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Ignition

Ignition ignite resilience among students

Ignition, one of Rays of Hope’s programmes for students, held a three-day mid-year workshop in Hurlingham at the end of June. “We hold two student workshops each year – one at the start of the academic year and another midway through it,” says Sarah van Zyl, Ignition’s project leader. “The January meeting focused on preparation for the year while the June one assessed progress made so far; in addition, our students were taught how to cope with university life, and we also introduced some new skills. Our emphasis was to cultivate resilience among our students. “Their dual lives as university students and residents of Alexandra often demand a high level of perseverance. They need to know how to tackle and overcome the tough challenges they face. At both these workshops students are encouraged to meet one-on-one with their mentors, which is a key part of the Ignition model,” Sarah says. Ignition recruits promising matric pupils from Alex’s high schools; assists them with career guidance; assists in finding the appropriate educational institutions; finances the studies; and guides them right through their studies and their first year of work. Currently there 13 students in the programme. “It’s very intense, so we can only cope with relatively few protégés,” says Sarah. For the latest workshop, Sarah and her team brought in several specialist guest speakers who addressed topics such as stress management, public-speaking techniques, and how to succeed in a job interview. “We also found it necessary to introduce ‘soft skills’ such as assertiveness, learning strategies, nutrition, physical fitness and basic financial skills. These are essential to cope with life beyond school,” she affirms. Rory, an Ignition student in his second year of study in Computer Sciences at the University of Johannesburg, was full of praise for the workshop. “I am really learning to grow through my experiences, both at university and at these workshops. I am becoming a more rounded person because I am learning more than just what the university curriculum demands. I am now really confident of my ability to continue growing and maturing as a person,” he said.

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