andiswa who felt scared on the ob-
summer camp, everyone got the opportunity to learn stacle course and wanted to quit managed to calm
what leadership is really about. down. Through all that she continued to climb further,
showing the elements of a leader: when times are
tough as a leader you have to pull through.
When asking who a great leader is, the names of Nel-
son Mandela, Steve Biko and others come to mind. A
leader needs to possess leadership qualities and when No change comes if you sit and do nothing about prob-
one is a leader he/she has to lead by example and has lems but when you show signs of a leader and take ac-
to have discipline. As an example, Mandela was re- tion, nothing would stand in your way. Change comes
leased out of prison after being imprisoned for 27 at a time when people need a system that will re-
years. When he was released, he liberated a free de- arrange and shift the mindset for the better. With good
mocratic country. In Biko’s story, as a part of his rebel- leadership and leaders standing united, it is guaranteed
lion against the Apartheid Government he co-founded a that there would be a change that would impact a lot of
movement called Black Consciousness which stood to people positively. True leadership in everyone promises
uplift the pride that each person should have in the to demolish walls of stigmas and then construct new
color of their skin. developments like Masifunde which would stand tall
and be shining beacons of light.
The main topic of leadership was what the grade 9’s
and 10’s “Learn4Life!” groups focused on for the dura- In order for a country to succeed and have its dreams
tion of the camp. Since they had already been briefed become a reality, it will need leaders to own up to re-
on the topic at the pre-camp to which they went in Oc- sponsibilities regardless of age or gender. As an effect
tober, both these “Learn4Life!” groups were allowed to of this leadership camp, true leaders will surely de-
go out and implement the skills of leadership by guiding velop.
and assisting the smaller kids during the outdoor activi-
ties. Leadership entails a lot of responsibility, ownership and
taking action. Leadership is about leading from the
Since great leadership comes from within, leadership front but not leaving your base behind.
also comes with a price. A person needs to literally
have a vision and set goals for themselves that would
By Lihle Kutase
one day carry you to a position where you look back at
your journey and say ‘I made a difference’. Sometimes
survival instincts and staying true to yourself at all
times allow you to see the bigger picture.
Amongst the learners there are those who have quali-
ties of leaders and those individuals are looked up to as
Leadership I 9

10. PERSONAL
A PERSONAL ACCOUNT ON WHAT THE JOURNALISM TALENT
GROUP “WALMER’S OWN” MEANS TO ONE OF ITS MEMBERS
WALMER‘S OWN
AND ME
I am Gcobisa Happiness Mambuka and I am a go-getter, I have experience in working with a computer, I have
not a loser. I am 17 years old and a learner at Walmer typing skills and know how to google when you need in-
High School. My Hobbies are netball, travelling, spend- formation. I know how to keep eye contact with an au-
ing time with friends getting to know how they feel and dience when you are dealing with presentations. You
just being happy. must make sure that everyone is be able to hear you,
don’t be shy, have confidence and do your best.
I joined Walmer’s Own in March 2011 because I was in-
terested in writing and I liked every magazine that Wal- There are many changes that have taken place in my
mer’s Own had produced. I was their best customer. life. I know how to manage my time working with a
Every time they sold a magazine, I always bought one team, how to interview people, how to share and listen
for myself. I had a dream that one day I would be part to their opinions. I have self-confidence, computer
of the Walmer’s Own crew – and I had confidence skills, writing skills and presentation skills.
enough and worked on my dream.
Since I have been part of Masifunde, I have learnt how
It was on a Wednesday when I went to Masifunde’s of- to show respect. I am giving my peers respect, so that
fice to meet with the Walmer’s Own facilitator, we can work together as a team. I am blessed to be
Racheal, telling her that I wanted to join the Walmer’s part of Walmer’s Own.
Own staff. She asked: “Why?” My answer was that I
was interested and willing to play a big part in the
magazine. Then I was selected. I was very excited to be
a part of Walmer’s Own. I joined because I wanted to
do something that would keep me busy avoiding wast-
ing my time doing nothing during my free time and I am By Gcobisa Happiness Mambuka
expecting to learn more about journalism.
10 I Personal

