The 9th of September 2021 is a day that will forever live in our hearts, as Tribe Saiyan, we saw our vision of activating grace over the lives of over 100 students come alive by showing them a future of great possibilities regardless of societal obstacles.
We, as Tribe Saiyans, spent months organising sponsorships for the learners of Maphutha Secondary School so we could host a career day, that would show the learners that a future filled with hope and dreams is a reality. The career day was originally centred around informing the learners about the careers within the insurance industry, as we have found that most people are not well informed about the industry and what it has to offer.
As we were selecting the speakers for the day and through our communication with the school’s principal, we were alerted of there being a greater need for guidance, motivation, and mentorship for the learners. The students were demotivated and the number of teenage pregnancies had increased caused by the effects of the Covid pandemic.
During a motivational session with some of the matric learners before their prelim exams, we were also made aware that the learners were more interested in quick money-making schemes, such as Forex trading, and they were disinterested in planning, studying, and working towards long term goals. For this reason, we encouraged our speakers for the career day to expand their discussion topics to incorporate life lessons, the necessity of having some form of structure in life, hard work and showing up, to achieve a better life.
We had an overwhelming response from our speakers and each speaker was excited about having an opportunity to add some value to the learner’s lives and to be able to share their journeys that led them to become the people they are today. Their excitement was not in vain, as during their presentations on the career day, the excitement and curiosity of the learner’s were obvious, and the overall atmosphere of the day was joyous and beyond what we ever imagined.
The most common sentiment shared by all speakers was the habit of showing up. In life, you will have difficult times and hardships, but you need to push through and always show up. It is during the toughest times of showing up that you become stronger as an individual. Success does not happen overnight, and it most certainly does not throw itself at you. You must keep working, keep pushing and keep on showing up.
We thank the following speakers for motivating these learners as you have contributed to their motivation to succeed and to know that they can achieve anything they want to: Tshepiso Chocho from SASRIA and IIG President; Thabo Twalo from Santam and IIG Deputy President and Donovan Harvey from F&I Insurance.
Gavin Lindsay from F&I Insurance spoke to the learners about Risk Management and how it works and the importance of good risk management within the insurance industry. Boy oh boy were the students excited about this career path!
We would also like to extend our gratitude and thanks to Yulanda Paterson and Ketabile from Infiniti Insurance who spoke to the learners about the possibility of internships. Ketabile shared her successful journey through internship and her career growth since then.
A special thanks to Khayakazi Madlavu from Nedbank for advising the students how they can go about obtaining student loans and how the process works as most of these learners cannot afford tertiary education, but this should never limit a child from studying.
Thank you to the following main sponsors: Santam, F&I Insurance, Emerald SA and SASRIA. Without your support, this day would not have been possible.
To Nonnie Mhlungu from SHA, thank you for being such a wonderful MC. You brought imagination and hope to these learners – something they will take with them wherever they go.
Thank you to each person who played a role in this life-changing experience. The IIG theme for 2021 is ‘be the difference’ and each of you has done your part in being the difference for these learners. We cannot change the world by ourselves, but we can all change it together.
Tribe Saiyans
The Class of 2021 programme is sponsored by:
