Global Citizenship Education @ MSLA
Educating for the future is all about cultivating a passion in our youth for creating new value to our changing and complex world. The development of global awareness, a deep spirit of caring for others, the ability to collaborate, as well as a keen sense of responsibility and commitment, are all at the heart of educating for a better future.
Global citizenship education is all about …
inspiring global citizens!
Through MSLA’s Global Citizenship Education (GCED) Programme, the Grade 9 – 11 learners are made aware of local and global challenges and are motivated to volunteer their time and effort in actively participating in MSLA’s community outreach projects.
See these global citizens in action!
MSLA KIDS COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROJECTS
Grade 4: Make Reading Count Project
Grade 11: Career Guidance Outreach Project
Grade 10 & 11: IT STARS
Grade 4: Make Reading Count Project
- addressing learning poverty
The latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS, 2021) shows a shocking statistic: 81% of South African children cannot read for meaning in any of the 11 official languages. This means that eight out of 10 children need urgent help with reading in the foundation phase.
MSLA kids are responding to this call for action!
Kids teaching parents ...
Addressing the reading for meaning crisis needs EVERYONE
to get involved!
A simple “5 step” method goes a long way in training parents to teach their kids to read for meaning:
- Choose a suitable text
- Make flash cards on difficult words
- Introduce the text
- Read 3 times:
- To the child
- With the child
- Child to parent
- Ask 5 questions about the text
Suitable texts are all around us: recipes on tinned or boxed food / advertisements in newspapers and magazines / instructions / flyers / or just grandma’s hand-written stories about life long ago.
These days you can also ask ChatGPT to write a great story in any of our 11 languages!
MSLA’s Grade 4 Make Reading Count (MRC) community project aims at:
- addressing both reading for meaning and numeracy skills
- creating awareness in primary school communities about the Grade 4 reading crisis in South Africa
- training parents to teach their children to read for meaning
- inspiring Grade 4 learners to love reading and solving maths problems
The MSLA Grade 4 MRC project is now a well-established community outreach project, that provides opportunities for Grade 10 and 11 kids to volunteer as global citizens each year, in addressing the Grade 4 reading for meaning crisis in South Africa.
What the MSLA kids had to say ...
Grade 11: Career Guidance Outreach Project
- addressing youth unemployment
Informed youth who know their purpose in life
Each year the MSLA Grade 11 learners are offered very impactful career guidance sessions during their holiday programme. They volunteer to offer the same experience to their school mates, through 4-hour workshops, presented at the MSLA campus.
The focus of the workshops:
- know your purpose in life
- have a dream and be prepared to work hard to realise your dream
- match your aspirations with your potential
- the importance of your Grade 11 November results
- what you qualify to study towards
- understand the process of applying to universities and for funding
- loads of motivation and inspiration!
The impact: 2023 - 2024
139 MSLA Grade 11 learners presented sixteen 4-hour career guidance workshops, run over 8 days, to 368 Grade 11 friends, from 16 high schools in Kimberley.
Grade 10 & 11: IT STARS
- addressing youth skills shortage
Minecraft champion pays it forward
- Inspiring future global citizens!
In 2024, Gaorekwe Molusi, a Grade 11 learner from Dr EP Lekhela H/S in Galeshewe, volunteered to share his knowledge and passion for Minecraft coding by teaching the 79 MSLA Grade 9 learners over 3 weekly afternoon classes.
In 2022, while in Grade 9, Gaorekwe and Sundes, another Grade 9 learner, entered the first Minecraft Build Challenge in South Africa: “Proudly South African”.
Out of over 50 contestants, and with limited resources, these 2 were crowned champions!
Aside from his new Minecraft wardrobe and trophy, Gaorekwe said the greatest prize that he received from his victory was: “I gained an experience and skills that I am excited to share with others.”
Gaorekwe ran his own Minecraft build competition for the Grade 9 learners and the winners received certificates signed by him.
Growing the MOS certifications programme at MSLA - preparing youth for the workforce
MSLA decided to introduce Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certifications to the Grade 9 learners during their 2024 Spring Academy as a way of preparing them for the online learning process, as well as creating awareness of the youth skills shortage and the need to acquire MOS skills for the workplace.
And who would teach?
The Gr 10 and 11 learners who have achieved MOS certifications were eager to volunteer!!!