Chairperson’s report



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SA ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL REPORT

FOR

2010 - 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME ALUMNI ASSOCIATION-RSA (IFRAA-RSA) NORTHERN REGION WORKSHOP REPORT 36

NORTHERN REGION WORKSHOP REPORT 37

CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT

The year 2010 will long be remembered as the time South Africa showed the world what it was capable of. The spirit surrounding the 2010 FIFA World Cup brought welcome relief to some of the most challenging social justice conditions in living memory - and the International Fellowship Alumni Association –RSA (IFPAA-RSA) was there.

Meanwhile the year 2011 was characteristic of major political changes in the African continent. A wave of protests resulted in popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. It is clear that issues of social justice played a significant role in the transformation of these countries.

Following a very successful strategic planning session in May 2010 EXCO wasted no time in redirecting the core mandate of the Association as enshrined in its new vision statement,

To be a cohesive Alumni Association capable of creating strong partnerships resulting in increased service to our communities.

IFPAA -RSA is today a streamlined organization with an operational plan focussing on its core activities, and delivering on its strategic intentions for the benefit of all stakeholders. For the funding agency in New York, this is evident in the prudent management of the finances thanks to the African American Institute the administrating agency for the Association in South Africa. For other stakeholders, our unfolding strategy lies more in the solid progress in developing the full potential of our Alumni, who in turn strive towards uplifting communities by addressing different social justice issues. A robust skills pipeline is central to IFPAA –RSA’s continued success and our competitive edge depends on the depth and breadth of our skills and talent.

Through a process of decentralisation, the Association embarked on inward workshops held in the four newly established regions. The main objective was to establish long standing bonds amongst EXCO and alumni and to enhance the skills of alumni and build capacity within the organisation. Although each workshop assumed its own regional autonomy the main focus at the workshops centred on:


  • Review Of History, Programmes, Progress And Future Of The Alumni Association

  • How do we enlarge/ extend/ improve our influence for social justice?

  • Professional and Career Development: Challenges, Opportunities and Strategies

  • Organizational Re-engineering – Developing Processes and Procedures for the region

By investing in the continuous development and growth of its Alumni, IFPAA -RSA can ensure a ready supply of people at different leadership levels; people who match the academic culture and have the innovative and entrepreneurial skills central to the Ford Foundation International Fellowship Programme brand. A Resource Manual has been prepared to assist Alumni to cope with the many challenges that confront researchers and post graduates in a very demanding academic environment.

My fellow EXCO members are a ready source of insight and counsel. We also deeply appreciate the role of Ford Foundation IFP as custodians of the strategy driving our growth and sustainability. We want to assure you that your investment in the Association has undoubtedly yielded the desired returns.

On a personal note the period under review has resulted in what can best be described as a consolidation of our efforts over the past two years in strengthening our association by a unified team. I would like to take this opportunity in thanking the team including all executive members and all other Alumni who have contributed in so many different ways to our success.

Dr. Rajendran T Govender

Chairperson – IFPAA (RSA)

SA IFP Alumni Association

BUDGET RECONCILIATION – 2010/2011



Approved Budget Item

Budget Amount

Actual

R Expenses

2010 EXCO Pre-Planning Meeting







Accommodation, meals & conference charges

1,648

12,031

Transport – flights & airport transfers

1,954

14,264

Sub-Total EXCO Pre-Planning Meeting:

$ 3,602

R 26,295










2010 AGM







Accommodation, meals & 24 conf package

37,377

272,852

Conference charges

2,022

14,761

Transport – Flights, airport transfers & travel reimbursements

20,201

147,467

Administration Costs

2,350

17,155

Sub-Total AGM:

$ 61,950

R 452,235










Inward Workshops







Northern Region







Alumni costs

5,507

42,931

Conference costs

1,370

29,434

South Western Region







Alumni costs

5,507

21,111

Conference costs

1,370

28,857

Eastern Central Region







Alumni costs

15,959

44,318

Conference costs

3,116

57,926

Gauteng Region







Alumni costs

11,274

77,212

Conference costs

3,065

16,082

Sub-Total Inward Workshops:

$ 47,168

R 317,871










Workshop Co-ordination







Interns

1,644

35,573

Admin costs

841

9,023

Sub-Total Workshop Co-ordination:

$ 2,485

R 44,596










Resource Handbook







Compilation & reproduction costs

3,562

26,002

Distribution

1,233

9,001

Sub-Total Resource Handbook:

$ 4,795

R 35,003










Sub-Total:

$120,000

R876,000

Less surplus from grant 2008-002

$ 1, 715

R 12,519

IFP Approved Grant:

$118,285

R863,481

Balance as at September 30, 2011

$ 0

R 0

Foreign Exchange Rate used for conversion USD1 = ZAR7.3

MINUTES OF THE 2010 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)



OF

THE INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION – SOUTH AFRICAN CHAPTER

PLACE: THE SUNNYSIDE PARK HOTEL, JOHANNESBURG-SOUTH AFRICA

DATES: 5 & 6 FEBRUARY 2010
DAY 1

EXEUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:

Dr. Raj Govender (Chairperson), Henriëtte Abrahams (Secretary), Meiya Ntoesane (Treasurer),

