Yet again, a month filled with activities and achievements. March in South Africa is well known as a Human Rights Month when everyone is reminded about his or her rights, and of the responsibilities that go with these rights. ICDM take great pride in making sure our youth exercise their rights by creating a platform that is accessible to all. We empower the youth through educational activities which enables us all to make sure their right to free education is achieved. An invaluable and growing network of sponsors help the ICDM to create a structure where access to information for the youth to realize their dreams is made easier.
In March the ICDM welcomed Ray Lawrence from England, who came to help us to run our educational activities. Ray taught our youth how to write and speak English and how to engage with people from different cultures around the globe when they meet them. He taught them about intercultural relations and how they can relate to different cultures. His English classes worked like a charm as our youth are confident in communicating in English and we would like to thank him for his excellent input into our educational program.
The ICDM team and its youth bade a fond farewell to Pierre with dance and singing performances by our youth. We were sad to see him go. Pierre-Antoine Vernet was with us for more than a month and the ICDM team extends it gratitude to him as he not only focused on his assignments but he also showed great leadership. We hosted a Brazilian group through Pierre. They came to Isithumba and taught our youth to dance the Capoeira. It was an amazing experience for them – they also taught about the history of Capoeira and it origin, which is Africa!
Moreover the ICDM welcomed Katelyn and Becca from North Carolina in the United States of America. They were with the team for few days and we took them for a tour of Isithumba along the beautiful Umgeni River.
ICDM is proud to announce the first newly established Youth Committee led by our youth. The Committee aim to discuss social issues that affect the youth where they live. Secondly the Committee will be involved in the ICDM’s daily activities and have a voice in decision-making, equipping them with leadership skills.
In October last year the ICDM hosted a group of photographers who were working on eThekwini Parks, Recreation and Culture’s ‘Ngale: Seeing Beyond’ project, where contributors had to take pictures in places beyond Durban. The ICDM team and youth committee were invited to attend their photographic exhibition in Durban where they were given a very warm welcome. The proudest moment for our youth came when they viewed photos in the exhibition that were taken in Isithumba.
ICDM would like to thank UBUNTU - Gemeinsam Sind Wir Stark Fur Afrika for their generous donation this month which enabled us to install a trampoline. It is with such kindness and support that we are able to keep moving forward. Ubuntu is an organization based in Germany which was established to support children in global programs such as the ICDM. We know that the new trampoline will not only add a significant activity to our site but it will give the Youth Committee a responsibility to fulfill. We understand that the trampoline is a lot of fun for youngsters but we will install a fence around it so that it can be utilized only under ICDM’s trainer’s supervision to guarantee safety.
We also acknowledge the contribution made by our friends in Bremen, the doctors at Praxis Dres. Geschke/Reick. Their donation will help us in executing the School Athletics Programs in the four primary schools we work with. The ICDM, together with the high and primary schools, is preparing for the biggest schools event that we host annually and which consists of a number of sporting activities. The event will take place later on the month of April. We are very thankful to the doctors for helping us to work towards this event.
The ICDM continue to work to empower young people. In the month of April we will be including the Number Nine trainers in our programs, giving them the opportunity to take an active part in our programs. In April we will be hosting Cory Roberson from America who is a business professional and he will be sharing a range of skills with the ICDM. One of his main tasks is to teach our youth spoken and written English - the ICDM deems the usage of the English language essential for the youth as it will enable them to engage meaningfully in the global context.
ICDM We are the future!!
