yfu south africa newsletter - november 2011

Youth for Understanding South AfricaInternational Youth Exchange

Youth For Understanding South AfricaNewsletter November 2011

NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 2011

Dear YFU Friends and Members,

It is November already again! The summer is beginning and Christmas is just around the corner.

Since October I have been am the new intern in the Pretoria office. Some of you might already have heard about me. I am 20 years old and I am from a small town called Husum on the German North-sea-coast. My time with YFU started 2007 when I left Germany to be an exchange student in the USA. Ever since then YFU has been a part of my life. I think there hasn’t really been a thing that I haven’t done for YFU yet. I enjoy being a contact person and telling others about YFU the most.

When I am not volunteering for YFU I love to be with my friends and family. Spending time outside, going swimming or dancing. I enjoy having fun times with the people around me. So I hope we will meet soon and have a great time together!

Before I continue to tell you about all the exciting things happened in our region I would like to thank everyone who helped and provided things for this newsletter!

Warm regards,

Annika (YFU - Intern, Gauteng)

_________GOING ON EXCHANGE TO GERMANY 2012__________

Professor Hans Strijdom, chairman of YFU South Africa and Mrs Christa Buchner of the German School Cape Town met excited outbound exchange students planning to go to Germany in 2012.

As a result of an YFU-German School initiative that was agreed upon in August 2011, six learners form the German School Cape Town will participate in YFU South Africa’s outbound program to Germany in July 2012. Three of the six learners will be partially sponsored by fundraising efforts in Germany and South Africa.

WHY BE BORING IF YOU COULD BE EXPLORING?!

Every year YFU SA sends out student to explore different cultures. If you want to be one of them don’t hesitate and go to our Website and look for the application!! Or ask us for further information.

www.yfu.org.za



FAMILY DAY IN MIDDELBURG

On October 22nd it was time again for a wonderful day with exchange students and families. We all met at a picnic spot just right outside of Middelburg. Everyone was really excited to meet each other again. Meeting at 10 am

went well, when you consider African time! So we just started a little later. After talking to the parents (there where 3 of them!!) and to the students, we finally got to braai. So much had happened in the last couple month that everyone had a lot to tell. As a highlight of the day we crowned our “King and Queen family day”. To win this prize the students had to speak to families and volunteers in the language their host parents speak and describe why they should win. Some students really had a hard time to come up with a sentence in that language because they aren’t able to speak it, yet. But there were enough helping hands to fix this problem and everyone was ready to present their sentence. Still, some of them had to cheat a little and read the sentence

from their cell phone to us. Nevertheless we had a fun time listening to them. The winners of this challenge are: Lieselotte (queen), Alexander (king), Emma (1st princess) and Patrick (1st prince). And how could we end this nice better, then going to the pool?! Exactly. Just spending time at or better in the pool! :)

Patrick, Alexander, Lieselotte, Emma “Our family day royals”

___________YFU VOLUNTEERS IN BLOEMFONTEIN___________

Hello my name is Sarah and I'm staying for one year in Bloemfontein, South Africa, where I’m working as a volunteer at a youth care centre. At my centre there are a total of about 100 children, who live in 10 houses. I'm staying at Doephuis with eleven girls between the ages 5 and 14. All the children that live here at the centre are either physically, mentally or sexually abused or neglected. It's really amazing to work with this girls, to see them grow; become more confident and stronger day after day. They are so little, but they've already put up such a great fight, and they still do, every day. I'm so glad I got the chance to be here and work with them. There is so much they can teach me!

Allison, Sebastien, Annika, SarahAfter an exhausting day having the orientation we

went to the movies :)



_______________NEWS FROM THE YFU BOARD_______________

During its annual general meeting held on 14 October 2011 YFU South Africa took the opportunity to honour and thank volunteers that have contributed significantly towards the success of YFU South Africa during the

2012/ 2011 program year.

Best Junior Volunteer: Jaymion Hendricks received an award for having initiated and established YFU South Africa’s Junior Volunteers. They currently have a membership of 23 that are all active participants within YFU South Africa.

Best Outbound Program Volunteer: Salmaa Rajah from Bloemfontein, Free State, is not only a senior teacher at her school but an active supporter of YFU. During the 2010/2011 program year she recruited 50% of the outbound students.

Best Inbound Program Volunteer: Mariana Esterhuyzen only joined YFU South Africa in the first half of 2011 as a volunteer however, in a very short period she managed to recruit 13 host families.

Best Senior Volunteer: Iris Goeda, also the regional representative in Port Elizabeth and vice chairman of the board has managed to increase YFU South Africa’s presence in this important area.



WANTED: Host Families!!!

YFU is looking for families who would like to open their hearts and their homes to one of our students. If you would like to host one of our students or you know someone in your community who would,Please contact us!

____________ACHIEVMENTS OF OUR INBOUNDS_____________

Hello South African YFU team,

I just want to say Thank You!!! For the year I spent in SA. Already 3 month passed by since I'm back to France, there is not a day without telling myself "Wow my exchange year in SA was the best in my life =)"I will NEVER regret it!! Thanks to all the people who make this possible! I LOVE SOUTH AFRICA!!! And I miss it a lot.

