29 November 2021
Sifunda Kunye Literacy project hosts annual writing camps for our partner schools but due to COVID we were unable to host our annual writing camp.
However, Sifunda Kunye launched an writing competition for our partner schools, together with our newsletter clubs and English faculty members at our schools our competition was successfully run.
Competition details was to write a short story themed “Where there is a will there is a way”
Top achievers from our partner schools were from St Matthews High School and Hendrik Kanise combined school.
Our 2021 writing competition winner was Natasha Mpondo from St Matthews High School in Keiskammahoek.
Congratulations to all learners that wrote in to our competition, keep on exploring your creative side.
History of Sifunda Kunye Writing Camp:
Innovative Writing Camp Empowers Learners
Eighty learners from four area schools explored creativity, learning, and self-expression in an intense writing camp over the weekend. The camp was sponsored and hosted by the Sifunda Kunye Educational Project, a local public benefit organization that has been active in the King Williams Town district since 2008.
Sifunda Kunye invites 10 to 15 learners from each of its partner schools in the King William’s Town District and Grahamstown district participate in these camps. This past weekend, learners from St. Matthew’s, Xolani, Richard Varha, Toise and Hendrik Kanise combined Schools spent an intense 3 days (Friday-Sunday) focusing on a specific theme, completing personal works, and submitting them for peer critique. This session’s theme was “Dreams are made of…” and learners were encouraged to express what dreams and ambitions means to them in essays, poems, and group discussions and drama. Participants received guidance from a talented group of volunteer facilitators, student leaders, and the Sifunda Kunye staff. .” Participants submit their work for inclusion into a published student journal at the end of the camp. The journal is a unique opportunity for many to see their work in print.
Learners and teachers are continually impressed with the writing camps. Participants relish the opportunity to engage in an in-depth weekend of imaginative learning. They enjoy improving their language and writing skills in a fun and creative venue outside of the classroom. Teacher’s enjoy witnessing the progress these young writers make over the course of a weekend.
The Sifunda Kunye Literacy Project’s writing camps have been successfully running since they first launched in August 2014. Sifunda Kunye is a non-profit that relies on donations and grants to support its literacy and technology programs in Eastern Cape schools.