Through education, we still transform SA

MBOMBELA – For local businesswoman Melody Tomlinson, one of the highlights of joining Partners for Possibility (PfP) was the beautiful relationships it forged between people who otherwise would never have met.

PfP is a co-action, co-learning partnership between school principals and business leaders, aimed at enabling social cohesion through partnerships between business, government and the social sector to empower principals to become change leaders in their schools and communities.

It is the flagship programme of Symphonia for South Africa (SSA), an NPO with the vision to give quality education for all children in South Africa by 2025.

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Tomlinson joined the programme as its PfP learning facilitator for the Lowveld.
She had heard about the impact that the programme had made in the lives of so many people including principals, their business partners, the teachers and the children.

“I was convinced that I wanted to be part of this incredible process of change,” she said. “I am also dedicated to my country and believe that together we can really change things for the better, but it has to start with each individual. PfP provided me with a platform and a working recipe to become involved.”

From a coaching perspective Tomlinson was excited at the prospect of offering the business leaders an opportunity not to only give, but to also receive in terms of knowledge and experience – which she truly believed they would take back into their places of work to benefit the entire company.
The Mbombela circle consists of eight partnerships of business leaders and school principals.

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“These have all developed into special friendships and collectively we have grown into a tight-knit family.”

She said there had been so many highlights and gifts that had been received through the programme.
The first time they visited a school for their monthly Community of Practice (CoP) meeting she was “totally blown away by the talent of the children and have been so at every CoP attended since”.
She loved how the programme broke down stereotypes and perceptions.

“I have personally met incredibly passionate South Africans from across the whole country who are dedicated to making it a better place for everyone.”

The first thing she learned was that every school is unique and that the needs and desires as well as the circumstances are diverse.

“The programme is focused on building confident and energised principals. Over the year it is beautiful to watch them grow, take ownership and become better at finding solutions for their seriously challenging situations. If we have achieved only that, we have already done a lot.”

The next circle will begin in May and will be run by Liz MacKintosh. The fourth circle is launching in June.For more information on how to get involved, contact Tomlinson on
082-888-9676.