Introduction

Nearly a decade after the demise of the apartheid system in South Africa, the majority of the population still lacks the education, skills, opportunity, and confidence necessary to reap the benefits of society. South Africa’s socioeconomic disparity is the third highest in the world.[1] Poverty, unemployment, as well as inadequate and unequal education are legacies of the apartheid years that plague and stifle the development of both rural and township communities. Under apartheid legislation “blacks” were forced to live in specific areas known as “townships” surrounding major cities. The Cape Flats, which is the area to the east of the thriving metropolitan city of Cape Town, in the Western Cape province of South Africa, is the site of a number of such impoverished and inadequately serviced communities. Townships are both a physical and social reminder of apartheid. Institutional development, as well as access to opportunity, is lacking within these communities, which resiliently survive daily in this dysfunctional urban environment.

In her book, Steering by the Stars: Being Young in South Africa, Mamphela Ramphele went into New Crossroads, a township in the Cape Flats area, to study how the youth have been shaped by both the schools and community that still reflect the pasts injustices of apartheid. Through the 1990s, Ramphele followed and interviewed sixteen teenagers to uncover how life truly is growing up in the black townships of South Africa. Of the group only two were able to further their education or find employment, one was murdered in a gang fight, while the rest are left unemployed, trapped in New Crossroads. Ramphele captures the struggle of these youth to survive in a society where opportunity is not easily accessible. Youth are the poorest of the poor. Ramphele states, “Theirs is a life experience bearing all the scars of the legacy of the past. Inadequate social amenities. Overcrowded homes . . . Underperforming schools that provide little hope for a better future for them compared to their uneducated parents. Violent homes, schools and streets that add to the general insecurity in . . . black townships.”[2] The situation of the country’s youth indicates societal performance in the present and the future. Ramphele notes that the success and development of crucial institutions, such as “family, school, and community,” will shape the “healthy development” of South Africa’s youth.[3]

In return for working with the youth at New Crossroads, Ramphele established a community intervention project, which was the construction of a youth center. While developing the project she posed the questions, “How do you intervene in the lives of young people within a community as complex as that of New Crossroads? Can an outsider help reconfigure their living environment in a manner that lowers the risks facing young people?”[4] The Youth Center provided a depth of resources, including educational and recreational activities, computer training, environmental awareness, and counseling. Unfortunately, the youth centre had to close its doors after about two years of operation due to crime and inadequate management.

With the South African government spending less than it should on poverty relief (only one percent of the welfare budget[5]), community intervention by non-governmental organizations is necessary in responding to the needs of poor communities. Community intervention is a means of reacting to the social outcomes of the apartheid system by working with and aiding the development of social change within communities that have so long been denied education, opportunity, and a future. Intervention is not only to provide material and human resources, but it is an emotional investment that helps to build confidence and esteem of the community where the notion of “learned helplessness”[6] is very deeply entrenched and therefore stifles human and economic development.

Ramphele’s work inspired my curiosity about the complexities of community intervention. With my interest in the inequalities within the educational system in South Africa as well as the resiliency of the township communities I have observed, I decided to focus my Independent Study Project on taking a critical look at the community work of a non-profit organization known as the Southern Africa Environment Project (SAEP). SAEP works primarily in the Philippi township in the Cape Flats area of Cape Town, specifically with learners at the high school level.

Established in the 1980s by residents fleeing the escalation of township violence in Crossroads, Philippi only began to develop in the 1990s with the rapid construction of small “match box houses.”[7] Currently there are 500,00 residents of Philippi (see Appendix 2 for a more in-depth look at Philippi). SAEP’s program provides the resources needed for learners to develop a range of skills, as well as their personal growth and confidence. SAEP works closely with the learners as a means to encourage and support future leaders and activists within the community in order to aid the development of the community in which they live.

Township youth have to deal with the legacy of the Bantu Education Act implemented during the apartheid system, which denied black students access to appropriate educational opportunities. The Act set up black students to fail within their educational system and put up a major barrier to block any future success. White South Africans were able to experience a world-class education at the expense of the black majority. The post-apartheid government is faced with the daunting task of reconstructing a “fragmented and deeply discriminatory educational system.”[8] Inequities within the educational system run deep. According to a report by the Department of Education, “’Inequality is still writ large in the educational system, and too many families are on the receiving end of an unacceptably low standard of educational delivery.”[9] Non-profit organizations are crucial in aiding this transformation of the educational system.

