Gap Year Students

Isaac

My Dad was leaving on Monday evening which gave me an excuse to go to Umlazi on the day and get the choirs of Zwelibanzi and Dloko both to sing for us. It also allowed me to speak to Velo, acting depute of Dloko, about the gardening programme. We're very close to getting a lady from Mangosuthu University on board with taking over the pupil gardening project of both schools so it can be done professionally and be continued throughout the year. I have sent her the formal applications and we have a meeting arranged for next week.

Tuesday was again at St Raphael's Special School where I was once more involved in the 'Autistic unit' during the school day and running the parent workshop after.

I was between just two of the three classes in the unit on Tuesday. In both classes the teachers had specific pupils they wanted me to observe as they felt their behaviour was particularly challenging. I look forward to working more for these pupils in the weeks to come. The teachers are very good as they know their pupils better than anyone but, through no fault of their own or perhaps even the school, they have been given no proper training in any relevant area. Although they can mostly get their kids to do what they want the communication systems, timetables and reinforcement in the classes are all over the place.

The teachers and I will first work together on timetables, class and individual where appropriate, and hopefully move onto working with PECS and Boardmaker communication symbols on a basic level for individuals. This will create some order in the classes and for the pupils if implemented correctly which should significantly decrease instances of challenging behaviour seeing as the majority of these come from the child being given mixed signals and becoming confused.

The parent workshop covered the second half of the sleep topic. I felt this was very successful. From the questions asked and the vibe in the room it seemed the parents (and significant number of teachers who chose to sit in) were very interested. Next week's topic is 'Communication and Autism'.

Wednesday held a very interesting outreach session at SISCO. Six or seven of us, close to everyone involved in the running if SISCO, went to Clairwood. Clairwood is an interesting place. I assume we were on the outskirts. It's not a township; closer to an old, abandoned city. Walking form the taxi to the place we were going we passed churches, hindu temples, mosques, factories, double story middle class houses, corrugated iron shacks and more scrapped cars than I have ever seen.

We finally arrived at a large public park, part of which was taken up by two large, dirty tents and two toilet cubicles. We had brought with us about fifteen sacks of clothes and a few kilos of soup to donate. The people living there were families who had been thrown out of a squatter camp. One very down to earth looking man, who I assumed to be from one of the families, had somehow organised the tents for the people to be in: one tent for the men, the other for women and children. We were allowed to look inside the tents which were filled with what looked like third or fourth hand beds, standing straight on the mud. In the narrow spaces between the beds there were planks of wood for the inhabitants to walk around on so their feet wouldn't get wet when it rained.

I think SISCO made this their business because, as Abdul was telling me, the kids from here will soon become street children in the city if things continue this way. Mjoli made a passionate speech saying he would go to the mayor and the councillors and put pressure on them as these individuals still fall under the municipality.

On Thursday I met with Mjoli and Larry, head of AbaKrestu. Larry does want to help SISCO but the complete clash of cultures makes it difficult for those involved with SISCO to see this (Larry is a white South African, all those at SISCO are black South Africans). They see me and all those at Jabulani however in a different category because we are not from South Africa and, in Mjoli's words, we are "White-Black People".

We are still struggling to find a permanent building and I thought it was useful fro me to mediate so that both parties can be united in what they are fighting for in practice. If they're only united in their heart, neither side can see it in the other.

The meeting was very successful and we all went away with a list of things to do and people to see. We may just get there yet.