Skills for life after JCH
As our children near their 18th birthday, and the time when they will leave JCH, we spend a great deal of
time and effort preparing them for life in the big wide world … and that includes teaching them skills they will need to live independently and succeed in their chosen careers.
Siya Sebenza
Nothing like our own JCH MasterChef cooking competition to pique the kids’ interest in learning to cook and bake! Some of them enjoyed the experience so much they want to go to chef school, while others see an opening in the future to start their own small business, making goods to sell at local markets.
During lockdown, they learned to make chicken pie, vetkoek, bread, burgers, scones, muffins and cake – which were a huge hit with the younger children. Another idea for a new business opportunity that has everyone excited is vegetable gardening.
What began as a project to prevent the kids from getting bored during the extended holidays grew (literally) into a thriving garden that now provides our home with an abundance of fresh vegetables.
The kids did a six week online business course to equip them with basic skills and an understanding of entrepreneurship.
We all know how difficult it is for school leavers to find jobs – so these career options have us all really excited!
Educational achievements
We are still awaiting last year’s Matric results, and hope that our two learners who wrote their exams in 2020 have done well. This year, we have five learners in Matric, and one enrolled in her second year of university, majoring in Psychology.
One of our children graduated from Chef School last year. With the restaurant industry returning to normal, we hope this will lead to a fulfilling and successful career.
Ambassadors
As representatives of the She’s Me Life Skills programme, two of our girls (pictured above) attended the launch of the Manzi Mashatile Foundation at the Cedar Conference Centre, where they met Lindiwe Zulu (Minister of Social Development) and Obed Bapela (Deputy Minister of Constitutional Development and Traditional Affairs).