SAEP is attempting to eradicate the inequality gap within the educational system by providing resources to township high schools. The schools are under-resourced and the teachers are under-developed. SAEP provides an extra-curricular program at three schools within Philippi and the surrounding areas. Currently the program includes debating, environmental education, publishing a student newspaper, computer training, math tutorials, hikes and other environmental excursions, art and photography, as well as a community service program that is available to recent high school graduates to work within the community under the umbrella of SAEP.

By analyzing the work of SAEP within the township communities, I hope to provide a case study and model of a community intervention project. SAEP constructively and positively responds to three major issues of the youth within the communities: lack of opportunity, need for guidance, and Ramphele’s observation of the rift between personal achievement and community solidarity.[10] The township community shapes the educational experience for both the learners and teachers. The community does not support or guide the youth in their educational experience. Learners go through school with an empty and unmotivated future. SAEP provides opportunities, guidance, and emotional support for learners trying to decide what the future holds.

Southern Africa Environment Project – South Africa

Vision

The organization’s vision is of vibrant township communities which promote and improve both their social and their physical environments, primarily through the development and empowerment of youth leaders who are able, through participation in a variety of programs, to maximize their potential; succeed academically, personally, and in their career choices; become leaders and activists; and contribute to community social and economic development and improvement in the living standards and environment of the areas in which they live.[11]

Summary of Objectives [12]

“The organization’s primary objectives are to improve the social and economic development of Philippi and neighboring communities and improve living standards and the physical environment by:”[13]

1. environmental education and awareness; promoting environmentally sustainable economic development

2. development of critical thinking and English language skills, leadership and social commitment through activities provided in extra-curricular programs at the high school level

3. establishment of a “gap year” program to provide opportunities for personal and academic development for recent graduates in preparation for tertiary education

4. development of leadership skills among the participants in the program

5. providing opportunities for both local and foreign interns to aid in the development of communities.

Background

Norton Tennille established the Southern African Environment Project (SAEP) in the spring of 1994 upon return to the United States after an inspiring and informative visit to South Africa. The original objectives of SAEP were “environmental management, to promote the development of environmental law, to use the environment to create jobs, environmental education, environmental leadership development, and to eventually develop a foreign internship program.”[14] In June of 1994 he returned permanently to South Africa as the volunteer Executive Director of SAEP; his initial objective was “to learn as much as possible about South African management and environmental legislation.”[15] Norton worked in the Eastern Cape on several environmental justice and educational projects until 1998, when he relocated to Cape Town with his new managing director, Boyce Papu.

In 1999, SAEP began an environmental education program at Sinethemba High School in Philippi, which included excursions to the Kirstenbosch Gardens, Zeekoevlei, and the West Coast National Park. Thus began a strong and intricate relationship working with the learners at Sinethemba. At this point Norton had two main focuses: “I was interested in “macro” environmental law issues and sustainable development policy and practice, as well as working at the grassroots level.”[16] In response to the needs expressed by the students, SAEP’s grassroots work at Sinethemba evolved into an “innovative academic support, enrichment, and leadership training program.”[17]

In 1999-2000, with the help of foreign interns mainly from the US and England, SAEP began to provide academic support in math and biology. During 2000 and 2001, the extra-curricular program expanded to include poetry and creative writing, student journalism and the publication of a student bulletin (Nazo Mfundi), discussion groups, and working with the debating society with the main objective of improving the English language skills as well as critical thinking skills of the learners. SAEP’s involvement with debating led the 2001 Sinethemba debate team to earn the title of National Champions at the high school debating championship in Durban. In the article, “SAEP: Building Skills and Expanding Horizons for Township,” Luzuko Hina, a Sinethemba graduate and current intern for SAEP, noted, “SAEP thus began to see that its role was broader than one of environmental education, that it could also fill a need for skills development and personal growth in a wide range of academic and extra-curricular activities while continuing its environmental education.”[18]