God bless youClara Rothmann (from France)

HENRI KIRJAVAINEN

Henri received a certificate at the price giving ceremony at Hoërskool Hercules on 20 October for his excellent marks in Lewenswetenskap - Biology(84%) and in Tourism (95%). He is also in the 10th position academically in Grade 11.

We are so proud!!

ANNIKA VAN ROOIJENAnnika will participate in a competition for the Face and Representative for our Region Kosmos.Please join 99.3fm Kosmos Radio on Facebook to support Annika by referring to -foto album kosmos mej tiener – and choose like Annika on her photo.

ALEX RAUFF

He got 2nd Runner up in his school for Mr. Kanonkop!!



_PRETORIA – MARKDAG, CHRISTMAS MARKET & MAKE-OVER_

Saturday 29th of October 2011Our day started early in the morning and we headed to our first stop the Markdag (market day) at around 8 am. It was a festival organized by a local church and there were lots of stands selling jewellery, little gifts and, of course,delicious food. Between all the stands we set up our YFU information stand. We went around and talked to people and tried to convince them to become host families, send their children abroad and just get them interested in YFU. We also got some gifts for families and friends, watched the little girls’ cheer leading procession and also watched the talent show. At about 4 pm we went to our next stop, the Christmas market. It felt so different to be inside the huge gym of Pretoria university ,buying Christmas presents, hearing Christmas music but knowing that it's 35 degrees outside with palm trees around the front lake. But it was so awesome what you could buy there. You could get anything and find the perfect presents for everyone you know. The day went buy so fast and after we had yummy pizza for dinner, we had a big, exciting make-over. Emma, the exchange student from Norway, just had to sit still and we did makeup, hair and even a new outfit. It was so much fun

and the result was amazing! A day full of fun, laughs and enjoying ended with watching the lion king and everyone being happy.

This awesome day was shared by Magda, Thys, Barbara, Annika, Emma, Emmiina, Lieselotte, Patricia and Alli.

__________________South Africa 2011/2012__________________

It's been three months since I have arrived in South Africa. A beautiful land with lots of differences to what I'm used to. Small differences and big ones but all of them are incredibly interesting. It starts with the importance of respect and religion and ends with the school uniforms that I had never worn before. It has been an exciting time so far with a lot of great people, beautiful places, memories no one can ever take and of course lots of fun braais. Being an exchange student is definitely not always easy and it doesn't always go the way you want it to or are used to. But you have to focus on the wonderful things, that only you can experience. I've had a lot of great moments and days- one day I spend with my host

family in some sort of wild animal resort. It was so awesome for me to see that zebras and giraffes were just walking around, relaxing on peoples porches and they were so close to our car! And even school turned out to be such a fun place. I have never wokenup before and with actually looking forward to school-up to now, but the kids there, they became my friends so fast and are just so amazing. Everyone was coming up to me on my first day and was so interested. I became a part of them really quickly and that was one of the most special things to me. And even though it's been 'only' three months that I'm here for, I've learned very much: about a new culture, seeing things in a different perspective and about myself. One of the biggest things I've learned up to now is to



grow with problems and not to let them get me down.

Written by Allison Heidrich

JUNIOR VOLUNTEER COUNCIL (JVC) _

Dearest YFU community,Over the recent months YFU SA’s Junior Volunteer Council (JVC) had elections on the new board. Before I let you know who the new board is, I would just like to thank the previous board, and in particular the former chairman, Jamison Hendricks, for a job well done in forming what we can today call the JVC. The new board comprises of Ngoako Mashitisho (Chairperson), Nadia De Klerk (Vice Chairperson), Erin Lotz (Secretary) and Ayanda Siboto (Public Relations Officer). I would like to congratulate everyone on their appointment and I look forward to working with you.

At the past AGM, I presented the goals and objectives of the JVC for the next year, at least. I will not go into too much detail, but what we hope to accomplish is make the name YFU ring in every 15 – 18 year old in the country. I know it is a tall order, but we have to start somewhere and see how far we can get. We will be marketing YFU through various mediums that have not necessarily been used before or not to a similar extent. This in turn will help us reach YFU’s goal, of sending more of our young South African’s to experience life abroad, and farm those lessons back into their communities. So in short, this will definitely NOT be last time you hear or see YFU SA and it’s vibrant and exotic JVC. We will also be consolidating our structure of junior volunteers across the country so to ensure delivering quality YFU experience to all involved in the organization.

Before I divulge too much, I shall stop here and hopefully the next time you here about YFU will be on a huge billboard somewhere on the N1. Until then let us enjoy our Christmas holidays as the students soon embark on their much anticipated Cape/December tour.

Written by your newest JVC Chairperson, Ngoako Mashitisho

UPCOMING YFU EVENTS

November 24th – December 9th 2011 Cape Tour

January 6th 2012 New Students arrive

January 11th – 14th 2012 Mid-Year Orientation

February 25th – March 9th 2012 Cultural Exchange – Mpumalanga (Don’t forget to sign up for it!)

March 31st 2012 Family Day in Pretoria

April 2012 Durban Tour (not YFU)

June 1st – 3rd 2012 Reentry Orientation



TO CONTACT US…

YFU Office (Cape Town) 021 423-1677

Rynette (Pretoria/Bloemfontein) 082 464-3957

Iris (Port Elizabeth) 082 519-2590

www. yfu.org.za

yfu south africa newsletter - november 2011

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