The Sprint 3 Day Transformational Adventure Camp

2010 is when I sprint ahead, kick-start the year and get right on track! What will you be doing?

Nurture Your Future is looking forward to our first Transformational Adventure Camp. In collaboration with outdoor-activity professionals, we will be providing a unique program, created to ensure that 2010 begins with a sprint.

Join us on our 3-day Transformational Adventure Camp from 06-08 January 2010 for 17-19 year olds.

Take advantage of this action-packed, adventure-filled workshop. Limited to those who really want to a make a huge difference to their lives in 2010 by moving into action towards achieving their grandest goals.

Use the first days of 2010 to sprint into action, through a series of fun activities and challenges, created by a team of professionals in life-skills development and professionals in outdoor-activities renowned for their team-building, family adventure packages and their love of ….. Harties nature….

Teenagers Honoured

The end of November was my week for seeing teens recognised for their achievements. I wrote previously about the design students. On Saturday 28th it was the turn of high school learners.

This time we were at Treverton College in the Natal Midlands. Parents, pupils and educators had packed the school auditorium to see the 2009 prize winners recognised and the 2010 prefects announced. After an address by The Honourable Monyane Moleleki of Lesotho, the prize winners came up to the stage one by one to receive their trophies and prizes. There was recognition for outstanding academic achievement in all the grades as well as in specific subjects. One pupil in particular walked away with the Dux, four other academic awards as well as one for public speaking. Mr Moleleki, with quite a track record of his own, was clearly in awe of Caitlin’s achievements.

But there was also more. There was an award for chess champion, for the best environmentalist, for best musical performer, for all round sport and for hiking – just to mention a few.

Then there was the part which I think makes the school stand out. There was recognition for those qualities which make the difference between average and impactful – The Good Fellowship Trophy, the Prize for Perseverance, the Award for Character Development and one I loved – “for the pupil who has shown exceptional leadership & genuine empathy towards junior pupils”.

In his talk Mr Moleleki congratulated the prize winners and reminded the others that without them these learners couldn’t have stood out. An amusing reminder that we all have that opportunity.

In fact in this small school of 354 pupils, which competes against schools double or triple their size and holds its own in sport, 54 pupils (15%) represented their province or country in a sport or cultural code during 2009.

They attribute their success to the Outdoor Pursuits programme which exposes pupils to a wide variety of outdoor character building events and to the extensive interhouse competition which builds teamwork, belief in each other, a sense of belonging and the opportunity for each and everyone to share their own talent in the pursuance of a common goal.

A further example that the development of qualities and skills such as focus, perseverance, communication, decision making, consideration, humility, tolerance and self understanding are the foundation for success at any age.

Alison Gitelson | Development tutor, speaker & facilitator

Communication design students honoured

On Wed night The Venue at Melrose Arch was abuzz with excited final year design students awaiting the outcome of the Sappi thinkahead Student Portfolio Awards for 2009.

These awards, started in 2002, are directed solely at graduating communication design students, giving them a chance to showcase their work to creative directors looking for upcoming talent!

After scrumptious little cocktails and a browse of the gallery displaying the finalists’ work we took our seats in the auditorium. The students represented 11 design schools with North West University emerging as the top institution for 2009. The big winner of the evening was Emarie Gouws of North West University who received a Platinum award.

Thank you to Sarah Beswick, event coordinator and Graham Foote, Sappi Marketing Manager for making us so welcome.

Best wishes to all the graduates in their future careers.

Alison Gitelson Development tutor, speaker & facilitator

Armabrands Bright Stars

Timothy Maurice Webster, Siyabonga Ndlozi, Joan Laine

Graduation took place 14 Nov at Cida City Campus, with 100 students receiving their graduation certificates directly from Timothy Maurice Webster, founder of Armabrand.

Romy Titus from SABC’ Week Live, was the

wonderful MC for the event and we were also graced with the presence of rap artist Lungelo Nzama.

Armabrand Graduation 2009 - Joan Laine, Lungelo Nzama

The program was a huge success and it is wonderful to see the joy on these young peoples faces as they walk with more confidence into the future that they have created for them selves. The change in their attitude is amazing even in the very short period since I last saw them, just over a month ago. They are open to having fun, whilst doing what it takes to build that brighter future that they can see more clearly ahead, whilst they have become more decisive in taking the right directions which will lead them to their diverse destinations.