Unfortunately, by the end of 2001, SAEP ran into funding problems and the partnership between Norton and Boyce had to end. As a result, the programs at Sinethemba ceased and the organization was dormant during 2002. On November 11, 2002, Bulelani Futshane and Luzuko Hina, recent graduates of Sinethemba High School and student leaders within SAEP programs, wrote Norton a letter asking to volunteer for SAEP during 2003. An excerpt from Futshane’s letter, as quoted on the SAEP website, reads:

`I’m still uncertain about my future, I thought of SAEP because we always turn to you guys when we are in trouble. I would love to do some voluntary work with you guys. Hopefully, I will be accepted because you are the last hope for me to determine my uncertain future. You people have done a lot for me, I think now its time for me to give back what is not mine but is for us. That is the skill you gave to me’.[19]

This letter brought SAEP back in motion. In early 2003, the organization established a “gap year” program for recent graduates, which includes the combination of a community service program at Sinethemba and within the greater Philippi community with a program that enhances personal growth and the development of skills necessary for future academic or career opportunities. As part of the community service program, the SAEP “gap year” interns coach debating, train students for the publication of the student bulletin, teach students computer and Information Technology skills, develop creative writing skills, provide environmental education, and aid in the development of an art program. As part of the personal development program, the interns explore tertiary and career options, work on writing skills, office management, public relations and fundraising, teaching and mentoring students, environmental and educational excursions, and leadership experiences.[20] Norton admits, “If Bulelani had not written that letter, I would never have gotten involved at Sinethemba again.”[21] The 2003 interns are Bulelani Futshane, Luzuko Hina, Ayanda Mpu, and most recently Thandisizwe Zondi. Another recent graduate, Nosisa Thubela Mhlathi, volunteers for SAEP while attending the University of the Western Cape.

When the gap year interns arrived in early 2003, SAEP began expanding its extra-curricular program to two other high schools, Zisukhanyo in Samora Machel (an area of Philippi) and Oscar Mpetha in the neighboring township of Nyanga. Currently, SAEP is working to develop the student bulletin, coaching and support of the debating society, and providing computer training at both schools. In March of 2003, SAEP, in collaboration with students of University of Cape Town Debating Union, launched the Township Debating League, which consists of eight high schools located in townships of the Cape Flats area of Cape Town. “The initial group includes eight high schools: Sinethemba, Zisukhanyo, Sophumelela, and Vuyiseka High School’s in Philippi; Phakama High in Lower Crossroads; Dr. Nelson Mandela High and Oscar Mpetha High in Nyanga; and Fezeka High in Guguletu.”[22] Both the interns and the UCT student debaters trained the students for the Township’s Debating League’s first tournament held on March 21, 2003 at Vuyiseka High School, where Fezeka High School took first place. Currently SAEP is recruiting more schools to join the league, which may include eight schools from the township of Mitchell’s Plain.

Another current project is in collaboration with the Integrated Serviced Land Project (iSLP), which is also involved in promoting the growth and development of townships. iSLP publishes a newspaper called Indaba Zasekhaya (“Home News”) and SAEP proposed to contribute articles about youth programs, development in schools, community health issues, crèches, crime and law enforcement, community facilities, economic development, sports, religion and cultures, and township education. Luzuko, Ayanda, and Bulelani contributed four articles and other works to the April issue (see Appendix 4). Long-term goals for SAEP’s involvement in Indaba Zasekhaya are to provide a total of 11 articles per issue and to increase the number of pages by an entire four-page middle section. The articles are great tools for the interns in terms of practicing their research and writing skills.

On 26 April 2003, the organization held a meeting in Philippi to display the work SAEP has done thus far as well as to launch and adopt the constitution for a local affiliate, the Southern Africa Environment Project – South Africa, as well as to elect a management committee. The main purpose for the formation of SAEP – SA is to directly link the organization with community members. The management committee is mostly made up of community members, including students, teachers, and crèche workers. SAEP wants “people on the ground . . . to get all of our direction from the community.”[23]

SAEP is also building partnerships with other South African organizations such as Molo Songololo, The Mountain Club of South Africa, the Integrated Serviced Land Project (iSLP), and the Frank Joubert Art and Design Centre in order to provide more resources for the schools and the greater community. Norton stated, “SAEP is wanting to work more closely with the parents, teachers, students, and community. For this reason, and in order to make fundraising in South Africa easier, it has been decided to set up SAEP – SA as a sister organization to SAEP with a new constitution and the election of a local management committee.” [24] The launch was a major step in strengthening the organization’s community intervention project by empowering community members to take part in the development of their community.