Dr Allan Grootboom, Derrick Njoni, and Yasmine Killan.
NON-EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ALUMNI PRESENT: 85 Members (See attached attendance register).
SPECIALL GUESTS:

Mr Andy Passon (Consul General US Embassy, South Africa)

Ms Jeane Passon (US Consulate – South Africa)

Ms Maha Hassan (AMID-East Palestine, IFP Partner)

Ms Nasima Badsha (Advisor to the Minister of Science and Technology)

Ms Alice Brown (Representative, Ford Foundation Southern Africa)

Prof. Shireen Hassan (Chairperson of the IFP Selection Committee)

Mr. Themba Mhambe (IFP Selection Committee)

Ms Nomtuse Mbere (former IFP Advisory Board Member)

Prof. Robert Thornton (Wits Anthropology Department)

Dr Pamela Nichols (Director of Wits Writing Centre)

Ms Louise Africa (Director, AAI/IFP South Africa)

Ms. Tholakele Khumalo (Program Assistant IFP South Africa)



  1. APOLOGIES:

Lwazi Kubukeli

Shelley Barry



Aletta Mungani

  1. WELCOME AND OPENING OF THE AGM:

Dr. Raj Govender (chairperson) opened the AGM officially and Mrs. Africa (Director: AAI/IFP-SA) welcomed all alumni in attendance. She made special acknowledgements and welcome to the special guests who honored the invitation and graced the occasion. To the alumni, Mrs. Africa said she believed that the Association had come of age and was now in a strong position to take ownership of the AGM deliberations. She thanked all the special guests for their friendship and unwavering support.

  1. KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

Ms Nasima Badsha (Advisor to the Minister of Science and Technology) delivered a keynote address. In her speech, she acknowledged the role played by the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program in South Africa. She also indicated that she is aware that almost 100% of the alumni return home after their studies abroad and that she would like to know what the alumni do for the country post their studies from the acclaimed institutions of higher learning. She thanked Mrs. Louise Africa of the AAI and the Association for inviting her to deliver the keynote address.

  1. ALUMNI CERTIFICATION CEREMONY:

Ms. Alice Brown, an official from the Ford Foundation Southern Africa, presented fellowship programme certificates to alumni who have completed their study programmes. The essence of certification was to acknowledge their completion and like everyone else, remind them of their responsibilities to translate their very many ideas into practical social justice activities aimed at helping those less privileged.

  1. GROUP DINNER AND ENTERTAINMENT:

Guests and alumni were shown a short film on the rigors of the selection process, and the Limpopo and Bulungula Incubator projects which are partly funded by the alumni association. In addition, guests and alumni were entertained with poetry and a picture story of alumni during their study periods. After all agenda points for the day were dealt with, the guests and alumni enjoyed the dinner and entertainment.

DAY 2

SESSION 1: CHAIRED BY YASMINE KILIAN

  1. AGM OPENING ADDRESS – BY MS MAHA HASAN (AMID-EAST, PALESTINE INTERNATIONAL PARTNER)

Ms Maha Hasan began her presentation by thanking the IFPAA-RSA for inviting her to the annual general meeting. The focus of her presentation was on how to run an alumni association. In her presentation, she raised salient alumni survival issues. Among other things, she discussed the following tips for running an alumni association:

    • Remain focused and committed,

    • Become leaders that you should be,

    • Contribute back to your country, and

    • Keep the legacy alive

Ms. Yasmine Killan thanked Ms. Maha Hasan for inspiring the alumni association and stressed that it would be a good idea if IFPAA-RSA partnered with the Alumni Association in AMID-East to work together as well as advise each other on matters of common interest.

  1. MINUTES OF 2008 AGM

Dr. Allan Grootboom read through pages 5 to 12 of the 2010 AGM documentation booklet. Pages 5 to 12 are the minutes of the 2008 AGM which was held and 8 to 9 February at the Indaba Hotel in Johannesburg. The minutes were prepared by the interim executive who served during the 2006/8 period.

Questions, clarifications and comments raised by members with regards to the minutes of the 2008 AGM were on The structure of the minutes, the nature of the alumni association programme, strategy and implementation of the programme.

Henriëtte responded to the questions, comments and clarifications by stating that the programme proposal on page 8 was about activities that were formulated by the previous committee in submitting the budget proposal put forward. Dr. Raj Govender mentioned that it had been very difficult when the new committee took over because there was no continuity from the previous executive after Mr. Ricardo Wyngaard had resigned as chairperson of the Association.

On the question of structure, Henriëtte mentioned that other than the executive outward workshop sub-committee, there were no structures in place in the Association (excluding the project structures) and that the actual work to get the outward activities going was done by the executive. Henriëtte explained that the committee had looked at individual alumni activities in the various provinces and decided to embark on the two programmes started by individual alumni in the poorest provinces, namely, the Eastern Cape and Limpopo. The identified projects were alumni driven and were registered as Non-Profit Organisations, with management structures in place.

On the question of strategy, Dr. Raj Govender conceded that the Association had no strategy in place and that the AGM agenda made provision for the discussion and adoption of Association strategies. He mentioned that Meiya Nthoesane would be presenting that session during the afternoon session later that day.

On the comment on the structure of the minutes, Yasmine Killan acknowledged the point raised and stated that she hoped the handover procedures adopted by the current executive would ensure that a smoother transition takes place.

