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Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls

Page history last edited by Proshanta Kumer Sarker 7 years, 4 months ago

 

How to use this school page:

 

  • This is the page to introduce yourselves to the other groups/classes in your Learning Circle and post all your challenge contributions. 

  • We ask you to share not only the results, but also a report of the learning process: how you discussed, planned, divided tasks, enjoyed working on the challenges etc. 

 

Giving and receiving feedback:

 

  • On this school page (below) you'll find text boxes for the feedback from the other groups in your Circle.
    We ask you to give each school feedback, in each of the 4 phases of this Circle.

  • If you want to give a brief remark to a group, please use the comment box at the bottom of the school page.

 



 

 

Introduction:

 

Hi there everyone. My name is Thomas Tervit and teach History at the Academy. I also run the President's Awards programme at my school. This is the South African chapter of the Duke of Edinburgh Programme for Youth Empowerment. The girls have to learn a new skill as part of the programme and we are using this opportunity to learn new skills surround the use of a wiki as a tool to create a virtual learning space. I have been teaching for 30 years and I still love and enjoy my job. I am passionate about my country and I am proudly South African. I have been happily married for 31 years. I have two dogs as pets. I love to play and watch sport especially football and golf.I am looking forward to seeing all the interesting discussions that will come from the challenges that we are embarking on.

 

Hello everyone.

My name is Lerato Fani and I am a proud South African. I live in Johannesburg, South Africa. South Africa is a very beautiful country that is filled with diverse people that come from different backgrounds. I am Christian and I have a very big family that I adore. I am from a popular township called Katlehong. OWLAG has widened my thinking about the world because I did not grow up in a very “open” area, by “open, I mean that I did not get to experience or learn some of the things that I wished I had been exposed to. I smile a lot but I also cry for the smallest things. I love fashion and music but I am also interested in Drama because I can be anyone I want to be in Drama. I would like to think that I am fun to be around and a person who is easy to talk to. I am quite open-minded and diligent. I analyse everything around me with precision so that I do not have to rely on asking questions but rather on the understanding of my evaluations. Children’s rights for me are very important because I believe that all children should be treated the same and should be given their basic rights, like food and a loving home but also an education as it is the basic foundation to the success of the children, their community, their nation and their world.  I believe that everyone wants to believe what they want to believe and you just have to point out your argument in a way that you would like to hear it , which is why I am looking forward to hearing the different facts and opinions about children’s rights from all of you. I hope we all benefit in a positive way from this, so that it can help in the foundation of our successes.

 


 

Hello there! My name is Kiyara Debideen, I am 14 years old. I am a very friendly, kind, fun, communicative and interesting person. It is my first experience with a Learning Circle. I am really interested and super excited about working with people around the world, learning new things and dealing with children’s rights. I believe that children should not be deprived of what is supposed to be theirs. I believe in sharing and transferring knowledge to make a difference in somebody’s life and eventually the world. I want to share my knowledge of children’s rights and how children are treated in South Africa. I also want to know what children’s rights are and how children are treated worldwide. I haven’t been out of South Africa yet and I hope that this Learning Circle will give me a little peek of what is out there. I hope we all learn something useful and interesting from this and each other and I look forward to working with you all.

 

Good Day everyone

 

I am Lee-Yana Martin and I am 14 years old. I am very friendly and love meeting new people and I enjoy new experiences. I find the Learning Circle really interesting and I see it as a new platform to add onto my knowledge that I have on children’s rights. I cannot wait to read/see your introductions. Working with schools around the world should be a lot of fun and we all are going to learn more about children’s rights in general. My opinion on children’s right are that each child does deserve every one of the rights listed but has to be responsible for their actions afterwards. I am child as well and believe that every child should be treated equally as me or any other well treated child around the world. I look forward to learning with you all and hope that this will be an awesome experience for all of us.

 

My name is Ntombi Lindelihle Xaba. I’m a 14 year old grade 9 student from the Oprah Winfrey LAG. I am an adventurous person and that is mainly the reason why I like learning because every time I’m in a learning space I get to explore new things and get to know more about things that I have most probably always wanted to know. I’m a person that likes asking why, how and so what as that helps me understand things better. I’m an individual that likes being in the presence of other people who are on the same mission as myself. I enjoy listening to music, chilling with people who understand me and having fun. I’m a trombone and marimba player, I also play soccer and I’m a Kaiser Chief’s fan. I’m a person who adores children and it really hurts seeing them getting affected for any reason, most specifically when their rights are being taken away from them.

