Common Good, Cape Town Videos
Videos by Common Good in Cape Town. Common Good is a non-profit organisation responding to local justice issues. Our focus areas are: Ed
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A massive THANK YOU to all our incredible volunteers for conducting Mock Interviews with the Grade 11 learners of Silikamva High School today. 🫶🏽💚 These dedicated learners have been participating in our Job Journey Course during their June school holidays, in preparation for their future careers. We want to especially thank our corporate partner, Digicall, for their invaluable support and Candice Oliver for her inspiring talk on the exciting career opportunities available through working in call centres.
Our Early Life program, Sikunye is turning 5! 🥳🎉 We’re celebrating and you’re invited! We want to recognize that in the work to reach children across the nation there are many people reaching families. This is not just a birthday, it’s an opportunity to acknowledge what the broader community has done in this time. The word Sikunye means ‘We are in this together’ and it perfectly highlights the importance of this being a team effort. This 1hr event is online using Zoom 🗓️ on Tues 11 June You can choose: 🕐 1pm or 🕖 7pm. 📝 Remember to register: 🔗 https://forms.gle/ASyxNuKgpz48L3Mq7 (Link in Bio) 👀 🫵 See you there! 🥳 … and don’t forget to wave 😉 For more info: https://sikunye.org.za/events-workshops/sikunye-gatherings/ (Link in Bio)
A thank you message from the Common Good team to you! ☺️ As we wrap up the year, we want to say a heartfelt thank you for your care, support, prayer, and generous financial investment in Common Good. We love partnering with you to see a shared better future for South Africa made possible and we couldn’t do this without you. Please note that our offices will be closed from Friday 22 December – Monday 8 January. We wish you and your families a joy-filled holiday season. With love, the Common Good team. 💚
Common Good is a development organization working with under-resourced public schools to improve learner outcomes and reform the public school system. At Silikamva High in Imizamo Yethu, we have seen a consistent improvement in 12th-grade results year on year from 2020 onwards: 61.7% in 2020, 84.9% in 2021, and 87.4% in 2022! If you would like to learn more about the work of Common Good or contribute to make a difference, you can find the link to our website in our bio. ☺️
Join our early life initiative, Sikunye this month as they explore the critical connection between adequate nutrition in the #FirstThousandDays and a child's academic, social and economic outcomes in future. They unpack how in a real sense; nutrition provides the fuel that drives a child's early development. During the First 1,000 Days, the brain grows more quickly than at any other time in a person's life and a child needs the right nutrients at the right time to feed their brain's rapid development. This makes for a compelling reason for investment in this critical window in a child's life. Source: https://ow.ly/SH0g50PjlJF.
Churches interested in supporting new mothers can invest in training volunteers to do our Sikunye home-visiting programme for all mothers who have given birth or who are later on in their pregnancy. Home-visiting works well in rural and urban settings because it comes to you. If parents have a chance to share their worries with somebody, who listens, without judgement, this has a significant impact on the mom, which in turn impacts how she raises her baby and baby will receive the nurturing care elements to then reach the development goals in life. Home visitors and churches do not have to be experts, or hold clinics or counselling services, it is really about relationship and somebody listening and praying with mom, encouraging her and letting her know that she is the best mom for baby. Why not discuss this at your church and consider your next steps as a pastor in time for our next series of training? Our early life initiative, Sikunye is also in the process of piloting a short course on this topic, so watch this space for news on these developments.
Bishop Nat Phomane of Salvation First Ministry in Mamelodi East has established a church in one of the far east informal settlements in that area, where he attests, the need for family support is great. He went on to say why he is applying the skills learnt at our early life initiative, Sikunye's workshops because they have realised what a vulnerable phase the First Thousand Days is in the life of a child. This is when bonding occurs with the father, mother or caregiver and it is very key. He warned that if this is not addressed we could end up with a lost generation, with broken families and broken relationships. He has said that Sikunye helps his church to enhance their work with the families in their church by ensuring family values are upheld in the Christian tradition. It is awesome for us to be able to share these snapshots from around the country where pastors and congregants are making the best of the opportunities present in their context to impact their communities for the better, one family at a time!