Meiya Nthoesane clarified the objectives of the inward and outward workshops as follows:



  1. Inward workshops

To develop specific skills for the member of the association,

To generate publicity, press releases, media exposure, academic skills and

To advocate social justice skills development in South Africa.


  1. Outward workshops

To enhance the knowledge base in the South African context.

To deal with social justice challenges in South Africa.

(An academic publication will also serve as the content for 2 workshops)


  1. CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT

The chairperson Dr. Raj Govender presented the overview from pages 15 to 18 in the 2010 AGM documentation booklet.

Questions, clarifications and comments raised by members with regards to the overview by the chairperson were on issues of continuity, maximization of alumni participation, and networking.

Mr. Abdul Isaacs stressed that it was noteworthy that Dr. Raj Govender is the Secretary General of Africa’s Alumni Association. He further emphasized that it was important for the Alumni Association to work at a macro level.

Lesetja commented that his personal observation had been that one of the challenges faced by the committee was that although members are expected to contribute, they do not participate. He posed the question whether there is any sort of mechanism that could be employed to ensure that the Association gets maximum participation from various alumni.

Dr Nomvuselelo Songelwa, the previous interim executive committee chairperson, acknowledged that members of the two executive committees were learning by doing. She stated that alumni should really understand that the committees had made mistakes, but that the AGM needed to serve as a platform to discuss and resolve these issues. She pointed out that these and other factors, such as a lack of funds, were contributing to non-participation, and as such must be recognized as very serious issues that prevent some of the alumni from participating. She stated that the Alumni present need to do something so all alumni can actively participate and focus on how to build each other.

Abdul Isaacs clarified that according to the Association’s constitution, the incoming executive is meant to be assisted by the outgoing executive. Henriëtte responded by stating that the outgoing executive was committing to assisting and mentoring the incoming executive. Khulekani Mathe mentioned that for the purposes of records, and to correct the inference that there was some level of irresponsibility from the previous committee, the minutes should reflect that the reason that Ricardo Wyngaard was appointed at the last AGM was to ensure that there was continuity.


  1. SECRETARY’S REPORT

The secretary Henriëtte Abrahams presented the secretarial report on pages 19 to 25 in the 2010 AGM documentation booklet. She paid specific attention to the pie chart on the provincial distribution of alumni on page 20 and the section on the executive meetings. She also reflected on the lessons learnt on page 24 to 25 and mentioned that the IFPAA-SA Chapter does not have alumni from the Free State province and therefore encouraged alumni to recruit people who live in the province to apply for the final fellowship awards.

Questions, clarifications and comments raised by members with regards to the Secretary’s Report.

There were no questions, clarifications or comments on the Secretary’s Report.



  1. TREASURER’S REPORT

The treasurer, Meiya Nthoesane read through the treasure’s report (IFPAA-RSA Financial narrative report) on page 26 to 30 in the 2010 AGM documentation booklet. He explained that the $ 1715 on page 27 was funds used to open the Association’s bank account. He further mentioned that the ABSA bank account had three signatories: namely, the secretary, treasurer and chairperson.

Questions, clarifications and comments raised by members with regards to the Treasurer’s Report were on issues around the COADY Conference Report, the Association bank account denomination, EXCO rural projects monitoring and evaluation trips and interest accrued.

On the issue of the COADY conference report, Yasmine responded that a report has been sent to the executive, but has not been included in the AGM documentation booklet.

Meiya clarified that the Association bank account is not in $ but in Rands, and that it has been changed from a current account to a 32 days call account. Meiya further explained that the financial report was prepared in Dollars as it is the same report that was sent to New York. He conceded that it was an error in judgment not to include the Rand values in the report, and a lesson for the next incoming committee to learn.

He stated that the Association funds are administered by AAI-SA. He further elaborated that the Association’s ABSA account was opened to conform to NPO legislation which states that each NPO should open a bank account in its own name. He informed the AGM that financial administration and transactions are done by the AAI-SA and that the Association can therefore not show all the detailed transactions but the audited statements are included in the AAI-SA financial audited statements.

On the issue of EXCO rural projects monitoring and evaluation, Meiya explained that these trips were undertaken when the DVD was produced for the Limpopo and Bulungula Incubator projects.

Meiya suggested that the next committee should document things fully and leave no room for ambiguity.



ADOPTION OF REPORTS

Yasmine requested for a proposal for the adoption of the 2008 AGM Minutes, the Chairperson’s Report, the Secretarial Report and the Treasurer’s Report.

Khulekani Mathe proposed and Abdul Isaacs seconded the adoption of the minutes and the office bearer reports.


  1. BULUNGULA INCUBATOR PROJECT REPORT -ANNETTE CHAMPION (BULUNGULA EDUCATION PROJECT MANAGER).

Ms Annette Champion, the Bulungula Incubator Education Project Manager did a presentation on the work sponsored by the Association. She discussed her presentation through the use of a PowerPoint . Amongst the things she mentioned were:

    • Bulungula lodge was judged in the UK recently as the 2nd most ethical destination in the world.

    • The Bulungula community is crime free but there are limited opportunities for community members.

Annette discussed the following focus areas for their project:

  • Basic services (clean water)

  • Education (Early childhood development, teacher training)

    • 9th April was the beginning of building the preschool building and the challenges they faced was getting the materials to the site where the building was to be constructed as there were no roads to get to the construction site.