Methods and Techniques

In order to understand and gain insight into community intervention, I used the methodology of participant observation. I decided to do an internship at SAEP for three weeks. My main source for gathering information and data was through my work at SAEP. Norton proposed a program, which consisted of reading Steering by the Stars and answering the questions he provided about SAEP and community intervention; helping the interns with their articles with Indaba Zasekhaya by editing and guiding research methods; and co-writing an article with one of the volunteers, Nosisa Thubela, about gender issues surrounding townships sports. Furthermore, I aided in the preparation for the SAEP – SA launch meeting.

Reading Steering by the Stars provided context for my work environment as well as helped to define the complexities of community intervention. The book illuminated the overall needs of youth that SAEP is responding to, specifically guidance and involvement. It also exposed the link between community issues and poor educational performance by both the teachers and learners. Finally, the book made me realize how fortunate I was to be working township youth who are motivated to make opportunity for future success.

I worked with Bulelani and Ayanda on their stories. Norton gave me their first drafts and I then began to edit and provide questions to help further their research and develop a focus. Bulelani is writing about the Rasta community within Philippi, specifically on the conflicting values, beliefs, and preconceptions between the Rasta and Xhosa culture. Ayanda is writing about the development of crèches within the Philippi community. Both interns were willing and eager to improve their work and took my comments to heart. I only met with both of them twice throughout my project because they were busy with their many jobs as interns. Therefore, we were never able to get past the conceptual editing and on to the grammatical editing.

Nosisa and I worked closely on our article about women and sports. As a journalism major she enjoyed being able to put her skills to use. She was very easy to work with and we were able to bounce ideas off of each other. We came up with interview questions to interview teachers at Sinethemba. We interviewed two teachers, Mr. Popedi and Mrs. Nabe, which are both involved in the sports program at Sinethemba. Unfortunately, Nosisa can come into the office only once a week. We were able to brainstorm questions, concepts, and angles for the article, but we did not have the time to finish it together (see appendix 5). She is still working on the article and continuing to interview participants and coaches in the township sports league. The article will be included in the July issue of Indaba Zasekhaya.

In preparation for the launch of SAEP--SA, I did several eclectic activities. I helped make invitations and posters. I ran errands with Jane Keen, who does social work and manages SAEP, to pick up t-shirts, food, and other items. At the launch on 26 April 2003, I helped to organize the tea, coffee, and biscuits, as well as serving the lunch. I also spoke about Ramphele’s book and the issues of community intervention for about a couple of minutes. I emphasized the reason why the seventy community members that attended where there to promote the community involvement in guiding and nurturing the youth. The launch enabled me to observe the community’s positive response to the work of SAEP in Philippi.

The day I began my work at SAEP, I felt that I fit right in. The organization is run out of Norton and Jane’s home in Rosebank, a Cape Town suburb, which provides a welcoming environment. The interns had a great sense of humor (they constantly joked with me about being American). SAEP has five interns; four are recent graduates from Philippi and part of the “gap year” program, while the other, Andreas Zgavc, is a German intern who runs the environmental education program at Sinethemba. They each are unique and bright. Most of the information that I gathered was through informal conversations. I learned about their views on American culture as well as their own. Every afternoon, the interns travel to Sinethemba to run their programs. About once or twice a week I went in to observe them in action. I was very impressed with their connections to the learners as well as their teaching skills.

Besides the informal conversations, I interviewed all the interns and the Executive Director as a method of gathering data (see appendix 1 for interview questions). I choose to interview Norton for the background of SAEP and his views on the issues of community intervention. I interviewed Andreas to understand how he believes environmental education and awareness is useful for learners. I interviewed Luzuko, Bulelani, Ayanda, and Thandisizwe to understand the daily hardships they each face living in Philippi, their educational experience, how SAEP influenced their lives, their views on their work within the community, and what they see as a successful community intervention project. I used each interview as a case study of how SAEP’s involvement or intervention within their communities aided in their personal development and achievements. All interviews took place in the back yard of Norton’s home in Rosebank. I took detailed notes during each interview rather than using a tape recorder to make the process less formal.