These young sparks, have already made a massive difference to their own lives as they contributed to transforming the lives of their peers and their younger protegees at Cida City Campus, Ikageng Villiage and the 5C’s orphanage.

Watch out for these future leaders as they rise, shine and brighten the way ahead for themselves and others around them. I am looking forward to engaging further with these brilliant people as they manifest their dreams and create opportunities to grow and develop into pioneers of their communities.

The group of students below are some of those who have already taken their journey a little further, by using the opportunity presented by the Armabrand program to connect with the catalysts (i.e…me:-) for some transformational group coaching.

Boniswe Nkabinde, Mathapelo Banda, Joan Laine, Dimakatso Morapedi, Siyabonga Ndlozi

I am in awe of what people can achieve if given just one chance and I am therefore following this group of powerful, dynamic and confident youngsters to see what blossoms out of the seeds that they are planting today.  (We already have an aspiring coach & facilitator as well as a young lady with a passion for fashion!)

I must mention the presence of Lucky Madonsela, who is a post graduate from the

Joan Laine, Lucky Madonsela

Armabrand program and was in fact hosted by Armabrand at the Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration in Washington DC. Lucky’s joyous energy is so contagious, one can only be inspired by his mere presence. I have not had the privilege to work with him as yet, but I am trusting that an opportunity will be create for us to work together in 2010.

A great big thanks once again, to Tim, Armabrand and all of the students who allowed me to see the gifts, the talents and the potential that lies within each of us, that truly does flourish when nurtured with a bit of love, compassion, joy and fun when it is combined with the support of peers, catalysts and professionals all working towards the same goals.

For the full story, visit Armabrand

Joan Laine

Transformational Life & Business Coach

Opportunity to be in a production – 10 December

Here is a fun opportunity if you can get out to Krugersdorp on 10th December. I took part in some of these when I was a student. I loved seeing how the industry works and even got a small cameo role one time.

The request we received says “We are in search of a 1000 person audience for a South African produced, Frank Sinatra themed production taking place at the Krugersdorp Centenary Hall on Thursday 10 December. The filming will take place from 10h00 to 14h00.
Spot prizes for the audience will include:
– 3 each cash prizes of ZAR500 each
– 2 family photo shoots
– 2 model / portraiture photo shoots

If you are interested please contact Judy Goddard on 072-830-8661 or  judygoddard@vodamail.co.za to book your place!

Submitted by Alison Gitelson

Sports coaches – build or break?

I am a great fan of sport at schools. So many life skills and lessons are learnt through playing sport, either as an individual or as a member of a team - perseverance, discipline, co-operation, humility, self esteem, respect, leadership, making choices, responsibility . . .

And feeling fit is such a booster. Exercise is one of the simplest ways to build our personal energy levels and relieve stress.

However, last Saturday I had a most unpleasant experience watching an U15A inter school waterpolo match. Watching a match in which the team you support is getting thumped is rarely great but it was made much worse by the actions of the coach. He was shouting, angrily, at the boys from the moment I arrived, which was just as they went 1-0 down in the first chukka. There were no words of encouragement. Instead he insulted and belittled them eg “don’t you have eyes”. In some instances players were still being shouted at after mistakes had been made and play had continued.

I was so disgusted that I left shortly afterwards.

It is true that they were not playing well. And the day may have been an off one regardless of the coach. What I am sure of is that the coach’s actions did nothing to help raise the morale or improve the cohesion of the team. In fact they just made more and more mistakes and became more disorganised as the game progressed.

The day before that same U15A team had won their match. However on asking a couple of questions I discovered that they had still been shouted at for every mistake they made.

Earlier this year I had a completely different experience. I watched the hockey coach for a high school  1^st team in action during a very tight game. She managed the players on the field very firmly but they were never shouted at, nor insulted. The discipline within the team was impeccable and the game was an absolute pleasure to watch.

It was a very fast game and the coach was completely on top of play all the time. As she moved players on, off and back on the field they all received a word of encouragement. That day she demonstrated how to bring out the best in her players.

This same coach has umpired and managed teams at provincial and national school’s levels, captained the KZN Women’s Hockey Team and was recently selected to umpire the Women’s Interprovincial Tournament in Pretoria.  I am pleased she is getting recognition for the ability she has and that her skills are being well utilised.

In my opinion developing technical abilities and fitness is only part of a coach’s job. The most difficult part is building the mental capacity of the individuals and the cohesion and spirit of the team.

