New measures and interventions needs to be put in place to address this malady. It is for this reason that a number of companies and organizations in Gauteng came together and decided that they can’t just sit back and wait for schooling to improve. The Youth Read and Learn Campaign was launched in Gauteng on 31 October 2009 at the Walter Sisulu Square Arena and is intended to encourage young people to read books, especially books on our history as a people. Only 17 bursaries were awarded at the last event because most of the applicants did not read the prescribed book for the competition.

 

The next leg of the campaign will be on Saturday 21 November 2009 at the La La Manzi Resort in the Vaal from 13h00 to 16h00. This will be during the book – club - reading session. The books to be profiled for the coming event is Sol Rachilo’s “Nostalgic Waves from Soweto; Poetic Memories of the June 16th Uprising” and for the next event scheduled for 16th December 2009 will be Ntsiki Mazwai’s Wena”.

The first book is available at all good book-stores and the second book will be available by the beginning of December.  Click to view cover of book.

In addition BISA will be offering bursaries from Cornerstone Training and Birnam Business College but in order to access any of the bursaries the youth needs to read the book mentioned above. Copies of the book will also be available at the book-club-reading session and a competition will be introduced to get young people to read passages from the books, three hours have been allocated for the book-club-reading session. The best readers will then be required to fill applications forms for the bursaries at a special stand set-up by BISA (bursary terms and conditions apply and will be explained to participants).

 

Cornerstone Training’s “Inbound & Outbound Call Centre Training” and Computer Skills will be offering a total of 200 @ 60% bursaries. In addition to the Call Centre & Computer Skills training bursaries, BISA will also be granting the 200 bursary winners 2 additional courses: Life-skills & Motivational courses to be facilitated by Cornerstone.
Birnam Business College a total of 200 @ 75% bursaries for diplomas and courses that include - Banking and Business Management; - Computers and PC Engineering; – Fashion; - Financial Management; - Hair and Beauty; - Human Resource Management; – Journalism; - Medical Administration; - Public Relations; - Events Management and Marketing Management; - Hotel and Catering; – Secretarial; -  Sound Engineering and Travel and Tourism.

The book-club-reading session will be followed by a music concert to launch Skepsele Productions starting from 16h00 till late. Featured artists include The Soil, Mathematics, Malik G ft Voice Of Reason, Ntjhapedi, Optical Illusion, MXO,  Beats Against The Beast and Steel Drums and Bass  featured  DJ’s include Chocolate Bar, Goddart, Mphike, Rotted.

To learn more about the bursaries and the event of Saturday 21st November 2009 please, sms the word “READ” (not case sensitive) to 34010 and a BISA consultant will contact you to explain more about the bursaries (sms cost R2).

 

 

This initiative is in anticipation of a project by Generation 76 and Basic Jonathan to establish an international Call-Centre Agency in Soweto. The CEO of Gen 76, Mr Molatlhegi Ntlokoa had this to say:

“…The purpose and objective of establishing an international Call-Centre is in order to aggressively market businesses, products and services of Soweto to the international community…”

The Call-Centre will be based at Moponya Mall and all the students who win and qualify to be trained at Cornerstone Training’s Inbound & Outbound Call Centre, Computer Skills, Life-skills & Motivational Training Courses will be absorbed at the Maponya Mall International Call Centre. Ntlokoa further said:

“…BISA and Cornerstone have come to the party and are offering 60% subsidised internationally accredited courses to the youth of Soweto. We appeal to the business community of Soweto to also come to the party and subsidise the outstanding 40%...”

Miss Teen Soweto is the brain-child of Basic Jonathan Productions and this will be the great inaugural event. This initiative plans to give 20 rough diamonds the experience of being groomed and moulded into radiant future leaders. Beauty pageants in Soweto have produced iconic women such as Basetsana Khumalo, Doris Msibi, Mapaseka Mokwele and Augustine Maselela to mention just a few. The founders of this project aim to inspire young souls by using this platform to create confident women of tomorrow. Basic Jonathan Productions have teamed up with Generations 76 Promotions and Drakensburg Productions to ensure the smooth running of the project, with Flying High Mojo as the marketers of the pageant.

The Miss Teen Soweto pageant is not just any run of the mill pageants, it is an integrated educational, community development, youth empowerment and leadership project of note.