The major limitation of study was the length of time I was able to spend with SAEP. Only participating in the organization for three weeks did not provide an adequate amount of time for me to finish my projects or establish a role within working with the community. I went into this month, thinking that I was going to do an internship ISP, however due to the lack of a required finished project, my ISP changed quite dramatically. My project evolved from educational injustices to how this non-profit organization deals with and responds to issues of community intervention. Therefore my ISP has turned into an internship/academic project whereby my main source of information is from observations and interviews.

An internship lasting only three weeks is problematic. Once I got acquainted with the people and atmosphere, established a routine with my co-workers, it was nearing the end of my stay. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to work with SAEP and I hope to come back in the future to devote more of my time to the organization. However, there is the issue of what I can give in return for SAEP opening its doors to me. My hope is that this paper will provide an outside look at the organization’s work within Philippi and the bordering areas and to begin the analyses and creation of a model for community intervention.

Narratives of the SAEP Interns

SAEP’s involvement with the youth of Philippi runs deep. SAEP has influenced youth at a vulnerable point in their lives and propelled them to personal achievement by providing the programs, opportunities, and guidance to develop self-confidence and skills necessary for future success. From hearing the stories and opinions of the four Sinethemba graduates that are part of the “gap year” program, youth struggle with the lack of opportunity and guidance, as well as living in an urban township environment. SAEP successfully tackles these struggles and issues through its community intervention program. However, SAEP faces many challenges and can only provide so much with the limited resources at its disposal.

Township youth must choose between two paths: a life of crime, violence, or unemployment, or a life of educational and career opportunities. The stories of Luzuko, Bulelani, Thandisizwe, and Ayanda portray the hardships they struggle with in the townships and about how SAEP’s community involvement help each to choose the right path. They are all success stories; all have overcome major obstacles to get to where they are today. All are incredibly bright, motivated, and inspirational human beings. They are all survivors and have unique and incredible stories. These stories and viewpoints about their work with SAEP are a positive response to community intervention.

Luzuko Hina [25]

Luzuko has a mesmerizing presence. He is tall and thin with a contagious smile that spreads from ear to ear. He is thoughtful, sincere, and passionate. His sense of humor warms those around him, especially when he always jokes about needing to be on a diet while he piles on both butter and peanut butter on two slices of bread during lunchtime. He is amazingly articulate and provides arguments and criticisms whenever appropriate. He walks, talks, and laughs with a humbled confidence.

Born on 10 August 1982 in the Eastern Cape, Luzuko grew up in Tsitsikama with his grandparents. His mother left for the opportunities of the city when he was three years old. His father passed away when Luzuko was young, “I only see him in pictures.” Luzuko is stuck in the middle of an older sister and a younger brother. In 1995, he and his siblings moved to Philippi to be with his mother. “We were missing our mother . . . there is better opportunity over here . . . [the Eastern Cape] was not a good place to study . . . I was so excited to be with my mother.”

At Sinethemba High School there were about forty-three learners in his class and some of the classes that he took were accounting, business economics, math, Xhosa, and English. “I preferred English. I liked talking and my English teachers liked me.” Before tuning in with SAEP, his educational experience was challenging and unfulfilling. “I was really struggling; I really had to work hard to get through high school. I think it was the stage I was in. I was not concentrating. It was cool not to listen . . . I was trying to please friends a lot. That was one of the difficulties I discovered: I listened to others about what being cool was. I let peer pressure take me over. I wouldn’t blame others . . . it was my selfish doings.”

Living in Philippi Luzuko fears the violence within his community. “I fear of waking up and being shot . . . All the time people go to gangsterism. They don’t think that they can survive unless they steal cars. They think there is nothing they can do for themselves than to make quick money.”

In order to prevent such destructive lifestyles, Luzuko believes that the most important needs for youth are involvement and guidance. “Youth need something to do, instead of occupying their time by standing in the street corners drinking beer. They need something that would make good out of their lives. . . to go to school. People just think that they are not going to do anything anyway, so they don’t finish high school, they don’t have a purpose.” Youth living in poor communities do not have the choices available to those youth that are more economically stable. The educational and career opportunities are simply not there in a community like Philippi and it takes a motivated and strong minded youth, like Luzuko, to create those opportunities from very little.

