A new semester - make a difference!

Welcome to our September newsletter. We're starting our new semester with even more effective coaching thanks to improved processes and pilot students becoming student coaches.

Our assignments are designed to to teach students about research, interlinking and applying knowledge to become innovators and entrepreneurs and make a difference to themselves and their communities.

Open days

Our centers in Pumula, Bulawayo, and Mkhosana, Victoria Falls, recently held open days on the 4th & 5th and 12th of August 2023. These open days were earmarked for marketing the college and making it known where it operates.

Students and coaches played a pivotal role in ensuring that these days are successful as they put posters and handed out flyers before the event. On the day of the event coaches and students were showcasing the platform, subjects offered by the college and how to navigate within the platform. People from various ethnicities and backgrounds came to hear for themselves the opportunities that the college has. quite a number of students were enrolled on the open days.

Semester Start

After a long Semester break the college resumed on the 4th of September 2023, most new students had already taken their entry examinations and identified learning areas of their interest. Old students were eager on the opening day waiting to see what this Semester holds for them. Coaches who underwent robust training with Brigit and Dominik during their visit in Zimbabwe were ready to be of great help at our centers. With the help of these coaches we hope our students will be assisted to unleash their potential and achieve in all their endeavors.

Educational news

Nelson Mandela once said “ Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world” The sad reality is that so many are without this empowering tool. Which then creates a huge inequality in the world currently.

We all agree that to tackle the challenges mother Earth is facing which include sustainability, Global warming, Poverty eradication; we need most of the population to be empowered to make decisions which creatively create change and lifelong solutions. Education does that and as empowermefirst.college we are at the centre of trying to make it possible for millions of young people to access education one step and one milestone at a time.

This is all thanks to our wonderful educational teams who through their volunteerism dedicate themselves to create content for our learners. We are forever grateful that more people do see the need for the populace to be empowered and collectively we all have a role to play in addressing the mass scourge of increase in learners dropping out of school and some note really having access to education.

Our education focus not only in giving learners information but to also helping them explore and apply concepts in their everyday lives, not only that we stimulate them to think critically and innovate their way out of different scenarios and tasks. This in a way creates change makers who are not really going to accept any general status quo but really push themselves to better themselves and their environment. For example battling waste and pollution we do have projects for our learners where they have to collect and recycle wastes. They also do composting which is a very productive method of waste control.

There is still a lot of work to be done and still a great need for volunteers to help further this vision forward. It is the firm belief that together we can do it collectively. Do you want to volunteer - we offer remote and onsite options? Apply now? https://empowermefirst.freshteam.com/jobs

Partnership opportunities

Conium Nyathi, our head of countries and board member of empowermefirst.college, is visiting Switzerland between 6 and 20 October as we believe in the importance of personal contact even for an international online organization. Get to know Conium in this video:

We are looking for partnerships with organisations, research institutes, schools, universities, government institutions and individuals who share our vision to create equal access to quality education for vulnerable school dropouts. These partnerships can involve:

1) Partnering on infrastructure level: Internet, solar systems, devices, etc.

2) Partnering on an educational level: Sharing content and content creation, virtual student exchange, research partners (example waste management). 3) Partnering for internships and training, especially in ICT, commercial jobs and hospitality

4) Partnering in reaching our beneficiaries and creating equal opportunities and inclusivity (SDG-goals): Sponsoring a cohort of students, coaches, etc.

5) Entrepreneurship partnerships: Partnering with knowledge, infrastructure and funds for our sustainability projects in waste management, food and energy production as well as improved hygiene thanks to producing solid hair and skin cleansing products. Do you want to learn more? Please contact us ([email protected]).

Entrepreneurship projects

Let us introduce you to our entrepreneurial projects. Being an educational institution, we identify local challenges and look at how we can solve them using the knowledge our students acquire through our learning.

Some of the challenges we identified are:

1) High levels of youth unemployment.

2) Insufficient waste management, especially organic and plastic waste, which leads to waste dumping causing animals to attack the waste and sometimes die, smells and spreading diseases as well as good soil material being lost.

3) Food insecurity.

4) Lack of funds for hygiene products.

5) Long interruptions to electricity supplies. Our solutions are to integrate composting, bokashi and solid shampoo production into our semester assignments. We also plan to partner with companies for sustainable energy and hot water production.

Composting project

As a semester project our students are collecting compostables in their homes and put them in holes in the ground, observing the decomposition and worms and insects entering the system.

With the onset of rain in November they will then grow plants both on top and between the holes, comparing the results and writing their semester reports based on this practical project and additional research. The soil quality in general is very sandy, this despite a lot of organic waste not being used. In addition to compostables, our students are learning about bokashi, which will allow them to create powerful fertilizers from oils, dairy and meat products.

Solid cleansing project

In our life skills course we teach students skills to improve their, their family’s and community’s physical, mental and financial health. Personal hygiene plays an important factor in all three areas.

Often students cannot afford good cleansing products. Creating solid shampoos, conditioners and shower products allows them to keep clean, prevents the spreading of diseases, and also makes them more presentable in an already competitive job market. It furthermore gives students the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship, marketing, sales and accounting besides applying their knowledge in Chemistry, Mathematics and English, as they not only produce but also sell their products, while empowermefirst as an organisation is making a step towards a more sustainable world.

Bakery goods

Thanks to our 1 August events, our students and coaches were able to show off their baking skills. Their attitudes towards work as well as their baked products have impressed the manager and staff of Malonga Village restaurant so much, that they want to continue engaging them with commissions on their baked goods.

SDG-goals

Our founder has been on a bike fundraising campaign cycling about 700km in 9 days between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, where she has been meeting a lot of interesting people. This to demonstrate the values of empowermefirst work ethics: Focus, perseverance, consistency, commitment, interaction and effective communication. You can follow her on youtube and facebook.

Unfortunately, fundraising is still of empowermefirst’s greatest challenges. Every little counts as our members are volunteering. Are you looking to partner with us to reach more beneficiaries to reach your SDG-goals? Please contact us! [email protected]