11. THE SETTING
THE PERFECT VENUE
Once again, Masifunde has managed to take the kids on a seven-day summer
camp. This year´s camp, which is the 5th of its kind, was held at Zuurberg
Mountain in Addo. So as usual, “Walmer´s Own” Magazine was on board and
interviewed one of the coordinators of the Summer Camp, Zingisa Sofayiya.
She said, the camp site was chosen because it has eleven sleeping facilities, it
is surrounded by nature, has got huge sport fields and could accommodate
an army. It was also chosen because it is not far from home in cases of emer-
gency.
In the camp, the kids were divided into three groups: the juniors, the inter-
mediates and the seniors. Each of these groups were divided themselves
again into different workshop groups. “With the juniors we wanted them to
develop interpersonal skills and to teach them how to work within a team.
They are still kids and do not have much experience with that”, Zingisa said.
“With the intermediates, the grades six to eight, we trained their self and
time management skills. We also teach them about peer pressure so that
they would be able to cope with its challenges.” The seniors were taught to
be leaders, to share their knowledge, to be able to stand in front of crowds
and to implement what they have already learned.
So far all has gone according to plan with a few challenges here and there
but nothing that could not be handled. “We expect the kids to return home
with knowledge. We know that all work is process, but we expect them to be
on the right path and not lose their time management and self management
skills”, Zingisa concluded.
By Bongiwe Chuna
ADVERT
The Setting I 11

12. OUR
TALENTS
THE YOUTH‘S VERY OWN
More than 145 Masifunde learners showed their talent
at the Summer Camp talent show. They were enjoying
ROCKING
themselves in Addo last week and it was impressive to
see them shutting down the stage. The talent show is
TALENT SHOW
an annual event at each summer camp and this year
the usual suspects were present. The road to success is
long and big talent is often spotted at such small Here Bhajo tells his story about his dance talent:
events.
“I started dancing when I was 10 years old in 2006 be-
Talent is the ability to showcase the creativity of the cause I was watching dance shows like ‘You think you
mind, body and soul. It is imperative for the young stars can dance’. So, I got interested. I started to develop my
to show their talent in the society because it might re- dancing skills when I joined a group called ‘African An-
sult in the development of a future career. Masifunde gels’. Khanyi Mbau also gives me power, she inspires
started the talent show because they wanted the kids me a lot. Every time I see her on TV performing I just go
to show their talent and abilities and to work on their mad. Every time I dance, I picture myself in Los Angeles
creativity using their strength. The talent show started dancing for Beyonce. Dance gives me strength and it’s
at last year’s summer camp. Before there was a talent like exercise for me. It helps me with my body shape
show, there was another show that happened outside and my muscles get active and healthy. I like to work as
the camp at Walmer High school. a group because we share moves for the dance. I don’t
have to think alone, we all come up with different ideas
and views.”
Msikeleli, Kwande and Siphe organized the talent show:
“this talent show boosts the learners’ confi-
dence because they manage to stand on
By Samkela Myoyo
the stage alone”, said Msikeleli. The show
featured a variety of acts from the gum
boot dancing by Thobela and Abongile, to
the beautiful singing of Sarah and some of
the hilarious comedy acts by the facilitators
too.
n di va?‘
‘You think you ca
‘You think you can braai?‘
12 I Our Talents

13. OUR
‘Yo TALENTS
ut
hi n
ky
ou
‘r e
fun
ny ?‘
u can dan
ce? ‘
yo
‘You think
‚ You think you can sing?‘
‘You th
ink you
can act
?‘
‘You‘re quite a poet, aren‘t you?‘
Our Talents I 13

14. SPORT
Keeping fit
with fun
What a day, on the 14th of December. The sun was shin-
ing, you could see the clouds smiling, the trees gave
fresh air and the kids went into the pool on the camp-
site of Zuurberg.
netball, pool and also racing which they enjoyed a lot.
The life savers were there to watch over them.
Swimming is one of the enjoyable sports which took
place at the Summer Camp 2011. Gunar was the facili-
tator in charge of guiding the kids and teaching them Kinga is one of the outdoor facilitators who facilitated
how to swim. yoga sessions. She started doing yoga nine years ago
and in the past three years she has been doing it every
day. She enjoys it because it is important for her to do
The Summer Camp is not only about learning it also of-
yoga as it helps her body to be relaxed and fit.
fered sports as we all know that sport is the most im-
portant hobby for kids. The kids enjoyed being in the
swimming pool and they liked swimming. They played
games
14 I Sport