Bulelani Futshane [26]

Bulelani challenges my thoughts, ideas, and words. He asks me questions that provoke my thought process to new directions. His confidence and strength hug around every word he speaks. He is a dynamic character who knows when it is time to be serious and working hard and when it is time to begin his standup comedic routine, which he performs for us almost every morning while slurping on bran flakes and milk. His tall and lanky frame holds a heart filled with inner joy and kindness. He shines … it is truly remarkable.

Bulelani was born in Cape Town on 8 September 1985. He grew up in Guguletu and moved to Philippi at age six or seven. He had two older brothers, Sonyabiso and Omalela. He currently lives with him mother and his bother, Omalela. Bulelani has endured great loss throughout his life. His father passed away in 1991 from a respiratory sickness he contracted from working in the mines, and just last year, his oldest brother, Sonyabiso, passed away of pneumonia after contracting tuberculosis.

Bulelani’s mother, who works at a crèche in Guguletu, is the family’s only source of income. His brother is unemployed. “I come from a poor family, I must tell you. I learned about responsibility at a young age. I grew up knowing that . . . everything lies on me to get a proper education and job. This pressure makes me make rational decisions, to think things through . . . to think that this decision won’t destruct my family. The most important thing to me is my mother and how she is going to respond. I grew up under the guidance of my mother. If I exclude her now it would not benefit me.”

Bulelani went to the primary school next to the Ramphele Youth Centre in New Crossroads described above. He was fortunate that he was able to avoid getting involved in criminal activities in such a crime-ridden area. “I was lucky not to be hooked up with criminals. Some of my friends lost lives, were crippled, and some left school. What made it possible for me to survive?” By going to high school in Philippi rather than New Crossroads, Bulelani was able to escape the peer pressure of getting involved in criminal activities. His friends were forced to get involved or else there their peers branded them as a “moffie” [pejorative term for homosexual] or "wuss."

When he graduated from primary school, he went to Sinethemba rather than following his friends to Oscar Mpetha High School in Nyanga, the township next to New Crossroads. “If I went to Oscar with my friends, I would have ended up in crime.” Bulelani was amazed with himself while he told this story, he never thought about how truly lucky he was to avoid going down that path of violence and crime.

Bulelani expresses that what people lack is opportunity. “Philippi is one of the poorest townships. SAEP is the only organization functioning well in Philippi, it is bringing opportunities to the people . . . what is lacking is for people to further their education, to have an independent mind, to think critically, and creatively.” Bulelani’s strong initiative opened many doors throughout his life and by proposing the “gap year” program to SAEP he was able to open an even bigger door to his future.

Thandisizwe Zondi [27]

Thandisizwe joined SAEP’s “gap year” program in mid-April. We both had our first day at SAEP on April 14. He is quiet and reserved with a humbling demeanor. He has a solid stance that is always finished off with a smile. He speaks with maturity and insight through his thick Xhosa accent.

Thandisizwe was born on 2 September 1981 in the Transkei, located in the Eastern Cape. When he was three years old he came to Crossroads with his family. He is fortunate to be living with both parents. He has two brothers and two sisters. In 1990 his family moved to Philippi.

After passing his matric, the test necessary to graduate from high school and to get into university, Thandisizwe decided to start a math tutorial for Sinethemba learners. “I just went to the students . . . they needed math tutoring. I would rather teach them than stay at home. . . I do love what I do. I know it will take time to learn something new. I am grateful to give something than to keep it to myself . . . I am proud of it.” By his own initiative, Thandisizwe is helping his community members reach certain goals that could eventually lead to new opportunities.

Thandisizwe has conflicted feelings about living in Philippi. “I just want to leave Philippi, but at the same time I want to stay. It is such a good township. . . but now it is no more so good because of the violence.” Living across from a shebeen (bar), Thandisizwe is used to seeing a lot of violence occur right outside of his house. The day before I interviewed him, he witnessed a stabbing. “. . . A guy was stabbed by two guys because it was the end of the month and those guys wanted money. I saw the last stab, he was stabbed badly. I see a lot of violence outside my house. I am not scared. I am used to it because I have lived in a township my whole life. . . it’s not cool.” When unemployment and poverty plague communities, the trust and socialization fall prey to violence and crime due to desperate circumstances. No youth should have to witness this periodically.

