Making a mark with enke

Learners from schools across the country are part of 125 young South Africans taking part in a week-long annual forum, held this year from July 4-9 at the African Leadership Academy in Honeydew, Johannesburg. Called enke: Make Your Mark, this social entrepreneurship model and education initiative aims to inspire and equip young South Africans to become leaders, in their communities, the country and the world.

As part of the highly interactive curriculum, grounded in the belief that effective leadership starts with a strong understanding of self, delegates are exposed to key thought leaders and subject matter specialists who tell their own personal growth stories.

This year’s speakers include Clem Sunter (author and chairman of the Anglo American Chairman’s Fund), Wendy Luhabe (social entrepreneur and chancellor at the University of Johannesburg), Setlogane Manchidi (head of Investec’s Corporate Social Investments), Julie Cunningham (editor of South Africa: The Good News), and Pie-Pacifique Kabalira-Uwase (a Mandela Rhodes Scholar).

Phillipa Wheaton, one of the co-founding members of enke, outlines the key objectives of the programme as follows: “We are looking to connect young leaders from different socio-economic spectrums and cultural backgrounds ... We want to empower individuals to become agents of positive change, to go home and impact their communities and have a ripple effect. To go home and be role models and pass that on to their communities.”

“We want each individual to walk away ... more equipped ... [we want them to] know what they want to do with their lives. We give them the knowledge and content on how to change [but] we want them to shape their future for themselves.”

In a roundtable discussion on education held at the forum on Tuesday 5 July, Richard Masemola, a founding member of TEACH South Africa, imparted practical knowledge on some the challenges faced within the sector.

The delegates in the session had all identified areas in and around their schools that they would take up as projects to assist their communities, and found the session informative and relevant, useful in helping them in prepare for their projects.