Education Ambassadors SA
Education is the most important weapon which we can use to change the world – Nelson Mandela
W.O.T magazine spoke a young woman of tomorrow, making a difference in the South African community through education. W.O.T asked Dmakatso Lukhele questions about herself and her NGO. This young woman has chosen to do something about the ailing South African education system, she rose up and foundered the "Ambassadors For Education" NGO and has worked with a number of people in making sure that her organisation is successful and reaches the youth. The NGO has created a platform for education for young people it has been in touch with.
1. Who is Dimakatso Lukhele?
Dimakatso Lukhele is the founder of Education Ambassadors SA. A project dedicated to creating education awareness in South Africa.
2. How and Why did you decide to be an ambassador for education?
I grew up in a family where as a woman; you were either destined to be a domestic worker or a stay at home mom. I made a decision at a very young age to never be like that.
Education was so attractive to me, a sexy way for me to breakthrough from what was supposed to be my destiny. Since then, I have never looked back. I was top student in most of my grades up until university level (I’m too dedicated to Education). My life has completely changed and through my education, young kids within my family are inspired to also be educated (funny how one person can change a cycle that doesn’t benefit us).
3. What projects have you been involved in?
We empower youth of South Africa by giving them a platform to showcase their written work on our blog. We have recently been working together with Cape Media Corporation, which assists our writers heavily by publishing their work within their various publications such as Leadership Magazine: http://www.leadershiponline.co.za/articles/TOMORROW-S-LEADERS-9014.html
There’s a myth that a black child doesn’t read, we are busting this myth every day!
4. What is Education Ambassadors, what does it do and who do they help?
When I first started the project, I wanted it to merely create Education awareness in SA but I soon realized that the problem goes way deeper. Most of the target youth (mostly black) did not have enough access to educational information. That’s when I decided to post and share with them across all our platforms (Facebook and Twitter) career opportunities from companies hiring i.e. looking for interns, graduates, or offering bursaries.
As a fan on our platforms, you get the opportunity to apply and are notified when both private and government departments have vacancies available. We verify all posts on our platforms to confirm and double check whether they are legit or not. If you are able to see it on our wall, apply and get your dream job!
We have helped numerous youth who are now working and making us proud. We do this every day because we want to make a difference, we do not expect any form of payment from youth we have helped after getting employed or receiving their bursary. We are rewarded every time one of our mission and vision points are reached!
See testimonies from previous students we have helped here:
5. Who else is involved in the project?
I am currently working closely with a gentleman called Nkululeko Lehlohonolo Mosethe. An incredible being, absolutely brilliant! Since he joined the initiative, we have grown extensively. I appreciate him.
6. What are you hoping to achieve through this organisation?
Youth who are:
· Opinionated.
· Influential.
· Educated.
· Involved.
· Entrepreneurs.
· And most importantly, employed.
7. What do you stand for as an individual and education activist?
Equality and a better and improved life for all.
8. looking at Africa's Education levels, what do you think needs to be done, to secure the future of education on the continent?
Nelson Mandela once said: “It is through education that a peasant’s daughter can become a doctor, a mine worker’s son can become the head of the mine.” SA needs to prioritise every learner’s educational journey. No system is perfect but I believe we can learn very valuable lessons from how the private schools are run. The first question we have to ask is “why is it that they can obtain matric pass rates of 95% every year”? Yes they pay good money. But I believe the government is also paying good money to run the current education system.
Perhaps how we use the money is part of the problem. We simply throw money at our problems thinking they will be solved. As a country we have one of the biggest social expenditure budgets globally. Pumping all this money is great as it shows we do care. But when that money is thrown in the hands of a few corrupt individuals who enrich themselves, then the cause becomes futile.
As citizens of this country, we need to develop a national pride and consciousness because great countries solve their problems TOGETHER. It’s not up to politicians, business organisations, unionists, and church leaders etc. to fix our education system. It is up to all of us, and we should all play our role in doing our part.
9. Do you consider yourself a leader and why?
Not at all. Perhaps the term leader does not come close to how I even see myself. I’m a mover! I shake, I make beats and I follow my own sound. Am I leader? I could be even better! I’m a woman eager to make a difference! Ambitious and not afraid to dream a little bigger. If anything, those who view me as a leader need to know this about me; I am not afraid to make mistakes! I always, always leave room for disappointment because I am aware that not everything we would like to achieve can go ahead as planned. But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. It’s a 50/50 chance that you must be willing to take in order to succeed.
10. How has Education shaped you?
I am smarter, able to stand up for myself. I have incredible experience in my field (Public Relations Management and Digital Marketing). Through education, I am offered amazing opportunities on a daily basis. I guess it’s safe to say “Viva Education” J
11. Who inspires you and why?
All women holding it down by creating a better future for either themselves or everyone else.
12. Where do you see your organisation and yourself 10 years from now?
In ten years’ time, I want to see us collaborating and working together with the government and the private sector to make a difference in the lives of many SA youth (black, white or green). I would like to see the organisation as a 1st space for all youth to seek help and get their dream career. Educated youth produce a wealthy economy. This project will benefit SA economy heavily.