That's a wrap! We hope you have been inspired by reflecting on the year with us. This year has had its share of highs and lows. But we are finishing grateful that God has seen us through, and eager for what lies ahead. If you feel led to give, please consider donating toward our work in early life, education and employment or explore other ways of giving this Christmas here: http://ow.ly/1C7Q50M0HUV We wish you a blessed holiday season.
Change that Transforms. Impact that lasts. This simple line describes so well what we are working tirelessly to achieve at Common Good It is all about changing lives, changing the trajectories of children’s futures. Always with a view of whole persons…and indeed of a whole lifetime. This is the personal transformation that we aim for. The CHANGE we try to bring about also addresses the systemic challenges in our society in a holistic, deep and long-lasting way. Look back with us over the past year to see the IMPACT made by our initiatives in Early life Sikunye Education & the Collaborations Schools Project and Employment The Zanokhanyo Network. https://youtu.be/ZAkZ0LTEicc
This Christmas we are looking back at the impact made by our programmes this year. While you enjoy our series of throwbacks, perhaps you would consider giving back by donating towards Common Good's early life, education and employment initiatives in lieu of gifts. www.commongood.org.za/donate/ #lookingback #givingback
Today we recognise the girl child in crisis. A pregnant learner is often victimised in multiple ways — first by a predator, then teachers, classmates and the community. SA has awful statistics when it comes to GBV and this year we are focussing on the many vulnerable girls of just 10 to 14 years old who have become pregnant. We are doing our best to be mindful of our language as to not further exacerbate their shaming, as a 10-year-old child cannot know what it means to be a 'mom' and it implies that she ‘knew’ what she was doing and was a willing participant in getting pregnant.* To add to this tragedy, we have learnt through our initiative Sikunye's recent webinar on teen pregnancy, that many girls who fall pregnant while in school also drop out. Despite laws regulating the fact that children cannot be denied an education due to pregnancy, there are still schools that suspend pregnant students. According to a study,** "Teachers are not willing to have pregnant girls in class. As a result, pregnant learners are advised or coerced to stay at home for the remainder of their pregnancy as the school environment is not tolerant towards them.” There is hope despite these statistics, hope for a family in crisis to look for counselling advice provided by their school, a young girl to be welcomed by her youth group and the family to be supported by their local church. These facilities are in place and we have a responsibility to encourage these children to seek the help they need. Only by breaking the cycle of teenage pregnancy can we change the headlines we see today for a better tomorrow, by standing in the gap and responding with love and care to those who need it most. Take a look at Sikunye's resource based on their webinar on this topic: https://sikunye.org.za/get-equipped/teen-parenting/ * https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ **A study by the Central University of Technology #teenparents #GBV #responsivecare #abovealllove
On Friday 28 October, the Silikamva High Grade 12 class of 2022 were celebrated in their Valedictory ceremony. This event was highly significant for at least one reason: every learner in the room was there because they had persevered. In that group of young people, there were many compelling reasons why they could have dropped out and yet they hadn’t for reasons that were unique to each of them. At the morning breakfast before the formal ceremony, teachers and learners were given chance to share their experiences of being at Silikamva. The consistent message from the teachers was one of love and pride. They had watched these young people mature over the years, had stood by them in difficulty and grief, and had rejoiced in every step forward that they took. Their success mattered deeply to their teachers. And then learner after learner expressed appreciation for the kindness, patience and high expectations of their teachers. It was clear that the culture of care at the school had been one of the reasons why they were eligible to sit for their final NSC examinations three days later. They had made it and they were going to live out the Grade 12 motto for 2022: Success – nothing less!
