Celebrating Trailblazers: Unleashing Change and Inspiring Communities
Over the first quarter of 2023, we wrapped up Trailblazer+ programming and celebrated with the program participants.
After a 9-months journey of learning and development, over 600 participants attended the Trailblazer celebration events which were held at different locations in Jeffrey’s Bay, Kimberley, De Aar, and Bochum. The celebration event aims to celebrate the RCLs, club members, the school, and the Teacher Liaison Officers who support the learners in the program. School principals and parents also attended the event to cheer on their children who are drivers of change.
The program recognizes the importance of nurturing social and emotional learning (SEL) among learners. By focusing on power skill development, Trailblazer+ helps Trailblazers cultivate self-awareness, goal-setting abilities, empathy, relationship-building skills, and responsible decision-making. These power skills are essential for their personal growth and success in various aspects of life.
Not only was the turnout excellent but the excitement and enthusiasm of the participants filling the space was phenomenal! There were various activities on the day including learners who prepared welcoming songs, performed poems, and shared about how the program impacted them and the powerful skills they learnt from the program.
We appreciated the presence of various stakeholders and funder representatives supporting the event while assessing one of the School Action Projects. The School Action Projects are a fundamental part of the program, and as such, funders do from time to time assess the projects and speak to learners about how their projects are going and whether they have sufficient resources to achieve their goals.
By actively engaging with their schools’ improvement plans and working alongside the school leadership team, students gain practical project skills such as planning, problem-solving, resource management, mobilization, and team management. Furthermore, they develop crucial power skills like perseverance, social awareness, and self-efficacy through the execution of School/Community Action Projects (S/CAPs). This is also very important for school and community improvement.
Congratulations to all the enke programs team, Champion facilitators, and support staff for all the hard work throughout the 9 months of the program. Most importantly, congratulations to the amazing class of 2022 Trailblazers, our wish is that you continue to thrive and blaze the trail boldly!