  • Micro-enterprise development (a number of opportunities by the community and for the community)

  • Health and nutrition (e.g. vegetable garden)

  • Advocacy (ongoing).

  • Go to www.bulungulaincubator.org for more info



  1. Tools Together Youth Development Programme (TTYDP) – Limpopo Province

Mr Frans Matlala of the Tools Together Youth Development Project in Limpopo gave a PowerPoint presentation. Mr. Frans Matlala, who is an alumnus himself, explained that this project was started by an alumna who has used part of her monthly living allowance stipend to plough back to the community she came from. He shared with the AGM that there are currently ten alumni involved in the project. The Capacity Development Project had equipped young people in the rural areas with skills to apply for bursaries and jobs, as well as to run an organization. It has been identified that most families in the rural areas of Limpopo had no funds to support their children in furthering their studies beyond Grade 12.

The main focus of TTYDP was to enhance rural development by addressing:





  1. DAKAR REPORT

Dr. Raj Govender reflected on the Africa Regional Alumni conference in Dakar, Senegal in June 2009. He mentioned that the report will be uploaded on the alumni website and face book.

  1. IFP ALUMNI WEBSITE

Dr. Raj Govender gave a presentation on the IFP online facility on the IFP Alumni website during which he gave the following steps on how to access the IFP online:

    1. Go to google.

    2. Type IFP online

    3. Select the www.fordifp.net

    4. Login (enter email address)

    5. Enter Password (Possibly IFP ID Number which appeared on contract & medical aid card)

    6. Click on login

    7. On the left side of the screen select - On the IFP community-alumni associations and networks

    8. Click on South Africa-Alumni chapter in brief (This will give information regarding the association)

His presentation also covered:

  • Editing your profile - you can edit it online and add any information that you may want to add.

  • Steps to take if you forgot your password, i.e. type your email and then click on ‘forgot password’ and an email will be sent to you.

  • Linking up with international Alumni if you are going to e.g. Russia for a conference, you will then click on Russia and you will see the names of the contact people who can be contacted.

16. FACEBOOK

Dr. Allan Grootboom explained how to set up a Facebook profile for the alumni that are not on Facebook yet in order to join the IFPAA-RSA group in the following steps:



  1. Set up Face Book profile,

  2. Go to groups and then select the (International Fellowships alumni association-RSA)

  3. On the discussion board, you add your discussion on any relevant issue.

SESSION 2: TOWARDS EFFECTIVE SERVICE DELIVERY - REVISION AND RESTRUCTURING

CHAIRED BY DR ALLAN GROOTBOOM

Meiya Nthoesane presented some ideas around the Association’s Strategy and refocus. The ideas put forward were:



  • How do we see the organisation evolving from now?

  • Branding - How do people identify the Association?

He mentioned that some weaknesses identified around organisational structure revolve around:

  • Enhancement of continuity between incoming and outgoing executives

  • Development of policy guidelines and a code of conduct for members of the Association

  • Defining strategy and positioning by proposing a two year term where the Association have an elective 2012 AGM to evaluate and monitor the projects

He suggested that we revise our strategic positioning with regard to our mission statement which is education for social justice

He stated that we need to move towards financial independence as our current model is one of Donor funding and partnerships. He mentioned that other possibilities to look into are:



  • Subscriptions - one of the ways of trying to move towards financial independence

  • Provide services at a fee. We are a body of different professionals and we have a variety of skills and we could offer a range of services such as for example mentoring, research, teaching, consulting, magazines, etc.

  • He suggested that another way to raise funds would be to tender for government projects.

Meiya proposed that the Association follows a decentralized approach as we are a dispersed organization and not achieving what we hope to achieve. He stressed that this approach would bring about ownership, commitment and participation and would further minimize traveling all over the country. He further suggested that the Association should have four regions based on where most of the alumni are located. He put forward that the provinces should be clustered together in the following regions:

  • Central Region consisting of Gauteng

  • Northern Region consisting of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West

  • East Central Region consisting of Eastern Cape, Free State and Kwa-Zulu Natal

  • South Western Region consisting of Northern & Western Cape

Meiya’s presentation further proposed that the Association’s structure take on the following form:



  • NEC of 8 members (four nationally elected office bearers [chair, vice-chair, secretary and treasurer] plus the four chairpersons of the four regions)

  • Regional Executive Committee for each region (chairperson, secretary, additional member and an administrator)

GROUP DISCUSSIONS ON PROPOSED STRATEGY AND RESTRUCTURING

The plenary were divided into four random groups and discussed issues on decentralizing, funding, regional and national leadership. The groups discussed these issues for an hour, after which they reported back to the plenary.



  • On Decentralization

All the groups rejected the issue of decentralization of the Association into the four mentioned regions and opted to continue working on the current provincial levels. It was felt that the Association is not advanced enough to operate in these regions and that the issue of traveling over vast distances would not be resolved as the East Central Region by way of example has KZN and Eastern Cape, which in themselves are vast provinces. The house agreed and the decision to stay with the current provincial structure negated the discussion on regional leadership and structure.

  • On Funding

The house accepted that the membership subscription fee of R100.00 per member should remain and that in addition, the incoming executive should set up a trust fund account where alumni who can afford to pay a minimum of R500.00 for subscriptions should do so.

