October was full of activities and fun as it marked the beginning of summer. Isithumba Community Development Movement (ICDM) is the place to be if you like water sports, particularly canoeing. ICDM Youth Committee took the kids to Umgeni River to learn how to canoe. The children were so happy and had real fun in the water. Canoeing has been part of our programs for years but it takes full force in the summer month with the great sunny weather conditions we experience in Durban. Thus canoeing will be available for the kids twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One of the ICDM aims is to educate youth through sport activities we and feel that canoeing plays an important role since it encourages team work and communication skills, both of which are essential to a child's upbringing. While the sport nourishes their minds, it also nourishes their health because it improve strength, fitness and endurance.
ICDM would like to congratulate all of the youth who took part in the ‘Leader through Youth’ Life Skills programme. The programme, provided by Vuleka Centre in partnership with the ICDM, is a four week course and the graduation ceremony was held at ICDM. The participants will now have an advantage in the jobs market because they have learnt valuable skills such as how to conduct themselves during job interviews, and leadership.
The ICDM team and youth were invited by the Department of Sport and Recreation (Provincial Office) to take part in an Essence Festival fun walk, which took place in iNandi Durban Green Corridor trails. The walk, with entertainment, was just a glimpse of what is going to be like in the Essence Festival which is to be held in Durban from the 8th to the 13th of November.
ICDM welcomed two volunteers this month from Germany and United States of America; Christian and Siobhan. They are both doing well in Isithumba as they experience a different lifestyle and culture. Siobhan is teaching English at iNdunakazi Primary School. Christian is also teaching English in addition to Mathematics. We are very appreciative of their work in the schools and with the ICDM programmes.
November will mark the beginning of an educational project which will involve kids from Kirkby Stephen Grammar School in the United Kingdom, Hillcrest High School and kids from Isithumba who attend schools with which the ICDM partner. The young people will all take part in the ‘World’s Largest Lesson’ and will learn about the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. The project will study Goal 5, Gender Equality. All learners will conduct a survey in their respective communities to find out the ratio of female to male leaders and decision makers in each area. The kids from the three groups will discuss their findings in a Skype Chat on the 8th November. Christian will be play a major part in this project as he will prepare our youth to take part in the project. Resources have been sent to Isithumba from teacher Kate Knight at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School to enable the youth to learn about the issue of Gender Equality and to be able to follow the same programme as kids at Hillcrest High School and in the UK. In addition Kirkby Stephen Grammar School students have raised money to fund the transport of ICDM kids to Hillcrest High School who have the IT equipment necessary for the Skype chat. 
ICDM We are the future!!