What/ how I feel about Children’s right:

I feel children’s happiness is important. I think that in order for children to live healthier life styles they have to be happy! What can help children be happy? Everything/one has rights; animal have rights, people have right but most of all CHILDREN HAVE RIGHTS. Give a child the right to shelter so that they don’t have to get cold and worry about where they will sleep as worrying gives restless nights and that is unhealthy. Give a child the right to protection from abuse, neglect, exploitation and discrimination as this protection will avoid the child getting traumatised. Children should have the right to learning because EDUCATION is OUR TOMORROW.

 

Hello everyone! My name is Noluthando Nkwanyana and I am in Grade 9. I’m a very inquisitive and goal driven person. I love learning new things and gaining knowledge about the things that happen worldwide. I am a very sporty person and my favourite of all are soccer, netball and touch rugby. At school I am part of the music programme and I play the marimba and trumpet. I love listening to music, playing video games, watching movies, playing soccer and being around people who make me laugh .This is my first experience with a learning circle and I am really looking forward to learning new things. I’m really excited about getting to interact with people from places totally different to the one I live in and I know for sure I will gain more knowledge. I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you and am looking forward to the things we will learn from each other.

 

Hello

My name is Progress Chendume and I am in grade nine. I am a young girl who is passionate about learning and interacting with other people from different places. I am currently fourteen years old. A word that best describes me is kind. I am a very shy person but once I get used to an environment and its people, I am an outgoing person. I have a passion for music and I play the Marimba and the Trombone. I enjoy playing soccer. I like helping people especially children. It is a hobby of mine to look after children. I have learned so much in the year that I have been at this school. I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge on children’s rights. I also look forward to getting to know new people and their opinions on children’s rights.

 

Afr-I-CAN Me

“Once upon a time a 14 year old African girl who thought that the world was perfect but was later confronted by the reality that children around the world do not have food, security and access to education. When an opportunity presented itself for the girl to learn more she crabbed it with both hands.”

Hi everyone! That is my story. My name is Azile “meaning they came” Dingalubala, I play guitar and hockey. My goal is to change the world and one day sit at the table were all the worlds’ decisions are made. When I grow up I want to be a neurologist because I am fascinated by the power of the brain and how it works. My motivation comes from the phrase “Why tell me the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon?”(by Paul Brandt)

I strongly believe that all children worldwide should have rights and their rights should be respected. I believe that this is taking care of the world’s future and showing what we, in my country, call “Ubuntu”, which means to care for other human-beings. I am sometimes hurt when children who have the means to their rights don’t appreciate them, while there are children for example in Syria going through such hardship. I plan to change this and make the world better for everyone. I am excited to learn about other people’s opinions and experiences. I hope I can help you do the same.

 

 

Hello beautiful people. My name is Nabeelah Fredericks and I am 14 years old. I was born on the 28th of November 2002.I am not a shy person but rather adventurous and I love helping people. My favourite colour is blue because it reminds me of the ocean in Cape Town. I come from a very dangerous community which is named Manenburg. My favourite sports are Touch Rugby and Swimming. I love playing the violin but am not good at it. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and can’t wait to learn something new of the Learning Circle. 

 

Our thoughts on the reflective questions of the introduction:

 

1. What are children allowed to do?

v  Children are allowed to say what they think and feel about a certain situation but we need to know our limits and be respectful. They should say it if they feel strong about what they have to say. They need to be able to speak to their parents without any fear or embarrassment.

v  Children have are allowed to express their creativity. I feel children should be themselves and express what they feel. They should be exposed to their surroundings and our world is constantly changing and advancing.

v  Children have a right and are allowed to go to school. They are allowed to be educated and explore the world out there.

v  Children are allowed to have friends and interact with the people around them and their surroundings.

v  Children are allowed to wear anything as long as they are comfortable and confident in themselves. They should not be restricted to explore or do something just because of the way they are dressed.