13. who can get involved and how?
Anyone with a passion for education and eager to make a real difference in people’s lives! Visit our social media platforms and blogs to see what we do and if it interests you, see contact details below:
Contact us
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EducationAmbassadorsSA
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Edu_Ambassadors
Email: ambassadorsedu@gmail.com
Remember: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela.
Thank you
Perhaps Dimakasto does not see herself as a leader, but W.O.T definitely sees her as one, we see great things in the stars for this young woman. Education shapes a nation and with more young women like Dmakatso we are sure moving in the right direction as a nation.
Naz In The USA
This issue is all about starting 2014 on a high note, living life to the fullest and taking chances. I'm known for being spontaneous, I love life and the adrenaline of it. 2013 I decided to take part in a program in Louisville Kentucky USA. I studied for a five months at Ballermine University and decided to explore the USA, just a little.
This issue is all about starting 2014 on a high note, living life to the fullest and taking chances. I'm known for being spontaneous, I love life and the adrenaline of it. 2013 I decided to take part in a program in Louisville Kentucky USA. I studied for five months at Ballermine University and decided to see a little bit of the USA.
I've always wanted to go to the United States, but always worried about money and how I would get there. I got tired of thinking about it and decided to just do it, and anything having to do with finances would sort its self out, and it did.
The experience was amazing; I did not really know what to expect so I planned nothing, but to study. Study and learn as much as I could about American media. But meeting people from all over the world and people from totally different cultures made me want to explore the country more. I went with no travel budget, but I squeezed my cash and was able to see a few places, Chicago, Elgin, Nashville, Lexington, Atlanta and travelled around Indiana and Kentucky with friends and my roommate and her sister.
I decided if I wanted to see the USA, I needed extra cash, so I applied for a student job and with that extra cash I did a little bit more traveling. This trip has been one of the best experiences of my life it has ignited a fire in me to do more, to explore more of my world and just to travel South Africa and Africa.
I met so many wonderful people and created great bonds. I feel like i learnt so much about Europe without even traveling to it. I made friends with an Italian whose personality reminded me of a Xhosa girl, out spoken and direct, a French girl who is nothing like your stereotypical French person, an Austrian, I know nothing a Austria except that the Sound Of Music was filmed there, so it was amazing just to learn about the culture and people, I got to make my first Asian friend from Hong Kong, who was in one of my classes and who loved fashion and media, to a German girl, also not your typical German, Germans are known for being on time, not Laura. I made many great American friends and got to meet so many other people from around the world. My roommate and her sister become my sisters and shared their family with me.
My favorite city I visited was Atlanta, it was everything I imagined it to be, it was one of those cities I could envision myself moving too, for a year or two. The people where so friendly, you could just feel the media atmosphere. And I got to see the famous Piedmont Park and Olympic Park and got to see Underground Atlanta and the Coke a Cola world and CNN, we walked all over and saw so much.
My favorite thing about the USA was the shopping, the clothes are so much cheaper then in SA and there are so many thrift shops it was amazing.
Food was an adjustment, almost everything was processed, my body took time getting used to the food. American food was not really my kind of food, I missed South African food. Funny thing is that the food in the USA is far more expensive then in SA.
KFC in Kentucky USA tastes the same as the KFC in SA, that was the only familiar taste, but their KFC store has far less products and cost more, that very surprising to see, that SA KFC looked much better then the American KFC.
My roommate was an amazing person, I felt like I had my own American family, I went to her house for Thanksgiving and I went camping with her family and I felt like I was with my own family.
The USA was a great experience, but I still think SA is the place to be; we have the best of all worlds right here in the Mother Land.
Live life
The most difficult thing to do for many young people is to really live life to its fullest. It is easy to make excuses and give reason as to why you can not do certain things. Finances have always supposedly been the biggest factor that stands in the way of truly living life to the fullest.
I remember in my first year of University i had a friend tell me that she has never been to the beach in the two years she was in Port Elizabeth and she was telling me how boring her life was. I thought to myself, no wonder her life was boring, if she could not take time to walk 15 minutes to the beach, how would she go out and have fun. In order to live and feel like you living, you need to make a move and do something exciting.
Life is about taking a chance, go out with friends, make new friends, open your mind to the world around you. I think sometimes when you come from a certain religion you find it difficult to be friends with people from other religions. If you Christian sometimes you don't want to open your mind to being friends with someone who is Muslim, Islamic or Jewish, because you feel like your religion is greater or better and vice verser with Muslim, Islam or Jewish people. One thing I've learnt from life is that no one is better then the other and we all have something to learn from each other. Life is about learning and growing from experiences. You being friends with someone of a different faith or culture does not mean you will convert, it means you full of love and life and you share it with others.
Sitting a dreaming about what you would like to do and want to do, will not help you do it. You need to dream it and do it. Find ways of doing it. My friend told me about her friends, who are students and are broke, but they wanted to go Namibia, but the did not look at their what they did not have, but rather looked and what they had and what they wanted, they saved up their allowances, drove down to Namibia and packed tents and tinned food, camped on the beach in Namibia and had the time of their lives. If you make excuses you will never truly live.