Ayanda Mpu [28]

Ayanda has a sincere interest in others. His eyes light up whenever he asks questions or initiates a conversation. His warm and curious manner makes it easy for others to open up to him. He looks young for his age, being the shortest of the four. He is a man on a mission and his determination is his fuel in life.

Born 7 April 1983 in the Eastern Cape, Ayanda left behind his mother and grandparents to come to Khayelitsha, a township of Cape Town to live with his uncle and two cousins when he was only two years old. His mother came the next year. Ayanda’s father passed away when he was very young. He has never seen a picture of his father. After moving around different locations in Cape Town, he is currently living in Khayelitsha. His family is spread out, where his mother lives in another township and his sister lives with his aunt. “I need to find a job to get my family back together.”

After passing matric, Ayanda enrolled in an Information Technology (IT) program at Rosebank College for a year. “No one told me how to apply or what steps to follow to get to IT.” He learned about IT from a community member and then took the initiative to speak with a career consultant at Rosebank College. After finishing IT, he joined SAEP to help guide his career. He even has a five-year plan: “I have interest in networking and PC engineering. I will go to Peninsula Technikon for three years. Then I will be going to get my in-service training. Then get a good paying job with a good working environment. Next year I have to go to school and get a good place for my family.” He then asked if I wanted to hear his plan after his five-year plan. His determination to be the breadwinner, and to provide structure to his family life, is creating career and educational opportunities.

SAEP’s influence and involvement with these four young men, as well as the learners within the township high schools is important in understanding the methods of community intervention. The background stories of the interns provide the context of the need SAEP responds to and the success in which this response produces.

Opportunity Equals Empowerment

The greatest inspiration was my love for young people and my belief in their potential to succeed if given the opportunity to identify their talents and play to their strengths.[29]

SAEP’s extra-curricular programs provide opportunity for youth to develop crucial language and work skills as well as personal development and self-confidence. All of which empower youth to take charge of their future success. The key to SAEP’s successful involvement within the high school communities is faith in the abilities and intelligence of the youth to actively participate in their own personal growth. This recognition of the immense worth of the poorest of the poor is so important in motivating community involvement. The work SAEP is doing within the schools is successful in keeping students busy and involved and away from a path of crime and violence. SAEP in a sense provides a roadblock to this path by tapping into to student’s interests with debating, journalism, poetry, hiking, art, environmental issues, computer training, and academic support. SAEP is filling the gaps found in the sharp disparities of South Africa’s educational system.

Norton’s undying commitment to building excellence and providing that educational opportunity that both he and I took advantage in the United States within township schools drives the program and is the reason why SAEP has expanded so quickly. “We have remarkably talented, ambitious, committed young people who have very few opportunities. We are providing the things we took advantage of in high school. I asked myself why was my high school so different? It was the role of the teachers and principal, as well as the social values of the community that put so much emphasis on education. I want to build that excellence at Sinethemba.”[30] Rather than assuming the needs of the learners, SAEP responds directly to the needs expressed. For example, Norton responded to Bulelani and Luzuko’s proposal for a community service program to help the focus their educational and career options. The “gap year” program is not only beneficial to the interns but to the community, for it brought SAEP back into Sinethemba and beyond.

Zixolile Dyonese, a student speaker at the SAEP – SA launch meeting from Oscar Mpetha High School, emphasized how SAEP uses the community to empower the learners. SAEP’s programs have taught him how to use computers and the internet. He stated, “SAEP uplifts communities and gives us lifetime support as learners . . . Congratulations to SAEP for realizing that the poorest of the poor have skills and hopes.”[31] If the community response is positive and motivating, then the intervention project can constructively use that motivation and be closely involved with the community. It’s this “give and take” that keeps SAEP growing and alive within the townships.