2. What are children not allowed to do?

  • Children are not allowed to have a gun. Guns are dangerous weapons and you have to be trained to use it.
  • Children are not allowed to drink alcohol and smoke. Drinking and smoking are harmful substances that can damage one’s body.
  • Children are not allowed to drive without a licence. Driving can be very dangerous and it needs practise.  
  •  Some are not allowed to walk alone during the day and most are not allowed to walk alone at night because this risks their safety

 

Compiled by Kiyara Debideen after our group discussion

 

3. What rights do children in your country have?

Section 28 of the Bill of Rights, entitled "Children", says:

This section gives children the right to a name, citizenship and some form of care. Children need food and shelter, and should be protected from abuse, neglect and degradation. No child should work when under-age, or do work that would interfere with his or her education or development. Children should be jailed only as a last resort and should not have to share a cell with adults. They should not take part in wars and should be protected during conflict. A child's interests are the most important consideration in any matter concerning the child.

·         In this section 'child' means a person under the age of 18 years.

URL: (http://www.constitutionalcourt.org.za/text/rights/know/children.html

 

4. Do these also apply in different countries?

Section 28 of the Constitution of South Africa is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This tells us that most of South Africa’s children’s rights are incorporated and considered as the rights of children in other countries. This does not mean that ALL the rights that we have here in South Africa are the rights of children in the whole world as different countries face different circumstances and that has an impact on what can be considered a child’s rights.

Compiled by Lerato Fani after our group discussion

 

What should adults in your environment take care of?

 

I think that adults should inform children about their rights and responsibilities and make  sure that all kids have the means to food , security and all their basic needs.Make sure that all kids have enough of their childhood and not be forced into marriage, make sure that while doing all this that they have the children’s best interest at heart.Make sure that this quality of life is for every child and not a privilege enjoyed by some kids.

 

Why is this?

This is to help children reach their full potential without worry and free from hunger and abuse. As children are less powerful, this allows for them to not be used as property. This ensures their well-being and development. They are able to accept other people and take care of others as well as accept other's differences. It enables them to have a say when they are involved in the decision-making.

Compiled by Azile Dingalubala after our group discussion 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Contributions Challenge 1:

 

These are our answers to the reflective questions about the Articles. We came to these answer in our discussions about the Articles.

 

Article 24 deals with the physiological needs as described by Maslow.

 

What do you need to grow up in a healthy way?

     Clean infection-free water, healthy food, clean environment and access to medical care

What do you need and who takes care of you when you’re ill?

     When I am ill I need medical attention and parents, foster parents and guardians takes care of us when we need medical attention.

Do you also have the right to eat unhealthy but tasty food?

     No, it is not a right but it is a privilege if you can afford it. It is up to me to make that what I eat healthy and good for me, I can also now and then reward myself with junk food.

What does food and drinking water have to do with infant mortality according to you?

     Environmental problems prevent access to medical care, this can causes infections and infectious diseases, which cause the infant mortality

     Sometimes the baby goes home to a home with no food and drinks contaminated water, the baby gets diarrhoea and then does not survive

     Malnutrition is one of the causes: this means that the baby does not get all the nutrients needed to survive

     If the mother has been using infected water it might have bad effects on the baby  or if the mother does not get the necessary nutrients during and after the pregnancy the baby is at risk.

     The relationship between these is that if the baby gets clean water and enough food   the infant mortality rate is much lower.

Do the children in your environment have enough healthy food?

     We here at the school have more than enough health food.

     Many children from the communities we come from do not have enough food at all so they eat whatever they get as they can’t be picky because they can’t afford other food.

Who should make sure that children can get vaccinated?

     Everyone ( the government, the parents and schools), the parents can make sure that they take their children to clinic when they are supposed to, The government should not make this an option but rather a must and by building clinics everywhere  where it is needed. In some schools in my community nurses come to vaccinate all the kids in the schools.

What can you do yourself to make sure you’re healthy?

     Have a healthy diet, drink water, emotional balance and exercise.

 

Hi there everybody

We are fast approaching our first longer holiday. For many of the girls it will be the first time they see family since the 12 of January. We will have uploaded the challenge 1 tasks by the end of this week. I am going to let the girls work on challenge 2 while on holiday and that will then be uploaded around 6 May. We will then also give feedback to schools about their tasks.

 

Love and Light

Thomas.

 

A child deserves a home - Noluthando Nkwanyana & Ntombi Xaba

 

Every child has the right to a home

Not just any ordinary home

But one filled with love, joy and happiness

A safe and clean home.

 

When living in this safe home

Each child needs to be loved, cared for

and most importantly respected.