Hazel is trained to host anti- and postnatal classes for expecting moms in the Omdraai community of De Doorns in the Western Cape. She has also trained with our early life initiative, Sikunye as a Home Visitor, since the focus of this training is centred around the mothers need for support after the birth. Hazel shared this update with us which highlights how important this supportive care is to new moms, "We recently had two moms that had premature birth and also one mom who lost her baby. This is when we use the tool of Home-Visits to assist moms in need." Sikunye's Home-visitors are an important source of connection, love and true friendship to mothers and caregivers. Your church can have a team of people that reach out to visit, support parents as they navigate this time of pregnancy and the first two years of their child's life. No family has to go through that season alone. Find out more on Sikunye's website here: http://ow.ly/3NrO50LmFEl
This year’s International Literacy Day will be celebrated worldwide under the theme, "Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces” and will be an opportunity to rethink the fundamental importance of literacy learning spaces to build resilience and ensure quality, equitable, and inclusive education for all. The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt the South African education system a major blow, especially to poor and vulnerable learners. For the majority of learners, despite the best intentions, there was very little structured learning. For most learners from vulnerable homes and who, pre-COVID, had low learning outcomes, in-person schooling is the only place for meaningful learning opportunities.* To ensure no one is left behind, we need to enrich and transform the existing learning spaces through an integrated approach. This forms part of our education initiatives theory of change, whereby our team of instructional coaches, operational, financial and administrative support work within the existing school system. The team collaborates with staff to provide a better school culture that inspires improved learner outcomes through the enabling environment established by the Collaborations Schools Project. One of our Foundation Phase instructional coaches, shared this example of a successful intervention at one of our Collaboration Schools in Bonteheuwel. At the start of the year she, together with the teacher at Boundary Primary picked up that some of the Grade 3 pupils that had missed out on literacy basics due to COVID, were now struggling with reading for meaning. Our coach then modelled how to approach this issue with the teacher in the classroom. By the end of the term the group could all read, thanks to the effective and swift literacy intervention conducted to assist this group of children! *http://ow.ly/rJ6C50KE6EX #InternationalLiteracyDay #LiteracyMonth #Reading #Literacy
Sikunye Fundraising - Build the Modern-day Village_3.0.mp4
There is a crisis in South Africa. We have millions of children who are not being set up for success. They are not getting enough of what they need to flourish and thrive – despite the good intentions of the adults in their lives - causing them to fall further and further behind.
As part of our response, our early life initiative, Sikunye has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help raise R25,000 to equip and mobilise more faith communities to see every child in our nation get a strong start to life.
Sikunye are working with over 550 communities across the country, but they can’t yet reach all children, in all areas without your support. And every day that they can’t reach them, is another day more children fall behind.
We invite you to contribute to the work we are doing in early life to see many more churches reached, so that many more good stories can be told into the future. http://ow.ly/b1M450K06Co
“To connect, to love, to care for our members.” - Rev Marumo, Duduza. Take a listen to what Rev Marumo had to say about how they are implementing our early life initiative, Sikunye’s work into home visits and baptismal practices. We are so grateful they get to partner with leaders to help make a difference in their communities. #Realchange #homevisits #FirstThousandDays #Unitedforchange #Sikunye
We live in a country where 46.6% of SA’s working-age population is unemployed, including many who have given up on finding work. Many people who are unemployed are also unemployable – lacking the basic hard and soft skills required to seek and secure meaningful employment. Common Good’s employment initiative, The Zanokhanyo Network offers a transformational Work Readiness journey that serves as a bridge to opportunity by restoring dignity and hope, equipping people to realise their potential, and preparing them for the world of work. As part of our Work Readiness course, participants experience a mock interview, conducted remotely via WhatsApp video chat. Common Good volunteers follow a set script and use a rubric to assess the participants progress to provide helpful advice. Every amount helps and your contribution can tip the scales in favour of change that transforms and impact that lasts in the lives of the unemployed. http://ow.ly/wipW50JEPEr