Vuka Afrika
One example of the schools participating in the Essay Contest for Our Children is Vuka Afrika which, though strictly not a Saturday school, has a focus on education.
1. Consist of African dance and drama workshops for the young people and provide them with an opportunity to expres themselves through dance, music and drama. 2. Work in partnership with an existing Saturday school that supplements the young people’s educational needs especially when they are preparing for Statutory Assessment Tests (SATs, GCSEs)
3. Provide support and information for the young people’s parents/carers to better their understanding of the British educational system and enable them to take an active part in their children’s education.
4. Encourage the young people to actively participate in these workshops with the aim of producing their own material and doing dance performances to audiences in the .
5. Encourage and provide opportunities for the young people to learn more about their history, culture, traditional values and mother languages. Programme
Education
o Support young people’s education by teaching the major subjects Maths, English and Science from Foundation through to Key stages 1, 2, 3 and 4.
o Provide mother tongue lessons in Ndebele, Zulu and Shona.
o Provide an opportunity for adults to access the resources of the Saturday school e.g. learn key skills and how to confidently utilise the computer.
o Support young people and their parents/carers with other educational needs like transition from primary to secondary school.
o Provide information and support to parents to enable them to take an active part in their children’s education e.g. support with homework, working in the school and supporting in class with reading and becoming a member of the schools governing body.
Children
o Develop more social skills, self awareness and confidence in their day to day lives.
o Develop learning skills so as to maximise their educational potential.
o Increase knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their history, culture, language and traditional values.
o Develop an understanding of issues that affect them as young people and learn ways of coping with life’s challenges.
o Increase and learn new creative talents in music and dance.
Theatre, Music and Dance
Activities
o Drama with an African theme
o Traditional African dance e.g. gum boot dance and isishikisha
o Modern African dance e.g. Kwaito, Pantsula.