15. SPORT
Yoga is the body exercise where you stretch your body Sport is important and Masifunde has given us the
and bend it in different positions. Most of the kids had chance to play which is good because it helps your
a chance to see how flexible they are because they did mind to be fresh, to think positively and your body will
not think that everyone could be able to do yoga. They be relaxed.
thought that only flexible people could do it.
By Gcobisa Mambuka
Summer Camp gave enough space for yoga and the kids
do not get a chance to do yoga at home. Some of the
kids did not know that they are flexible and that they
can stand on their head. Kinga is glad that the kids en-
joyed it and her next step is to continue with yoga at
Walmer Township.
oga e
y ac l
o bst e
co urs
g
hi kin
s
Sport I 15

16. PAPER OR PLASTIC?
GLOBAL WARMING, CLIMATE CHANGE, OZONE LAYER, RAINY SUMMERS AND
MILD WINTERS? CAN YOU FOLLOW THESE BUZZWORDS WHICH ARE CON-
STANTLY ON THE NEWS? SESETHU ZIDE BREAKS DOWN FOR US WHAT ALL THIS
“GOING GREEN” IS ABOUT AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
PAPER OR PLASTIC?
Rights go hand in hand with responsibilities. We all have Global warming is the destruction of the ozone layer,
a right to life but do we know our responsibilities? The which protects us from harmful sunrays. The paper you
previous generations fulfilled their responsibilities by throw on the ground can take years to decompose and
ensuring that we have a place to live. Global warming is disappear from where you tossed it. When companies
an international crisis affecting all of us. With more than manufacture paper or plastic they use chemicals which
130 people at the Summer Camp we can make a change. can destroy that protective layer. When the sun heats up
Have you ever thought about how the paper or rubbish the paper you threw away, all the chemicals which were
you throw on the floor could destroy the world? used when producing it, go back to the atmosphere de-
stroying the ozone layer.
Earth, our planet, is about 4500
million years old. We have nine
planets in the universe and out of
the nine planets Earth turns out When you throw one paper on the
to be the only planet where ani- ground, you are destroying the world.
mals and human beings can sur- We have to remember that an injury
vive. Earth is not only a habitat to one is an injury to all. Your actions
but also a heritage site. The peo- will not affect only you. It is not only
ple who lived before us were your life at stake but the people from
clever and kind enough to make Walmer, Port Elizabeth, South Africa,
sure they preserve this precious in fact, the whole world.
place for us.
Some of us might wonder what is happening to the Nobody is too small to help”, the summer camp coordi-
world. The seasons are changing, the weather is chang- nator Zingisa once said. Play your part: do not litter. By
ing. We either have a very hot summer or a cold sum- not littering you could make a difference. You could ful-
mer, sometimes a freezing winter which is not supposed
fill your responsibilities. We only have one earth and if
to happen in this region. The reason for that is the cli-
we destroy it, where will our children live? So be wise
mate change which is happening because of global
warming. and remember that the paper you throw on the ground
could destroy the world.
By Sesethu Zide
16 I Paper or plastic?

17. PRESENTATION DAY
PRESENTATION DAY
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
Starting from the grade 3´s up to the senior group, the By Lihle Kutase
spotlight to shine hung over everyone.
Lights, Camera, Action! - It was Presentation Day in
Zuurberg!
After all the hours spent on workshops and sweating
from learning all day, the presentation day was at
hand on this 15th of December 2011. This was the day
for the different groups to showcase what they have
learnt and also share the information they had gath-
ered from the workshops they had attended.
These presentations were
not done the old tradi-
tional way. Some groups
took acting to express
At the end of the presentations,
their creativity and others
Mr. Jonas Schumacher, who also
also incorporated singing
became known as “grand
into their presentations.
daddy”, shared a few words of
The grade 3´s to 5´s which
appreciation to the facilitators
were learning about
and everyone for being part of
teamwork in their work-
“the best Summer Camp so far.”
shops put together a short
song about their working
topic. Whilst the grade 6´s
to 8´s presented a mini
talk show to spice up their
presentation for the oth-
ers.
Pressentation Day I 17