  • On Leadership and Alumni Development

The house stressed that the development of alumni leadership capabilities is critical for quality participation on a micro, meso and macro level for personal, professional and social justice activities. It was put forward that a committee should be set up to investigate what new ways people are conceptualizing issues around leadership, mentorship and social justice policy writing.

SESSION 3: ELECTIONS - CHAIRED BY HENRIETTE ABRAHAMS

PRESIDING OFFICER – MS MAHA HASAN FROM AMID-EAST PALESTINIAN INTERNATIONAL PARTNER

Dr. Raj Govender thanked the EXCO and the AAI/IFP office for the assistance provided to the Association and dissolved the outgoing EXCO and wished the incoming committee all the best for the next term.

The following Executive Committee members were duly elected:


Position

Name

Province

Chairperson

Dr. Raj Govender

Kwa-Zulu Natal

Vice-Chairperson

Edith Paswana

Gauteng

Secretary

Aaron Ramodumo

Gauteng

Vice-Secretary

Thabile Adams

Gauteng

Treasurer

Mbali Mthethwa

Western Cape

Additional Member

Phinah Kodisang

Mpumalanga

Additional Member

Mercedes Fredericks

Northern Cape

Additional Member

Frans Matlala

Limpopo

Additional Member

Phehello Mahasele

Eastern Cape

The session chair, Henriëtte Abrahams, thanked Ms Maha Hasan for leading the electoral process, congratulated the newly elected executive as well as the honorary members and thanked everyone for participating in the AGM.

Minutes prepared by: Henriëtte Abrahams, Secretary of 2008/10 Executive Committee


Signed:

Date: 24 March 2010

MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME ALUMNI ASSOCIATION – SOUTH AFRICAN CHAPTER


Executive Meeting

29 January 2011


9h00- 16h00

Sunnyside Hotel, Parktown

Meeting called by:

Chairperson

Type of meeting:

EXCO

Chairperson: Raj Govender




Scribe: Thabile Adams




EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:


POSITION

NAME

Chairperson

Dr. Raj Govender

Vice-Chairperson

Dr. Edith Paswana

Vice-Secretary

Thabile Adams

Treasurer

Mbali Mthethwa

Additional Member

Phinah Kodisang

Additional Member

Sogo Frans Matlala

Additional Member

Phehello Mahasele

Special Guest

Mrs. Loiuse Africa

Special Guest

Barbara

APOLOGIES

Secretary Aaron Ramodumo



AGENDA

  • Welcome

  • Funding proposal

    • Inward workshops

    • Resource handbook

    • EXCO meetings and strategic planning session

  • Analysis of strategic planning-IFPAA Operational Strategy

  • Preparation of Operational Strategy based on the funding proposal

  • Finance

  • Other matters (Newsletter)

Opening of the meeting

The meeting was opened by Dr. Raj Govender, the chairperson by welcoming all the EXCO and Mrs. Africa. He also extended condolences to Aaron Ramodumo for his loss. Raj also communicated that the purpose of the meeting would be to fulfill our mandate as the EXCO starting with the funding proposal. Mrs Africa suggested that the EXCO request for an extension to New York until end of September 2011 to enable them to fulfill their mandate as stipulated on the funding proposal. Raj and Aaron are to write the letter and then submit.



Funding proposal 2010/11

The funding proposal summary was discussed in relation to its objectives and progress thereof. The objectives were:



4 Inward workshops

  • One workshop was facilitated in the South Western region but the attendance was poor.

  • The Northern region attempted a workshop; still the response for a workshop was very poor.

  • Eastern Central region alumni and members of the EXCO are currently planning a workshop in April 2011.

Way forward

  • 4 workshops are planned for 2011.

  • The first workshop will be in the Eastern Central region as planned on the 2nd April 2011. The workshop will be preceded with a dinner on the 1st April. The executive members of the university will be invited and the guest speaker will be Dr. Dassin. The coordinators in the region are finalizing it.

  • The second workshop will be in South Western region on the 7th May 2011. It will be a follow up from the previous workshop that was done the previous year.

  • The third workshop will be in the Northern region on the 4th June 2011

  • The final workshop will be in the Gauteng region on the 6th August 2011

  • The EXCO will be involved in the organizing and facilitation of the workshops in the different regions and the following topics will be covered:

    • Developing sustainable community interventions (Phinah)

    • Career development (Thabile)

    • Proposal writing (Edith and Mbali)

    • Life Skills (Raj)

  • It was suggested that a day after each workshop, we volunteer at a community organization to transferring the skills received- No decision was taken on the matter.

Resource Handbook

Discussions and way forward



  • The EXCO agreed to the hiring of interns to research on the material to be covered in the handbook which will be similar to what will be discussed in the workshops.

  • The interns will come from the members of the EXCO and they will use the money paid to them to contribute it back to the alumni association.

  • The goal is to have the handbook published and launched at the 1st workshop in the Eastern central region.

  • The interns (EXCO) working on the content need to have it ready by End of February so that it can be sent for editing, graphics and printing.

