The Vision AfriKa programme is developed and sustained on pillars of encouragement, personal ownership and responsibility. This approach complements the academic support offered to participants by enabling them to develop and pursue an internally-motivated and purpose-driven life. This sets the Vision AfriKa programme apart from a purely academic support programme.
Vision AfriKa selects a maximum of 40 grade 8 learners each year from the high schools serving each area. Members are selected through a process of essay writing and personal interviews that focus on the child’s perceptions about his/her community and ideas regarding possibilities of change. This is the first step in a five-year academic relationship with each Vision AfriKa member. Once members matriculate, they are encouraged to join the newly developed Vision-X programme, which is designed for young adults who have finished high school.
Because we are convinced that individual development is influenced by both internal and external factors, the Vision AfriKa programme is designed to meet these factors in various ways.
The first component STABILITY-Grade 8 and 9 uses the structure and the constancy of intensive academic support in an after-school facility as a stable point from which to begin formulating a path towards the dream of an alternate future, as opposed to the future presented as the status quo in the students’ communities. The second component CHOICES- Grade 10 focuses on developing and equipping the individual participants with critical thinking and problem solving skills that will enable them to constructively attend to various life-issues. The third component POSITION- Grade 11 of the project is the Personal Growth and Social Conscience Programme where learners examine self-identity by exploring their community and its identity while also engaging in community volunteerism. The fourth component READINESS- Grade 12 is the Academic and Employability Skills Programme.