18. TEAM WORK
Team work
A week filled with joy for the grade 3-5. All the young the blind one through the obstacles without touching
minds were assembled at the Addo Zuurberg Resort, all the mine (the objects). The activity required trust be-
with a common goal. To find a useful tool in life, to be cause your safety depends on your partner. They really
able to work in a team. were a team. Msi, their facilitator said that they have
A person can be beautiful, but that is not all that counts accomplished their mission and they worked well to-
in life. Most of the things that we do in our daily life re- gether.
quire team work. They use the talent of each member To bake a good cake you need a good recipe. To make a
to the best of its capabilities. There are so many teams successful team work you also need a recipe. Here are
like football, rugby and cricket teams. We also have a some of the ingredients. I learned from the grade 3-5’s.
powerful team, which are our bodies. Each of the or- 1. Use the best skill of each member
gans somehow depends on another to function prop- 2. Remember that you have one common goal
erly. For instance, if you want to move your legs it is that you can only reach together.
one of the brain muscles which transfer the message to 3. Be aware of each other’s differences
the leg to move. 4. Work together and not against each other
The children focused on different things to make sure 5. Solve conflicts without insulting each other
they achieved their goals and work in a team. They had The grade 3-5 worked together throughout the camp
subtopics and to mention a few, they dealt with 5 ele- and yes, the recipe really did work for them even when
ments of cooperative learning, 5 stages of team work they did obstacle courses. If the youngest group on the
and goal setting. camp did it, why not learn from them and be united.
They also had an activity called Mine field which re-
quired them to work as a team. They were divided into By Sesethu Zide
pairs. One was blind folded and the other had to guide
a team catches you when you fall…..
18 I Team work

19. TEAM WORK
a team puts all the pieces together
and every member counts
team members support each other
!!
ork
s it w
m ake
m
ea
at
Team work I 19

20. THE ARTS GROUP
e
help th
y dec ided to ep
and the p to ke THE MASIFUNDE ARTS GROUP LEAVES THEIR MARK
up by grou er.
kids gro d in ord
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the wor
PAINTING THE CAMP
By Samkela Myoyo
YELLOW
In life we have different things that
we are good at. When you are good at some things you need to
The Arts Group did a wonderful job during
show it off. The Masifunde Arts Group showed what is called
this Summer Camp where they created t-
Art. Art is a form of expression, its production is fine work. Art
shirts with everyone. Starting on day two
has some value in society like to appreciate life and the way of
the t-shirt workshops became a daily rou-
living and discovering more in life and about yourself.
tine. The arts group did the t-shirts be-
cause they have wanted to show off what
At Masifunde they decided to start an Arts Group. Actually, they have and it was their plan to do
there were Learn4Life kids who were asked to help paint the something nice for the other groups at the
hall at Xolelanani Youth Centre on a holiday in December 2009. camp.
Many of them enjoyed painting and making drawings so they It took long to make the t-shirts because
said they would like to do more of it. Then Masifunde decided there were 135 shirts that needed to be
to start an arts group because there were kids with artistic painted. How many t-shirts were done de-
abilities and they should not be left behind by Masifunde. pended on how many people were help-
These kids had talent and Masifunde wanted to foster that tal- ing. The Arts Group has got nine members
ent. “We wanted their dreams to come true”, said Jonas
Schumacher, and there were two international students who
helped a lot to start the group.
20 I The Arts Group

21. THE ARTS GROUP
The t-shirts are yellow in
their basic colour. To cre-
ate the drawings they
used paints, pens, stencils,
sponges, brushes, stamps
and paper templates with
drawings. Most kids liked
the red paint because
many of the t-shirts are
painted in red. When do-
ing the shirts they first
painted it and then put it
in the sun to dry. After
that they ironed it to
make the paint stick be-
fore the first washing.
They came out as beauti-
fully printed t-shirts.
Many people believe that colours and pictures can describe
someone´s emotions and feelings. Some use their favorite
colour when they are happy in order to show so. “The colours
I use depend on my mood,” explains Zanele. Sometimes we
use certain colours when we are proud of something and we
want to show it: “I used the South African colours because I
am proud of being a South African. I admire my country,” said
Amanda.
The Arts Group also has got regu-
lar lessons and they work on a
topic every term. Last term´s
topic was self-portraits. “The idea
came up with one of the learn-
ers”, said their facilitator Xola. As
a group they discussed and
agreed upon the topic. Xola ex-
plained that “we came up with
this topic because we need kids
to look into themselves and to
describe to the world who they
are in pictures.” The topic took six
months to complete. “It was in-
teresting and changed the kids´
life, behaviour and personalities,”
said Xola,” It is great when we
work together, because then we
are at our best.”
By Samkela Myoyo
The Arts Group I 21

22. SNAP SHOTS
22 I Snap shpts

23. SNAP SHOTS
Snap shots I 23

24. THE FIRST OF ITS KIND, THE FIRST IN NEWS & THE FIRST IN WALMER
40 Main Road l Walmer l Port Elizabeth 6070
Office: 041-581 2543
www.masifunde.com