EXCO quarterly meetings and a strategic planning session

Discussion and way forward



  • The EXCO strategic planning session occurred in May 2010 (Refer to the minutes of the meeting 28 & 29 May 2010)

  • The EXCO agreed to have their meetings a day before each of the inward workshops in the different regions. The dates are as follows:

    • Eastern central region- 1st April 2011

    • South Western region – 6 May 2011

    • Northern region- 3rd June 2011

    • Gauteng region -5th August 2011

Analysis of strategic planning-IFPAA Operational Strategy

Discussion and way forward



  • EXCO agreed that it may not be able to achieve all that was planned in the strategic meeting due to various constraints; however the EXCO will attempt to achieve all that was discussed in the funding proposal summary which is some of the aspects of the strategic planning outcomes.

  • Additionally the following deliverables were agreed upon:

    • Fundraising partnerships with parastatals and companies.

    • Purchasing and the selling of alumni T-shirts to the Alumni’s at the next AGM.

Preparation of Operational Strategy based on the funding proposal

  • Please see attached operational plan.

Finance

  • Mbali has volunteered to do a feasibility study of the Alumni potential income revenue stream concerning how the Alumni association is functioning and how it is to be funded.

  • A draft report will be presented at the last EXCO meeting.

Other matters (Newsletter)

  • Electronic quarterly newsletters were suggested.

  • Suggestions for the 1st publication was made:

    • Profile the EXCO regarding their achievements

    • Profile Alumni with regards to their vocational developments

    • One of the Alumni’s has been appointed as an MEC for economic development (Provincial treasury)

  • Thabile to be responsible for receiving the content for the newsletters from the EXCO and the members of the alumni association by the end of February 2011

  • The first publication will be due end of March 2011

  • The following publications will be due in June and then September 2011

  • Proposed title of newsletter: Alumni Express or Alumni News



PLANNED ACTIVITIES

TO DO

PERSON/PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE

DUE DATES

Request for funding extension

Write a letter to New York motivating why we need an extension

Raj and Aaron

?

Quarterly newsletter


  1. Email sent to EXCO and Alumni requesting for information for the Newsletter to be submitted by end of February; May and August 2011

  2. Compile the newsletter

  3. Electronically distribute it to the Alumni and fellows in March; June and September 2011.

Thabile-Collection of content for the newsletter

Editing- Exco (Aaron and Phehello)




Feb; May and Aug

Publishing the handbook

  • Exco members are to research and compile information on :

    • Developing sustainable community interventions

    • Proposals-

    • Career development

      • Cv writing and interview skills

      • Career management skills

    • Life skills

      • Investing in self

      • Time management

      • Goal setting

      • Re-integration

  • Send to editor for compilation and editing

  • Send to the printers

  • Distribute to alumni in the different regions



All exco members and Alumni

-Phinah and Phehelo?


-Edith and Mbali

-Thabile and Sogo


-Raj and Aaron ?





  • February 2011- Submission of information

  • March 2011- Compiling and editing

  • April 2011- Launch and distribution of the copies at the Eastern Central region

  • May 2011-distribution of copies to the South Western region

  • June 2011-distribution of copies to the Northern region

  • August 2011-distribution of copies to the Gauteng region




Inward workshops

Organizing and Facilitation of 4 workshops in the different regions

Exco

2 April; 7May; 4 June and 6 August 2011

Exco Quarterly meetings




Exco

  • Eastern central region- 1st April 2011

  • South Western region – 6 May 2011

  • Northern region- 3rd June 2011

  • Gauteng region -5th August 2011




EASTERN REGION ALUMNI WORKSHOP - 2 APRIL 2011

Alumni from various parts of Kwa-Zulu Natal and Eastern Cape gathered at the Royal Hotel, Durban on 2 April 2011 to participate in a workshop which was arranged by EXCO and the LOC in Durban. The Region was also honoured to host Dr. Joan Dassin from New York the Director of the International Fellowship Programme and Mrs Louise Africa, the Director of the African American Institute (AAI). In her address Dr Dassin highlighted the fact that IFP now has about 4300 fellows around the world. She further congratulated the Alumni for doing so much in the region and for having accomplished so much. Most of the presentations were delivered by members of EXCO and focussed on the following:



  • Review of History, Programmes, Progress and Future of the Alumni Association.

  • How do we enlarge/ extend/ improve our influence for social justice?

  • Social Justice and Entrepreneurship

  • Professional and Career Development: Challenges, Opportunities and Strategies.

  • Organizational Re-engineering – Developing Processes and Procedures for the region

Guest Presenter, Professor Joan Conolly (DUT) facilitated an interesting session which looked at ways of extending and improving the Alumni’s influence for social justice. The academic session ended with the local Alumni brainstorming strategies for organizational reengineering and Processes and Procedures for the future of the Eastern Region. A working committee under the leadership of Thandokwakhe Sibiya was appointed to oversee the process of driving the vision of the Association.

The evenings programme provided a platform for the Alumni to socialize and informally communicate with each other on issues of common interest. The Guest speaker was the Province’s MEC for Finance, Mrs. Ina Cronje who promised to bring to the attention of the Premier and other political leaders the existence of the KZN Alumni and their potential to make difference in the Province in the various sectors. A list of all alumni in Kwa-Zulu Natal and their qualifications and areas of expertise was prepared and submitted to the office of the MEC.

Entertainment was provided by two local female artistes known as DeMonique and learners of the Umlazi High School who captivated the audience with soul stirring classical and contemporary music and dance which brought the Eastern Region’s workshop to a grand conclusion.

