Book Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School

In the latest installment of the phenomenally bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, author-illustrator Jeff Kinney brings the series back to its roots, as Greg starts a new school year and faces a challenge he never could’ve imagined.The tenth book in the  Diary of a Wimpy Kid series will be simultaneously released in more than 90 countries around the world, including New Zealand, on November 3, 2015. Author/illustrator Jeff Kinney is planning a world tour to promote the book as well.

The new cover was revealed and we know is Black.

The story follows Greg Heffley as he starts a new school year, goes on a week-long field trip and deals with a generation gap between the kids and their chaperones.

Cool Fact:

Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and five-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favorite Book. Jeff has been named…

View original post 237 more words

We are being destroyed indirectly by the systems in education

It is a dream of every African child to be a university student, get a degree and a job that pays well so that they will have a better living. However the sad reality is that this is less like to happen simple because the current system does not allow this to happen. We can celebrate today that more students are accessing the universities as compared to the past but practically the problem is no longer access.

I will focus to where I am, a vast majority of students are poor and can not even afford a registration fee, if they so happen to afford it they are not going to get NSFAS, and if they strike they will be arrested and charged; In other ways the current systems in our institutions are silencing us. If you are a new student with no funding at the end of the year you will be owing the university approximately R25 000 or more and unless you pay half of this amount you can not be readmitted to do your second year, thus you will be forced to go home with your first year. Clearly this is a system of undermining black and less fortunate students and pulling South Africa backwards.

Basically this is setting up young black South Africans for failure, but we can not talk about these issues because everyone is protecting oneself. Many students are owing universities and are being handed over to credit bureau’s, imagine being 18 years and owing R30 000 that you can never be able to pay because the university excluded you financially for failing to pay these funds something they did know the time they admitted you. I do not think they care, they are only trying their best to kill the future of our young people.

The student leadership has become so weak that its even failing to see the crisis we are currently facing, they have turned out to be celebrities rather than leaders and alcoholics who are in a looting spree.

After all the education system is also a contributing factor in an ongoing class struggle, ask yourself the question why there are private school that offer a better education as opposed to public schools.

If we are serious of turning South Africa into a equal country we must be not afraid to speak of issues and be faithful to ourselves, we must not mislead our people. Lastly we must take education serious.

234 Girls kidnapped from Nigeria School

Chibok – Parents say 234 girls are missing from the northeast Nigerian school attacked last week by Islamic extremists, up significantly from the 85 reported by education officials.

The higher figure came out on Monday, a week after the kidnappings, when the Borno state governor insisted a military escort take him to the town.

Parents told the governor that officials would not listen to them.

Security officials had told governor Kashim Shettima that it was too dangerous for him to drive to Chibok, 130km from Maiduguri, the Borno state capital and birthplace of the Boko Haram terrorist network blamed for the abductions.

The discrepancy in the figures could not immediately be resolved.

Share this:

” To fall in love is easy, even to remain in it is not difficult; our human loneliness is cause enough.  But it is a hard quest worth making to find a comrade through whose steady presence one becomes the person pone desires to be.”  Anna Louise Strong (thanks to our friend True Jones.)

Happy 2013 Miyela

It may have taken us a few days but we are finally ready for the whirlwind that will be 2013.  Happy new year everyone.  I can already feel 2013 is going to be an adventure and we look forward to laughing  judging, doing, loving and proving every rule that say we can’t wrong. Our task remains the same, to push the boundaries  to get young people working on being a part of the solution and to prove that power is not in the seats of political power but on the streets, in your class rooms, in your homes and the optimism that drives us all to believe we can be and do more.  So here is to us – here is to force that drives history.

 

in 2013 Miyela will continue doing its work to support high school learners by offering tutoring and academic support.  Nothing in the world has been more revolutionary than making sure that those kids who were already written off proved that they are still in the game and that they are thinking, doing and productive individuals.  This my friends, awareness in the African child that they are worthy is our revolution – it may not have fire works but it the one that will be sustained and can not be taken over.

 

We are working on the 2013 Mzansi spelling bee and making sure that South Africa averts the literacy crisis we are creating   we will arm our little ones with the power of words.  We will take ownership of South Africa, One word at a time, one child at a time.

We will continue hosting our Mic Check dialogues and we hope you will join us as we enter into dialogue, debate and craft together the mature of the society we dream of.  It is our mission to keep our liberties to speak truth to power by doing so and using the rights.  The only way yo protect our rights is to keep using them.

 

We will never do any of this alone.  We need all of you to take part in whatever way you can; by tutoring, being part of the bee of simply being brave enough to have an opinion about something, anything.

what will be we known for having contributed…

Each generation must meet head on it’s challenges and come out victorious or forever bow their heads in shame. At the heat of miyela is a deep faith that people – not in a homogeneous, blind way, but people as individuals and members of society can shape and radically transform the world around them. We have the power to do so, here again I do not speak in ideal types, but I am the real, everyday power people have to change the world.

I can not think of a more inspirational transformation than to work together as young people to help build this children’s hospital. This would be the second hospital servicing all of southern africa’s children. This is a shame for which we can bow our heads in shame or we can stand to be counted.

Miyela is the spirit in young people for optimism and a desire to stand and be counted in our time is full behind the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital. We will work, fund raise, start little stok fels and do our little bit which put together with other little bits will touch the health, happiness and future of africa’s children.

We ask you to help- in whatever way you can; get a money box for change, stokvel and that’s the bee a member, church collection, skip going out one night and give to this most rewarding cause. I would love this not just in Madiba’s name but for it to stand for what we as young africa stand for.

Whizzing through!

The Bee is here

The team is furiously getting the Bee together and the progress is phenomenal. It would be great if the whole Miyela community could get involved. We will need volunteers to act as timekeepers, coaches, judges and keep an eye on spellers. If you are keen just send me a message.

To the Miyela community

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Desmond Tutu

May we never forget

http://www.sahistory.org.za/list-victims-sharpeville-langa

It is important that we remember that these freedoms we celebrate today were fought for not by some big and centralised political parties but by ordinary, poor, hard working people trying to restore their dignity. We should never forget the real story of our liberation because in this memory is lies the proof of the power ordinary people have in creating real change. I ask everyone to save this list and let your children remember and draw power from these people.

For love’s sake

thoughts to share from a friend

http://www.dgmt.co.za/2012/01/youth-led-organisations-reminding-us-how-powerful-young-people-have-been-and-can-be-in-shaping-our-future/

this article was written by Rumbi from the DGMT after a visit with us at Naledi High School.  you may find her reaction to our work and that of other young social activists working to actively make the world better – or as far as we can go with hear.