Taking our children to the next level

Sometimes adults need to step aside to observe the power of change in the children of this generation and witness a young adult, such as Skye Warrener, give selflessly to her community and raise money for a good cause. With her peers, she teaches conversational English to grade fours of Maqamela Primary School in Clau Clau near the Kruger National Park. This programme strives to raise baseline scores from 30 to 70 per cent in one term of assisted learning. 

Skye and her mother, Madds, have already raised a whopping R145 000 through this initiative. Skye was on stage to receive a generous cheque for R35 000 from Makro. Anabela Valongo, representing the Makro Educational Trust, spoke of the relationship it has forged with Uplands Outreach and the commitment to uplift education in the local community. The fund-raiser was held at the Performing Arts Centre at the Casterbridge Lifestyle Centre in White River and attracted a large audience, who came to hear Vinnige Fanie’s motivational speech about taking our children to the next level.

De Villiers established himself as a South African cricket legend with his winning match performance against Australia in Sydney in 1993/4, a game still regarded as the most historical and emotional win ever. Fanie was a tireless performer who had overcome language prejudice and the blinkered view that his talents were not fit for test cricket. He was one of the first Afrikaans players to break into professional cricket. Throughout the talk, he spoke affectionately of his father and accredited much of his success to his insight and support.
Fanie imparted a message that resonated strongly with the audience. He brought up a few examples of when he was

struggling and had called his father to say he didn’t think he could carry on. His father was always quick to drop what he was doing to be at his son’s side. His father’s enduring lesson was if you want to excel, you have to take yourself beyond the parameters of reasonability. 

“My father was an educationalist and wrote much of the curriculum we studied then,” said Fanie. “My dad would say that life is designed for the average person, to cope with the reasonable child. We reward our kids for being average.

But, as parents, it is our responsibility to find exceptional coaches and teachers and put in the extra effort if we want them to beyond average.” Fanie’s dad coached him to find the motivation and put in the effort to go beyond what was expected of him.

Skye and Madds Warrener were thrilled with the outcome of the fund-raiser and the support it had received. “The money we have raised this evening for the SMILE programme will cover expenses for the next four years,” said a beaming Skye. It’s all the proof we need, as adults, that our children have the capability to go beyond the realm of reasonability.

For more information on the SMILE Literacy Programme, contact Nicolette du Bruyn of Uplands Outreach on 
013-751-5057.