Reported by:

Raj Govender

EASTERN REGION WORKSHOP - PHOTOS


MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EXCO) MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM ALUMNI ASSOCIATION – RSA



Date: 07 May 2011 Venue: IKhaya Lodge, Cape Town

Time: 15H20-17H00

Meeting type: EXCO Chairperson: Dr. Raj Govender Scribe: Thabile Adams

EXCO Members present

Chairperson

Dr. Raj Govender

Vice- Chairperson

Dr. Edith Paswana

Secretary

Mr. Aaron Ramodumo

Vice –Secretary

Ms. Thabile Adams

Additional Member

Ms. Phinah Kodisang

Additional Member

Mr. Sogo Matlala

AGENDA

  1. Welcome & Purpose

  2. Apologies

  3. Confirmation of Agenda

  4. Minutes of Previous meeting

  5. Matters arising from previous minutes

    1. Status report – Limpopo Workshop

    2. Discussions on Resource Manual

    3. Newsletter

    4. T-shirts

  6. New Matters

    1. Proposed Funding

    2. Gauteng region workshop

1. Welcome and Purpose

Dr. Raj Govender welcomed everyone present to the meeting and thanked the Secretary for clear and concise minutes of the previous meeting. The purpose of the meeting was therefore to give support to the Western Region, reflect on our achievements and to plan for the upcoming workshops in the other regions.



2. Apologies from EXCO members

Treasurer

Ms. Mbali Mthethwa was in the plenary sessions with the western region at the time of the meeting.

Additional Member

Phehello Mahasele had excused himself from the meeting as he had prior engagement

3. Confirmation of Agenda

The agenda for the meeting was confirmed and agreed to by all EXCO members. There were was one addition item to the agenda.

1. Proposed Funding by the Ford Foundation New York office for the next AGM in 2012 year for a project or conference.

4. Minutes of the previous meeting

The Chairperson scanned through the minutes of the previous meeting and highlighted important matters for discussion. The Chairperson moved for the adoption of the minutes as a true reflection of the deliberations of previous meeting held. The minutes were adopted by the Vice-chairperson and seconded by EXCO members who attended the previous meeting.



5. Matters arising from the previous meeting

5.1. Status Report-Northern region workshop

  • 19 Alumni members including the EXCO members have confirmed their attendance for the workshop

  • The local organizing committee (LOC) consists of the following members:

  1. Ms Phinah Kodisang

  2. Dr Joel Mamabolo

  3. Mr Matlala Boshomane

  4. Mr Sogo Matlala

  • The LOC found 5 different quotes for the workshop venues

  • A decision was taken to have the workshop at Bolivia Lodge

  • MEC of Education and Treasury (a Ford Foundation alumni) will be invited for the workshops

  • CSI ABSA representative may be invited to facilitate a workshop on how to apply for funding

  • The other logistics regarding the workshop are still being sorted

5.2. Discussion of the resource manual

  • Thabile had not received any contributions from the alumni for the workbook to forward to Edith.

  • Resource manual to be discussed further at the next EXCO meeting

5.3. Newsletter update

  • Secretary tasked to request for information to be submitted by the end of May for the newsletter which is to be published in the next quarter July-Sept. Thabile to send guidelines for the article submission for the newsletter.

  • The suggested news for the next newsletter is:

    • Report on the Eastern region, Western region and the Limpopo region workshops.

    • Brief articles on Youth Day (Phinah), women’s day(Edith) and Heritage day (Raj)

    • Advertising the T-Shirts

    • Account details for request for donations

    • Alumni in the news

      • Story of the 2 Alumni members who went to Russia for a conference

      • Recent Alumni’s/graduates

    • Summary of Phina’s publication

    • Alumni activities

    • Upcoming events

5.4. Update on the Purchasing and selling of T-Shirts

  • The design and costing of T-shirts was investigated by Raj as per last meeting discussion

  • Raj had found two quotes for the purchasing of T-shirts.

  • The one quote was for a normal T-shirt for R30 per T-shirt

  • The second quote was for a golf shirt R90 per golf shirt

  • Colours for the T-shirt was agreed to be beige and the logo and mission to be done using a burnt orange colour.

  • Raj was tasked to request for samples to bring at the next meeting for the Limpopo region so that a decision can be taken going forward.

6 New matters

6.1 Proposed Funding

  • Mrs. Africa informed that the New York office hand indicated its willingness to give the Alumni association funds for one more Annual general meeting for project/conference that is most pressing in the South African context in which other alumni from other countries to participate in as well.

  • Facilitating a conference on Health and HIV/AIDS was discussed

  • The decision that was that at the next EXCO meeting on the 4th June 2011 the idea would be conceptualized further.

