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On 13th February 2007, 13 very excited sixth form students and 4 (equally eager) staff left cold, grey London for Cape Town. After a 12 hour flight, the group emerged bleary eyed to a bright African sun and clear blue skies. The visit had been planned for months and the students had raised an immense amount of money to fund the trip.
After several very successful teacher visits to our link school - Masakheke Combined in Nkqubela township (near Robertson) - we decided to take a group of students to see for themselves what they had heard about in assemblies. Students applied to participate, and the successful few were then allocated a partner from Masakheke, with whom they corresponded prior to the visit via letter and email.
During their stay in Cape Town they were lucky enough to ride to the top of Table Mountain, explore the emotionally moving District Six Museum, drive through Table Mountain National Park, haggle for wooden carvings and traditional African jewellery at the market and much more.
The students' fund-raising efforts meant their partners from Masakheke (some of whom had never been to Cape Town) were able to join us for many of these experiences. This gave our students a real sense of achievement – 'I felt so proud the way we had helped them to experience something completely new.'
Both groups of students mixed extremely well and it was a real joy to watch the Masakheke students teaching the Claremont students how to do the 'Gumboot dance' in an African restaurant - 'we developed very close friendships in such a short time.' The Masakheke students thoroughly enjoyed Cape Town and had an amazing time playing with sofa beds in the hotel, riding in a cable car up Table Mountain and making very difficult decisions at the breakfast buffet table! One Claremont student commented 'I felt so privileged to have been able to share this with them.'
The time spent at Masakheke School was the highlight. Watching our students awkwardly meet their partners for the first time was incredible and quite moving. Seeing their effortless integration was also impressive. They attended lessons with their partners, and were given a guided tour of the township and shown the very difficult circumstances in which these young people live; as one student said, 'seeing the township made me grateful for what I have.' They showed real empathy towards the Masakheke students and were very generous in sharing their belongings and personal effects. Hearing one student say, 'Miss - today has been the best day of my life' has to be a real high point for any teacher.
The visit had an enormous impact on both groups of students. It made our students appreciate their lifestyles - 'my bedroom is the same size as their entire homes … I'll never complain again'; 'it opened my eyes to so much and how we view the world.' The diverse ethnic make up of the Claremont students meant the Masakheke students saw children from racially mixed backgrounds working and socialising together - something to which they could aspire. My students also commented how the visit had made them recognise the value of education and that they should not complain about what they don't have, but appreciate what they do have.
There were tears on leaving Masakheke and the Claremont students were begging to come back again later in the year.
Since returning from the trip the students have been busy spreading the message; they have done a number of school assemblies about the trip, and will soon deliver one at one of our feeder primary schools. Instead of a few teachers keeping the link going, we now have a team of sixth formers to get involved and share ideas.
Whilst in South Africa the students filmed much of their visit and have since made it into a DVD - an excellent way of sharing their experiences with the school community.
Our students are now determined to raise enough money to fund a visit to London for their partners. So far they have raised approx £1,000.
I feel really privileged to have been there to witness and share my students' reactions to this incredible experience – in their words "the trip was a life changing experience for us all" and "I can't find the words to describe how good the trip was".
Nicki Boughey Advanced skills teacher Claremont High School