Grade 11 History learners are adding a new dimension to their learning experience thanks to the Youth Empowerment Society (Yes) project.
Yes is a new initiative for pupils from different schools who meet twice a term to discuss local, national and international issues.
Grade 11 History learners are adding a new dimension to their learning experience thanks to the Youth Empowerment Society (Yes) project.
Yes is a new initiative for pupils from different schools who meet twice a term to discuss local, national and international issues.
The idea originated with History teachers Trish Middlebrook from Diocesan School for Girls (DSG), and Louella Hastie from Victoria Girls’ High (VG).
So far, three sessions have been held this year and Middlebrook said that the learners, from other schools such as Mary Waters, Nombulelo High School and Graeme College, were excited about the project.
Middlebrook said, “I initiated the project because I feel that students at DSG and St Andrew’s College (SAC) have little experience outside their own social and economic groups.
In History classes, when we discuss systems such as socialism, capitalism, politicians and other issues, they almost all come from a privileged power background.
While many of the students like to think out of the box and try to empathise with others, it is not the same as actually communicating directly with different groups of intelligent, mature young people in other schools.
The same applies to students from other schools – many of whom possibly hold stereotypical views about the DSG and SAC students and other groups in our country.
The main consideration is that conflict and misunderstanding often occur through lack of communication. If we can begin to cross social or economic barriers at a teenage stage, maybe our society can begin to work together more easily.”
Some issues which have been discussed include whether young people in South Africa are more apathetic than their parents’ generation, as well as education and drugs.
They also covered whether incidents concerning Julius Malema and Eugene Terre’Blanche increased racism among young South Africans.
DSG learner Alice Ter Morshuizen said, “Hearing other people’s frank opinions has really interested me. Yes meetings are a place where a hugely diverse group of people get together and talk openly, honestly and learn an enormous amount about each other and the youth in general.
You see people form friendships, earn others’ respect and take leadership roles. It gives us the chance to get to know different people who would not generally cross our paths.
It also gives us the chance to form opinions on important, relevant topics and gives us a feeling of power and importance.”
Anga Memani, a Grade 11 learner at Nombulelo High School, said, “I benefited a lot from the meeting. I got a chance to meet people from different backgrounds. We talked about issues that were in the news and which affect the youth such as racism.”
