InSite is Reckoning’s youth exchange program to Stellenbosch, South Africa between International teens and the children of a settlement, Enkanini. Reckoning has partnered with Serve the City Stellenbosch (STC) in their ongoing work in this settlement. As STC works towards developing a sustainable community model with the people who live in Enkanini, InSite’s contribution is to help facilitate their daily work.
InSite trains teens (ages 15-18) in the Reckoning approach (embedding character and leadership skills in all aspects of life and learning). The students use this training and design an after school program for 1 week as well as work in a variety of practical help services (paint shacks, construction, etc) InSite has been designed to met all the IBO CAS requirements which are listed below:
Students…
- gain an awareness of ones strengths and areas for growth.
- take on a new challenge.
- plan and initiate all or part of their own activities.
- show perseverance and commitment.
- participate in activities that increases global awareness.
- consider the ethical implications of their actions.
- develop new skills.
The CAS objectives fall so nicely in the InSite Aims:
Students will be
- Uncovering their strengths and unique talents (using Strength-Finders and Myers-Briggs assessments) in order for them to gain the personal awareness of their strengths and areas of growth.
- Developing self discipline by setting and achieving identified leadership goals.
- Creating an after-school program that embeds character and leadership development.
- Collaborating in small groups during the training and in South Africa as they implement the after school program and participate in practical help in Enkanini (painting, building, cleaning, digging, etc).
- Demonstrating increased personal accountability for their actions in all areas of life as InSite Leaders.
- Choosing to persevere when situations do not go as planned, when things get difficult they choose to commit and find a way.
- Reflecting as an everyday habit in the development of leadership.
Fundraising is another component to InSite. It takes many new skills to handle money and one all global leaders need to have. InSite provides the student the opportunity to strengthen these muscles. They are coached and mentored in the following skills:
- writing and presenting a project clearly
- asking for help ( donations, support, networking)
- budgeting
- planning and executing events, and fundraisers
- giving a well executed speech/talk about InSite to an audience
- Resourcefulness – what you can do with what you have and build on it.
Timeline:
Applications and interviews for the following year begin in May – July.
Training begins in September and continues until February.
The trip to South Africa is over the February Holiday.
Night a Story Telling – a night of stories and reflections for the community is in the beginning of April.
This trip works best with DP1 students, or students in the second to last year of Secondary School. InSite is developing a follow up program for the last year of Secondary, as a way to continue to develop the leadership and character skills.
Interested in InSite? Would you like your school to participate? contact us at info@reckoning.nl.