The child has the right to a safe home.

 

Think carefully about this,

Not a house or any ordinary building

But a home

And not just a home

But a safe and warm home!


Each child deserves a safe home!   

 

Poem on children’s right to a safe home by: Lee-Yana Martin & Kiyara Debideen

A safe home

 

 

Something I’ve always wanted,

And thought I would never get.

For all the restless nights, thinking of what would be stolen next.

Every child has the right to a safe home and that includes me.

How is it that I’ve been left behind from such pleasure?

Out of all that I’ve been through

Money means nothing compared to my experience,

Of the lacking the knowledge of what a safe home actually feels like.

 

What does a safe home mean ?

by Lerato Fani

  We are having a Skype meeting with .............. group:
                                                        on .............. date 

                                                         at .............. pm/am

 



 

Contributions Challenge 2:

 

Article 28: Lee-Yana, Lerato, Kiyara and Azile

 

1-Going to school is a right and an obligation. Why do you think this is?

Right-To guarantee children some sort of qualification.

Obligation-to ensure literacy and education as that is the best way to uplift communities.

 

2-How important is it to you for every child to be able to go to school?

It is very important that they are educated as it guarantees that they are also to be educated.It guarantees them not only a future but a childhood as well. They get to experience different things and are exposed to much more. They would be able to  build up the country’s economy which means that the cost of living would be affordable for us. The right to education should be implicated on every child.

 

3-What can you learn better in a school than outside of it?

It broadens your horizon and you learn about subject matter.In school you have all of the exposure of the world in one place. We experience more at school than we would on our own outside.

 

4-What can you learn better when you’re not in school?

To be independent. You learn life skills and about the environment in which you live. You learn how to run a family. You experience having responsibilities.

 

5-What do you learn as a child from working and having a job?

Commitment, prioritise, can’t always do things on your own and maturity is gained from a young age.

 

6-From who do you learn the most? You friends, your family, or your teachers?

We think that we learn from all of them because each one teaches you something that the other one cannot teach you.

 

7-What can be reasons for so many children not going to school?

Lack of money, poverty, war, slavery and problems at home.

 

 

Article 31

By Noluthando, Ntombi and Felicity

 

Why is it important to be able to play?

It is important that children play because it helps with their emotional, social, intellectual and physical development. It allows children to be creative while they develop their imagination. It is through playing that children at an early age interact with the world around them.

 

What do you learn from playing?

  • It’s okay to make mistakes, you will not die if you make mistakes but instead you will more life lessons.

  • You learn to be a leader,  a follower and how to work with people.

  • To be successful you need to be hard worker.

  • You should have self discipline and always be ethical regardless of the situation you are in.

  • Life isn’t always fair.

  • Playing as a young child helps you develop mentally, emotionally and psychologically.

 

If you don’t want to go to football practice, but still have to go, can you still call it spare time?

You cannot call it spare time because spare time is the time that do not have to work and you can do whatever you like. With going to the football practice, you cannot call it spare time because it is not what you want to do. In a way you are forced to go, it is not your choice to go. Basically, spare time is the time you use to do what you want.

 

Do you also learn things in your spare time? Give a few examples.

You certainly do learn things in your spare time. Think of someone who reads in their spare time, they increase their vocab. Someone who bakes in their spare time might have the opportunity to learn many new recipes in that time. Someone who likes playing sports in their spare time might learn a few new things about that certain sport.

 

Who should make sure that you have spare time?

Like mentioned, spare time is the time that you have just for yourself, meaning that you are the one who is mostly responsible for ensuring that you have time to do whatever that you want to do.

 

Article 32: Every child has the right to protection against child labour.

by Xhanti Gcwabe, Progress Chendume, Nabeelah Fredericks

 

  1. Do you think you should be able to choose yourself between going to school and working?

  • It depends on your circumstances and the responsibilities you have. If you have to take care of everyone or most people, then you will have to provide. It also depends on the sacrifices you are willing to make.

 

 

  1. Does every child have to help his/her parents? With Chores? With earning money?

  • Every child should help but it should be appropriate for the child’s age and doesn’t deprive them of their rights.

  • It depends on the child’s age and the circumstance of the household. A child has a right to a clean and safe home but they have the responsibility to keep it clean.

  • It should be appropriate for the child’s age and it should go according to their rights.

 

 

  1. When is it good to let children have a job and earn money?

  • When you as a guardian see that the child is mature enough to start working. It also depends on the job the child wants to do.

 

 

  1. Does a school have to protect you against working too hard?

  • Yes because you might have a huge workload at home and if you have too much schoolwork, you won’t be able to juggle both.

 

  

  1. Should you earn money when you work hard at school?

  • No, because you are doing it for your own benefit and for your future.

  •  

  1. Are you required to work as a child when your parents don’t make enough money?

  • No, because it is their responsibility to provide. It shouldn’t be a necessity to provide when your parents can’t provide enough or nothing at all.

 

 

  1. What can we do in our country to stop child labour in different countries?

  • We can have fundraisers that help with bringing in money to buy the household in need food and other essentials. That way children won’t need to work to bring in more money.

  • We can provide them with sponsors that take the children to school and provide them with what the need.

  • We can have a system like the RDP. We can build them houses so they don’t have to live in shacks and unstable households.

 

Designing our own classroom

ART THEATRE

We chose to create an art theatre because art is as important as other subjects as it can express emotions, views and some children are visual learners. Art is a fun way for children to learn while enjoying themselves.

 

 

 

 

Kindergarten

We chose this classroom because it is spacious and has a lot of book shelves meaning we support leaders that are readers from a young age. This classroom is a safe-zone for young children, it also has a play area showing that playing is an important part of a child's development.

By: Azile and Lerato

 


 

We are having a Skype meeting with .............. group: 
                                                      on .............. date 

                                                       at .............. pm/am

 




Completion:

 

 



 

Evaluation:

FROM THE OWLAG STUDENTS

This experience has been one of a kind. Even though we knew some of the things that we were learning about during some of the challenges, we still enjoyed discussing and elaborating more on each topic. Each opinion and view on a certain topic was valued and that for us, was very important. The way in which we were able to interact when we are far away from each other was actually amazing. Technology is helping us as CHILDREN to explore the world without travelling. 

To be honest, we only knew about the rights of South African children but we did not know that they were actually incorporated from those of the UN, which were in fact put as the rights of every child in the world. We learnt a lot about child labour, which we had no clue about and we actually have more knowledge about the impact of wars on children and their rights. 

I really liked the group discussions and the different resources that we were given on the site. They actually helped us to understand the different topics. We were excited by the fact that we could give feedback like "Teachers" and also receive it from the other schools. 

We would not really change anything from this process but we would try and implement some fun activities and quizzes just to create a fun and open environment for the learners. We would also try and not make the learners read a lot as this sometimes creates a very ordinary learning experience. Maybe the addition of other mediums of learning could help the learning to be approached in different ways.

 

Thank you for the opportunity

Greetings

The OWLAG girls.

 

Dear All

 

The learning circle once again proved successful. The learners enjoyed the learning with their peers and really loved the international connection. I would definitely try to get the girls to be more adventurous next time and encourage them to use podcasts, videos and other more interactive sources to engage the material and to post answers. They seem ready for that judging from their responses to the circle. I like that the girls learned new insights and enjoyed it. I also like that they feel they have gained knowledge yet there is no grade attached to the knowledge. This means they gained knowledge for knowledge's sake. I also love the fact that they girls felt that their horizons were extended and that they have a real sense of internationalism.

 

I will definitely be involved in this again.

Love and Light

Thomas Tervit

 

 



 

Feedback from: Lawrence Heights - 

We were glad to read  about your school and class. As we can see your school is an all girls school that is funded by Oprah Winfrey and we find that amazing.  We would like to know a bit about your country and your community. Do you learn about Canada in your subjects like we learn about yours? As you may now Canada is a multicultural society and we are fortunate to learn about stories form all over the world. We are almost done our challenge 1 and you can read about it shortly.

 

 


 

Feedback from: Liemers College Netherlands

We like your introduction, but may be it is a bit long. It was much to read. The poems are very very nice and the piture/poster from Lerato Fani is very creative. Good job!

 

 


 

Feedback from: Agrani School and College, Bangladesh>

Hi Friends! Great work you have done. We love your nice introduction. The group picture in front of your school is artistics. We are also a girls school. We like your contributions  very much. We love your poem A Safe Home and the picture followed. The poem " The Child Deserves a Home" is also beautifully written. We like your designing of own Classroom and the Art Theatre. Cheers!!

 

 


 

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