Impact report: The impact enke: Forum had on Paige is remarkable for the depth and magnitude of her inspiration. Paige embodies the spirit of motivation and entrepreneurialism that enke instills in its participants. She translated the value that she took from the week-long leadership Forum into a fully functioning and impactful project.
After learning about the Millennium Development Goals, Paige channeled her concern for the state of the global environment into a project that she could implement within the nearby Alexandra township. Alarmed by the amount of litter in the township, Paige developed a plan to raise environmental awareness and instigate action at schools throughout the township.
Her idea to hold a “recycling day” at schools in Alexandra will work to encourage youth to take note of their environment and pride in their surroundings. She plans to make recycling and litter pick up part of daily life for South Africa’s youth. The project has lofty goals: it will eventually spread out to incorporate local recycling facilities. Paige’s project has so much sway and potential that it has been acquired by City of Johannesburg as their environmental program in Alexandra and incorporated as part of the Alexandra Renewal Project.
*
Name: Meghan Daniels
School: Wynberg Girls’ High School
Province: Western Cape
Involvement: delegate at the 2010 enke: Forum
Impact Report: Two things stand out about the impact enke had on Meghan Daniels. First is seen through Meghan’s amazingly well thought out, creative Community Action Project (CAP). The second is the value she took from the content of the week-long, residential forum and the personal development curriculum in the context of a significant personal trauma.
Meghan is an incredibly creative individual, for whom art and photography are a really valuable outlet for self expression. At enke she was made aware that these things had only been possible for her because of her privileged background. As she is just as passionate about equality and education as she is about her artistic pursuits, she realised the unfairness of a situation where not all young people could have a voice simply because they didn’t have access to a means of self expression. Her project teaches photography as a means of creative self expression in under-resourced schools, giving other young people, just like her, a voice beyond their community.
Meghan wrote a detailed business plan for her project, Ilizwi Photo Club. After months of knocking on doors, she found support with both Nikon and Fuji Film. Nikon, in particular, has not only donated cameras, they are also capturing Meghan’s project through a documentary.
In addition to this, after the week of the forum Meghan wrote to us saying that when she was picked up from Johannesburg in July she was informed that her father had passed away. “Although this news left me devastated, I was grateful that it happened during a time where I had learned to conquer obstacles and turn any negative situations into positive ones. I am now even more determined to fulfill my dream of starting my community action project, and making a difference in my community, because I believe it would make my father extremely proud.” This is exactly the type of insight the curriculum is designed to enable participants to come to for themselves.
She began her first intake in April with 9 learners and classes are held every Saturday. The first workshops will culminate with a photography exhibition on September 24th, showcasing the work of her participants.
On August 27th 2011 she was awarded the Amy Biehl Spirit of Youth Award, as recognition that she is making a difference and has gone out of her way to bring positive change to her community.
Case Studies 2010
Name: Paige Jenje
School: St Stithian’s Girls’ School
Province: Gauteng
Involvement: delegate at the 2010 enke: Forum
Impact report: The impact enke: Forum had on Paige is remarkable for the depth and magnitude of her inspiration. Paige embodies the spirit of motivation and entrepreneurialism that enke instills in its participants. She translated the value that she took from the week-long leadership Forum into a fully functioning and impactful project.
After learning about the Millennium Development Goals, Paige channeled her concern for the state of the global environment into a project that she could implement within the nearby Alexandra township. Alarmed by the amount of litter in the township, Paige developed a plan to raise environmental awareness and instigate action at schools throughout the township.
Her idea to hold a “recycling day” at schools in Alexandra will work to encourage youth to take note of their environment and pride in their surroundings. She plans to make recycling and litter pick up part of daily life for South Africa’s youth. The project has lofty goals: it will eventually spread out to incorporate local recycling facilities. Paige’s project has so much sway and potential that it has been acquired by City of Johannesburg as their environmental program in Alexandra and incorporated as part of the Alexandra Renewal Project.
*
Name: Meghan Daniels
School: Wynberg Girls’ High School
Province: Western Cape
Involvement: delegate at the 2010 enke: Forum
Impact Report: Two things stand out about the impact enke had on Meghan Daniels. First is seen through Meghan’s amazingly well thought out, creative Community Action Project (CAP). The second is the value she took from the content of the week-long, residential forum and the personal development curriculum in the context of a significant personal trauma.
Meghan is an incredibly creative individual, for whom art and photography are a really valuable outlet for self expression. At enke she was made aware that these things had only been possible for her because of her privileged background. As she is just as passionate about equality and education as she is about her artistic pursuits, she realised the unfairness of a situation where not all young people could have a voice simply because they didn’t have access to a means of self expression. Her project teaches photography as a means of creative self expression in under-resourced schools, giving other young people, just like her, a voice beyond their community.
Meghan wrote a detailed business plan for her project, Ilizwi Photo Club. After months of knocking on doors, she found support with both Nikon and Fuji Film. Nikon, in particular, has not only donated cameras, they are also capturing Meghan’s project through a documentary.
In addition to this, after the week of the forum Meghan wrote to us saying that when she was picked up from Johannesburg in July she was informed that her father had passed away. “Although this news left me devastated, I was grateful that it happened during a time where I had learned to conquer obstacles and turn any negative situations into positive ones. I am now even more determined to fulfill my dream of starting my community action project, and making a difference in my community, because I believe it would make my father extremely proud.” This is exactly the type of insight the curriculum is designed to enable participants to come to for themselves.
She began her first intake in April with 9 learners and classes are held every Saturday. The first workshops will culminate with a photography exhibition on September 24th, showcasing the work of her participants.
On August 27th 2011 she was awarded the Amy Biehl Spirit of Youth Award, as recognition that she is making a difference and has gone out of her way to bring positive change to her community.