The outcome of the ANCs long-awaited KwaZulu-Natal conference was a win for the Thuma Mina crowd. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
With an audience of over 2.2 million, all of whom are under the age of 18, the Pick n Pay School Club is a brilliant space to spread a message.
The Club creates learning material that supports the current school curriculum, but they also have a mission to help children better understand the world they live in and who they are in this world.
“The content is written by curriculum writers who understand educators’ needs and how the material can best support them and their learners. Trained in-field workers deliver the content to 1?210 schools and explain to the educators how to implement the content in their classrooms. The 1?815 outlying schools get their content via courier with a follow-up call to ensure the correct educator got the content for distributing in his or her school,” says Andre Nel, general manager of Sustainable Development.
This year there was a strong focus on educating students about rhino poaching: how it began, why it started and what we can do to change this.
The content is created according to grade specific needs. As part of their overall programme, there will be content that is educational such as reading or learning about the environment, but also about important things like how to identify your emotions and talk about your feelings, or why you should wash your hands.
To encourage kids to take part, they also run the Hero Awards where they “recognise kids who are doing something extra special in their community”.
With a specific theme like rhinos, the message is tailored. “So for example, for younger kids, there would be a colouring in counting page, with a question like how many rhinos are there. The higher grades deal with more complex issues such as why this is happening to rhinos and what we can do to try and help.”
The main educators are supported with easy to implement content and dedicated school liaison officers visit schools. The officers are located in the area and are always available to assist educators. Teaching culminates with a competency assessment that is based on standards set for each grade.
Now its eleventh year, Pick n Pay School Club reaches 3 025 schools. “It’s important for everyone to know that it is free. Schools contact us and we chat and we can provide them with what they need.”
This year, the anti rhino-poaching message was shared at over 3 000 schools. Students are then able to share their understandings with their parents. This is especially important in areas and villages where community members are involved in rhino poaching.