SAEP’s influence on the educational experiences of Luzuko and Bulelani provide insight to how the opportunities made available by SAEP empower youth. Both were named the national champions at the 2001 Rotary Competition held in Durban. It was an SAEP foreign intern, Cathy DeLazzero, an Oberlin College graduate, who led them to that amazing moment. At the SAEP – SA Launch, learners performed a model debate. The motion was “should lobola be banned.” Ironically, it was that motion that Luzuko and Bulelani argued on their way to the national debate championship. The debaters were passionate, argumentative, articulate, and performed with loads of attitude. They were convincing, sharp, and formal. I was left stumped as to which side won. After the debate, Luzuko then spoke about why debating is important, “In our culture we are taught not to question things . . . debating is a good start to ask why, to voice youth’s opinions, to motivate them . . . some have not been able to talk one minute in front of people . . . now look at the fruits of debating.”[32] Critical thinking and argumentative skills are crucial in real situations where one has to think and react on one’s feet.

Luzuko tuned into SAEP at Sinethemba in the tenth grade. He had been part of the Debating Society since eighth grade, but was unimpressed with the group. “The after-school meetings got boring and there was not much competition. I wanted to debate with white people, there was no challenge within the townships. I wanted to compete with multiracial schools [because] of the stereotype that whites receive a better education.” Luzuko thought getting involved with SAEP was a good opportunity. “I gave them a try because school was still a struggle . . . I didn’t enjoy it . . . The debating society kept me in school.”[33]

In eleventh grade, Luzuko was a national champion in the Rotary Competition in Durban, which involved three or four township schools, as well as multiracial and coloured schools. “It was a big thing.” There were five teams in a group and there are eight groups in the competition. “We beat all five teams in our group, all white schools . . . were so exited, but I was not satisfied with my personal performance . . . I was new to the style, the white school style.” Sinethemba did not do well in the quarterfinals but were able to get a spot in the championships. At nationals, Fezeka High School (from Guguletu) and Sinethemba teams combined, where Bulelani and Luzuko were the only two picked to represent Sinethemba. “Nationals were a whole different experience. It was exciting but at the same time depressing, there was so much pressure . . . When we started winning debates, it was awesome. Everyone undermined us . . . we beat them all.”[34] SAEP got involved, provided the resources, and the outcome was phenomenal. With the investment from both SAEP and learners, an unprecedented event and opportunity occurred.

Debating has aided Luzuko’s personal growth tremendously. “I’m usually a very shy person and debating gave me self-confidence. I can speak to people. I am more open. The best things debating gave me was critical thinking skills. I make the same decisions in debating as in real life . . . you have to make decisions on your feet.”[35] Debating kept Luzuko involved and kept Luzuko in school. SAEP prevented an amazingly bright mind going to waste in the street corners drinking beer. Luzuko was able to steer down the path of opportunity. “I was influenced by all the right things at the right time. SAEP has been the greatest influence in my life. It always kept me busy and challenged me.”[36] Luzuko strove to excellence with his debating skills and now he is giving back those skills to his community. Thus by providing a unique opportunity for one class of learners, it opens the doors wide open for the upcoming motivated learners. SAEP created a continuous cycle of possibility and options that will hopefully maintain the level of excellence Luzuko and Bulelani found.

Bulelani did well academically and had always been the outgoing learner in his classes. In tenth grade, Bulelani joined debating. “ I wanted to improve my English language skills. I was one of the best students in the class when it came to participation, but I wanted to take it further, to learn more about how to be the best English speaker. From the debating society I got involved in SAEP. I did the newspaper, poetry, and developed a keen interest in creative writing”[37] (see Appendix 6 for his work). When asked how it felt to be the national debating champion, Bulelani responded with, “I just don’t know how to describe that feeling. It is just one of those days that you would never forget for the rest of your life. We grew so much throughout the whole process and quickly. It helped build my self-confidence. It made me a celebrity. When I arrived at school, everyone was mad about Bulelani.”[38] His feelings and experience of success are directly interconnected with SAEP. The organization provided some levels of certainty in his life, which helps to focus that newfound confidence into a prosperous future. Uncertainty can lead to an empty future and an unstructured lifestyle, which was a real scare for Bulelani when SAEP was dormant during 2002.

In need of structure and support, Bulelani composed a letter to Norton proposing a community service program, or the “gap year

Abstract

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