BULELANI FUTSHANE

"I am 17 years old. In 2000 when I first met SAEP I couldn’t use computers, and most importantly I didn’t have any self confidence. I am a very shy person by nature and I didn’t like speaking in front of too many people, especially not speaking my mother tongue. When SAEP came along, all of that changed within a month. SAEP has taught me a lot of skills such as creative writing, computer literacy and most of all, public speaking. Now it is time for me to give back, not only to students from Sinethemba but the whole of Philippi. Joining SAEP is a privilege for me, because I grew up in this organisation and have learnt a lot here.

 I finished my matric in 2002 and decided to take a ‘gap year’ before going on with my studies. The `gap year’ concept is not popular and does not make sense to some people. Well for me it does make sense. I was just very confused about what to do with my life, meaning that I knew nothing about how to go about choosing a career for myself. Above all that, I also lacked the funds to progress with my education. So I approached SAEP and asked if I could work as a volunteer doing community service during 2003, which is what I am now doing. I am hoping this will create more opportunities for me to further my education. If possible I would like to go to Stellenbosch University. At the moment I am still exploring many professions and hoping that I will find one that really interests me.

 The goals of SAEP are to see the community of Philippi developing the skills that they have not had the chance to develop and to be informed about the environment that surrounds them. I am currently assisting students at Zisukhanyo to establish their school news bulletin and training the Debating Society. The level of the enthusiasm within the school is very high. The students are so keen to learn more and are very determined to get new information. This inspires me to work harder and to share my skills with them without any hesitation.

 I think it’s essential for us as a black society to realize that no-one can ever develop our Township except us. This is one of the reasons why I am very much willing to share what I know with the other community members. I believe that SAEP has given me a platform to experience life in the non-profit world. I thank them for that."