ICADI Project

2007 Scholars Leanne Johansson, Lunga Radebe and Judy Sikuza have been part of team that was contracted by the Department of Education to work on the Integrated Creative Arts Development Initiative (ICADI) Project. Their mandate was to develop a two-year operational plan based on a five-year business plan (being done by other consultants), involving:

• Prioritising activities, courses to offer and resources for the first two years.
• Assessing facility/equipment requirements.
• Planning and costing operations based on proposed activities/programmes to be offered.

The aim is to have a pilot project for this initiative at the Collage of Cape Town. Should this succeed, the proposed initiatives will be dispersed throughout the country and eventually be incorporated into the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

These scholars are involved in a project that could potentially change the face of education in terms of the Creative Industries in the country. Should the pilot project be successful, more skilled people will be brought into the workplace and hopefully they will be industrious and contribute positively to the country's economy.

Post Box Magazine

Llewellyn Howes (2008 scholar) has been involved with the Post Box Magazine. It seeks to promote and expose up and coming artists in Johannesburg. Llewellyn has been involved in the initiative that is trying to get more people to go and see South African movies at the box office. If the film sector in South Africa is to compete with those such as America, France or Bollywood, then people need to go and see more home grown movies. So come on guys, support more Mzantsi movies. The talent is out there. It needs the audience!

Critical Thinking Workshop

Aalia Ismail (2007 scholar) and Suntosh Pillay (2008 scholar) have been involved a Skills Development Project for grades 10-12 high school learners. The project focuses on building leadership skills, critical thinking skills as well as getting the learners to debate current societal issues.

The above scholars initiated this project after they saw that most high school learners are not given the opportunity to engage with their work on a critical level. This project will have a monumental impact on these students' cognitive processing and will better equip them for tertiary as they will understand how to engage with the material properly without writing essays that are verbatim.

Greater Grassy Park June 16 Celebrations

Tristram Atkins (2007 scholar) is helping out as an arts and culture consultant on this project. 25 000 young people are expected to share in the 2008 Greater Grassy Park (GGP) June 16 celebrations and each would hopefully, subsequent to the event, be encouraged to start thinking about their vision for the future. The event (currently in its seventh year of running) is expected to be a catalyst and provide leadership for the development of young people in the area.

The event is guided by the conviction that young people need to speak for themselves and that the June 16 event needs to be a platform for young people. The aim is to provide the opportunity for those who are passionate about youth development to play the role as a guider or adviser in assisting young people to realise their dreams.

Border Film Project

Leanne Johansson (2007 scholar) is currently working with some refugee activists' groups in Cape Town on a photography-based intervention campaign targeting xenophobic attitudes towards refugees in South Africa. Part of the campaign focuses on migration and border crossing. Leanne and her group will be documenting border-crossings from Zimbabwe to South Africa, with a film crew and team of photographers. They are also going to be giving migrants their own cameras at the South African side of the border so that they can document their own journey into South Africa in whatever manner they please. The content will be used at a later point in interactive exhibitions and public dialogue events to facilitate discussion at a grassroots level around xenophobia. Content will also be compiled into a book form and proceeds will go to the refugees and migrants participating in the project. PASSOP will also be using the content as a basis for lobbying on refugee and border patrol issues. A similar project was undertaken by some Rhodes students in the US who were documenting Mexican-US border crossing. Leanne and her team will be working closely with their project and using similar methods. If any of you are interested in finding out more about this project, please have a look at their website: www.borderfilmproject.com

Ntsakiso Youth Development

Lawrence Mashimbye (2008 scholar) is currently involved in the Ntsakiso Youth Development Project. It is a youth organisation formed by young and dedicated men and women of Limpopo, Greater Giyani Municipality and Mavalani.

Their primary objective is to bring the latest information to high school learners (i.e. grade 10 to 12, and post matrics). This project also encourages the learners to keep dreaming no matter how bad their financial background is. Ntsakiso Youth Development organises career exhibitions, school outreach and workshops in disadvantaged communities. For more information regarding this project, please visit their website on: http://nyouthdev.cfsites.org