Is The Program Really All that? Hear From Our Ambassadors
We talk about our vision to empower young people. How we see a world where they are socially engaged, globally aware, and economically free. But, what do we mean by that, and how do we accomplish this? And how do we know we're delivering on our promise? Well, aren’t we glad you asked!
We just wrapped up our October camps here in South Africa, the cohort was going over their fundraising plans for the Cape Town trip in June 2022. As well as working on their interpersonal relationships. We believe in experiential learning; the cornerstone of our curriculum is experience. We believe that by creating space for the ambassadors to live the material, it becomes a part of them in some way.
The October camps consisted of strategy sessions to work on the fundraisers, sessions on entrepreneurial skills; the basics of a budget, how to plan a project, and what it takes to get to the execution phase. We paired this with exercises that had a strong focus on building trust and holding space for others to tell their stories confidently. I could tell you about all the excellent work I think is happening or we could ask the ambassadors to tell you.
“Oh What I liked about camps was that everyone had the opportunity to express their views/ideas. What I like again is the cooperation. We were working together, we didn't judge each other. It was an exciting experience and I enjoyed being in the community. We had a great time working together, hope we do so next time. I love you guys” -Sibongile Mabuela, IAWA ambassador.
“The camps were good. I enjoyed our mindfulness activities and our energizers. We worked on our ideas and fully planned them properly. We also worked as a team on our ten steps that we must take for our fundraisers to be successful.” -Semane, IAWA Ambassador
“I enjoyed it. It was very good for me; I learned so many things that will help me when I finish my schoolwork. Such as managing my finances, the importance of saving, and having a bank account. I also learned about how the choices I make will affect how I get to live my life. We spoke a lot about our goal to raise money to go to cape town next year. I learned that we must support and trust each other; that in this community we care for one another. We are members of a family. We do everything together or we don't do it at all. It also showed me the type of learner I am and love being outside so I enjoyed all our market research trips and brainstorming outside under a tree on the very hot days of the camp. My group and I struggled with settling down on a single idea and often we’d have communication breakdowns but, because we're all here for the same reason; we had to find ways to resolve the conflict while still supporting each other.” -IAWA Ambassador.
And there you have it, through the work of our team, the fantastic curriculum, and the determination of these young people to move forward, we can produce this. What dreams may come? When we promote, support, and listen to the youth. Give them a space to be and learn free of pressure but intended for their presence.
Our programming is centered around them. Ensuring that they encounter the experiences, opportunities, and support that will turn them into individuals that can self-solve the high youth employment crisis that’s at the core of a lot of the current social ills.
Our founder likes to say that freedom all starts in the mindset, that if you can liberate the way you perceive your environment, you can empower your own unique and creative solutions. For IAWA it’s more than a trip to Cape Town or a chance to be at a large university; it’s about unlocking the visionaries within the ambassadors and leaving a lasting impression of themselves that proves that they can.
If you like our mission or believe that we really are all that, you can support our mission by donating to the fundraisers or to the organization directly to keep our vision alive.