Do you remember the first time you saw an elephant? Do you remember being in awe of its size, of its wrinkly skin, of its long eyelashes? Do you remember marvelling at its trunk that seemed to stretch on forever and ever?
Do you remember the first time you saw an elephant? Do you remember being in awe of its size, of its wrinkly skin, of its long eyelashes? Do you remember marvelling at its trunk that seemed to stretch on forever and ever?
I didn’t. I had completely forgotten. On Saturday however, I had the opportunity to not only see these remarkable creatures again but to do so through the eyes of 40 members of the Upstart news team. Upstart is a monthly youth newspaper written by Grade 8, 9 and 10 learners form 12 local schools. [Read more about Upstart and download the latest edition]
Each school has weekly meetings during where members discuss ideas for upcoming editions or attend workshops facilitated by Grahamstown writers and poets and Rhodes University lecturers. But Upstart is more than this – much more. The club provides learners from mainly township schools with the opportunity to do things that they probably wouldn’t otherwise do.
In the past few weeks alone, Upstart members have attended the Sharc HIV/Aids training camp, participated in the Grocott’s Mail citizen journalism project and appeared in the youth TV programme Which Way on SABC 3.
This past weekend the club visited Kwantu Elephant Sanctuary and Kwantu Private Game Reserve where they fed elephants, went on a game drive and learnt about nature conservation.
There’s little I can say to capture the excitement felt by the learners as they were introduced to Marula, Ndlovu, Mjamba and Mandevu – four African elephants, each weighing between 4 000 and 4 500kg. I can’t even begin to write about the nervous but excited laughter of the learners as they took turns to feed their four new acquaintances – you had to hear it for yourself.
It’s impossible to accurately describe the expressions of the learners as they watched Zulu the lion sleep in the long grass while his two female companions growled at our vehicle – as is describing their anticipation as we drove through the bushes looking for giraffe.
Even the learners had difficulty expressing themselves. "It was great," they repeated. "It was just so great. It was really, really great. Wow, it was great!"
