Lalela’s Impactful Curriculum Highlighted at Symposium

March  30, 2024

Above: Lalela’s Maboneng Jo’burg programme manager, Vika Mjoka

Lalela’s Maboneng Jo’burg programme manager, Vika Mjoka, promoted Lalela’s impactful curriculum at a recent influential symposium focused on the benefits of after-school programmes.

 The amplify after school symposium, held in Johannesburg and organised by The Learning Trust, drew in 180 after-school programme leaders and practitioners from 92 organisations across South Africa in attendance.

Key themes discussed at the event included; Amplifying Educational Transformation, Scaling for Impact, Leveraging Innovation, Employing and Empowering Youth, Strengthening Public Partnerships, and Sustainably Resourcing ASPs.

The symposium covered the significant role of after-school programmes in enhancing the socio-emotional learning of young people in under-resourced communities and also explored strategies for scaling this impact.

Lalela’s innovative curricula

Lalela’s Vika Mjoka presented to symposium attendees Lalela’s impactful Heart Maps Social Cohesion curriculum. Heart Maps, a signature Lalela curriculum, aims to foster connections across constructed demographic lines by allowing learners to fully express themselves through the art that they create and, in this way, share their stories with others.

The lack of social cohesion in South Africa, especially among school-going children, was the impetus behind Lalela’s innovative Heart Map methodology. Lalela trained teachers to implement the Heart Map curriculum, which was integrated into existing school subjects such as Creative Arts, Life Orientation, and Life Skills. It enhanced their skills in teaching visual art but also promoted social cohesion in the classroom and improved behavioural management.

Vika also shared how Lalela responded to learners who had experienced trauma in their lives by rolling out the ‘Resource Guide for Working with Learners Affected by Trauma’ to educators in the Western Cape which was then expanded across South Africa. The curriculum provided critical support to teachers dealing with learners affected by trauma, helping learners to participate productively in class despite their challenges.

Vika explained: “Why are Lalela’s after school programmes so impactful? I think Lalela’s after school programmes are so impactful because of the methodology and how it is delivered. One of the first things that I know makes a difference is Lalela’s methodology which is non-punitive. The focus is always on what the child is doing right.”

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2024-07-11T15:10:02+02:00
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