Rising Above
"Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another."
President Nelson Mandela (1918 - 2013)
Project mission
The Rising Above project is an attempt by its founder to get more learners from disadvantaged areas in Worcester (with high levels of violent crime) to pursue tertiary education, as a university degree not only opens up more career opportunities for the graduate, but its benefits extend beyond generations.
What we do?
Identify learners with drive and potential from Avian Park and Riverview
Each year, four Grade(s) (11 and) 12 learners are selected to participate in the Rising Above Program, which is aimed at empowering them to pursue higher education.
Provide the selected learners with an after-school classroom environment
Learners are transported on (Tuesday,) Thursday and Friday afternoons to a safe and quiet learning environment where they also have access to a computer, printer, reading books and the internet.
Cover Grades 11-12 Mathematics topics
Through synchronous and asynchronous teaching twice a week, the Grades 11 and 12 Mathematics Curriculum is taught in such a way as to get students to "rethink" how they think.
Mentor the selected promising learners
On Friday afternoons we have short talks and Q&A sessions on a wide range of topics, which include applying for university admission and bursaries, and pieces of advice for (first-generation) students.
Offer financial support (subject to availability of funds)
Since the participants generally come from low-income families, the Rising Above project is committed to helping learners and their families pay expenses related to school fees, school uniforms, stationary, attending Open Days and application fees.
Forster collaboration and outreach initiatives
Weekly meetings are meant to gradually break the 'distance' between high-performing learners from disadvantaged communities, and the loneliness some of them may experience. During the holidays, learners help serve the community by distributing meals and other items to the needy.
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."
- Sir Isaac Newton