  • Secretary was tasked to remind the EXCO to start thinking about ideas for the conference project/conference

6.2 Gauteng Regional workshop

  • Status update to be presented in Polokwane at the next Exco meeting

7. Adjournment

Meeting adjourned at 18h30 after some long deliberations


IFPAA WESTERN REGION ALUMNI WORKSHOP



7th May 2011

Ikhaya Lodge & Conference Centre – Cape Town

Western Region Workshop Notes


Welcome
Present Participants

12 Alumni

5 Fellows-elect


  • Mbali Mthethwa acted as a chairperson for the 1st session and introduced Mrs Africa who welcomed everyone to the workshop. She spoke about the purpose of these meeting-which is to strengthen the association and networks amongst the Alumni. She also introduced the fellows and fellow elect – Liesl Leonard, Roweena Hendricks, Diana Cousins, Eugene Paramoer and Vincent Zungu. She gave background on some of the alumni that have achieved great success after completing their programs i.e. Ricardo Wyngaard. And also congratulated the newest PhD graduate Benita Moolman.

Workshop Session 1

Introductions

  • Henriette Abrahams chaired this session. She requested the Alumni to introduce themselves. After all Alumni introduced themselves Dr. Raj Govender – IFPAA Chairperson was called to address the Alumni

Chairperson Address

  • Raj’s address focused on the purpose of the Alumni Association and member’s purpose in a larger society in relation to social justice.

Personality Test

  • Thabile Adams presented the Alumni with a questionnaire aiming at testing their personality, each Alumni was requested to answer 75 questions relating to their behaviour and preferences in the workplace. All alumni answered the questionnaire and returned them back to Thabile for scoring.

Review of IFPAA History and Progress

  • Aaron Ramadumo gave a presentation which entailed establishment of IFPAA, objectives of the association, intended activities, achievements, challenges, future.

  • In response to this presentation, Vincent Zungu asked a question – How do we all, from different areas come together on social injustice issues?

Responses from the floor comprise of:

* Its personal decision and choice that each individual has to make, and take efforts to carry it through (Mbali)

* All involved in social justice issues should engage constantly to let the debate go on (Raj)

* We all made the decision, that’s why we are here. Alumni should develop the outlet, unify expressing through blogs etc. (Vaneshran)

* Start by doing something where you are (Phinah)

* Alumni are the legacy of the programme and can exist indefinitely.

* Networking through social media is great to keep in touch. Alumni is tremendous force and a strong base (Mrs Africa)

* Dialogue is important ( Delia)

* Push the agenda to fight social justice (Henriette)




Fundraising: Legal and Policy Development

  • Ricardo Wyngaard gave a presentation on Fundraising – Legal & Policy development. This talk focused on Section 3 of the NPO Act- state’s responsibility towards the NPOs, NPO Act 97 and Lotteries Act 97, Determining flow of funding, Legislation and Policy impact on funding at the community level and Implications of Developments.

  • Due to time available Ricardo could not talk through all his slides, however the Alumni was promised that the presentation will be available on the Resource book being developed for Alumni.

  • Mrs Africa contributed by stating Ricardo is a great source with a very unique background and resourceful Alumni that should be used during the Regional Workshops. Capacity Building is vital for IFPAA.

  • More information on Ricardo’s work can be found on his website which is www.nonprofitlawyer.co.za

*Sogo asked a question – How does one get to serve on Board of Directors?

*Ricardo responded – it’s ideal to be approached by the organisation, but do offer your services. Serving on boards comes with responsibility and is a learning curve. There are resources available.



* Diane commented – presentation is more valuable to all and perhaps to other students at UWC ( Development Studies)

Doing Research Proposal

  • Dr. Phaswana presented on Research proposal topic. Her presentation covered definition of 3 types of research proposals, the stakeholder’s expectation, and recommended structure. The Alumni was divided into 2 groups and given a practical exercise to complete. The alumni were supposed develop research questions referring to the case study provided to them.

  • Alumni and fellows undertaking research were encouraged to link up with others in their field of study for support.

Personality Awareness in Career Times

  • Thabile Adams gave a presentation which focused on career development, job search tips and importance of employability skills. It also provided the interpretation of the personality test results in order for alumni to understand their personalities better.




Workshop Session 2

Introduction

Abdul Isaacs chaired this session.

Putting together a Business Plan

  • Mbali Mthethwa gave a presentation which focused on elements of a business plan. The presentation highlighted the process to follow, emphasised on the importance of research and understanding of market and financials.

  • Mbali was asked to deliver another presentation focusing on financials as they are critical part most Alumni don’t fully understand- To follow presentation to be delivered in Polokwane

  • Aaron asked whether it is wise to leave permanent employment when you have an idea. Mbali responded that it’s safer to stay in job for while conducting the research and once you certain that there is valuable opportunities then decide.

  • Delia asked if there are people who can help draft a business plan. Response was yes, there are consultants specialising in providing business plans.

  • What are about copyrights? You can patent your idea so no one steals it and protect yourself



Motivational state of our vocations

  • Shamiema McLeod (Professional Life Coach) facilitated a discussion about motivational state. Alumni had to answer the following questions

  • Where are they in terms of their vocations?

  • What does vocation mean to them

  • What is it like when they are in their callings?

  • Determine the reality of their callings

  • What are some of the things that hinder them from their calling?

The discussion concluded that it’s important to pause, reflect and invest in them. Barriers should be seen as challenges instead of barriers.

Planning for Western Region

  • Western Region decided that for year 2012 they would support the Arts Industry. The focus will be to expose and support the Alumni in the Arts Industry.

  • Vaneshran was selected as Western Region Chairperson

  • Henriette was appointed as Western Region Coordinator

  • Planning meeting was scheduled to take place on 15 May 2011


Closure


Matlala, Sogo France

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