And when that happens the best possible results will be achieved in the games but most importantly the players will be individually stronger for it and will be learning how to lead and work with others – one of the most essential skills for success in life.

Alison Gitelson – speaker, facilitator, development tutor & consultant

Dance for your life

It could be a scene out of Fame or Centre Stage. A large studio with ballet barres, populated by young adults in assorted dress and poses.

This morning I am at the Tshwane Univ of Technology’s Dance School. My daughter was kindly invited to join in the morning’s classes. I am supposed to be working but my eye is drawn to watch the dancers.

These are the seniors. In just a few weeks they will have completed their exams and be ready to earn an inome in the real world. They smile whilst they go through their various warm up routines. Male and female exude confidence and purpose.

Today is an unusually short day. Classes usually run till 5pm and are then followed by evening rehearsals for the next student production – 5 days a week. Anyone who thinks studying dance or theatre is a soft option would be in for a shock. A straight BA or BCom would allow you a lot more free time for campus activities. On the noticeboard in the foyer is a newspaper clip of a cartoon that came out after rugby coach  Pieter de Villiers made a comment that rugby wasn’t ballet. It shows the Springbok players in tutus and leotards. Dancers would certainly struggle with the aggression of rugby but I think the male dancers could take the rugby players on in a strength or fitness contest. 

I love being at any institution of learning – from nursery schools to varsities. I love seeing young people at ease in their surroundings, full of chatter and laughter, learning and growing. There is a part of me that would love to return to campus as a student, to soak up knowledge and be challenged through exams, to show what I had grasped.

To everyone preparing for exams now. Get focussed on the result you want to achieve, put your nose to the grindstone and make the next eight weeks count.

The Smile That Shines From Within

It’s amazing to see what a difference one person can make in a child’s life and vice versa. Timothy Maurice Webster (ARMABRAND) is one such person. Armabrand completed the program with the 5 C’s yesterday and though I only participated 3 times, I am already missing being a part of this great program.

There is a lot to learn from a group of children aged between 12 and 21…. first and foremost, there is humility, then there is strength and courage and then… Oh, so much more! It is wonderful to see children blossoming already into the great people they will become tomorrow.

I know that the future success of the children at the orphanage will be partly due to what the students from Cida City Campus shared with them as mentors(Enablers) and also due to what they may take away from some of the stories shared by the Catalysts, which may have inspired them to become who they will become (Ka-ching!).

None of those things would have been possible without Timothy’s vision and dream. He is the one that allowed us to come together in such a manner, where just being who we are authentically, will impact on another life. So thank you Tim, the Enablers, the Achievers and the other Catalysts, thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn so much and to teach so much in such a short period of time.

And I am so grateful that the program doesn’t end there for Nicolas and I; I look forward to coaching 3 of the Enablers from CCC and one of the 5 C’s starting this week and Nicolas is very  happy to have made a great new friend, who we will be seeing again very soon . which means of course, we will have the occasion to see many of the children at the orphanage again.

The biggest gift that I received from my short participation is this;

The smile that shines from within, only comes when the spark has been awakened and Timothy, you truly give so many of us the opportunity to be the catalysts who light the flame to enable others to achieve their greatest dreams in this life time.

Namaste  and thank you again,

Joan Laine

Transformational Life & Business Coach

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Catalysts Enablers Achievers

Timothy Maurice Webster is the founder of Armabrand, an NPO supporting children in orphanages in South Africa whilst developing young leaders through the interaction with young students at Cida City Campus.

Tim’s project combines the expertise of the Catalysts, people from various professional backgrounds and industries, with the mentoring form the Enablers who are the students from Cida City Campus so that they may serve as role models for the young Achievers to follow.

The Enablers are invited to seek support and advice from the Catalysts, who may give their support in time, money or material as they wish. They pass on what they learn to the Achievers, who are invited to shadow the Enablers.

Through fun and games, leadership and life skills are developed with the young Enablers playing a key role in creating the themes to get their message across.

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and interacting with these very open-minded and bright kids and look forward to participating more in their lives.

I am thankful to Timothy for creating such a great opportunity for all of us to learn and grow from and believe that using his model is how we will rapidly build the future leaders of Africa.

If you wish to get involved with Armabrand, contact Timothy Maurice Webster directly or visit their blog and to find out more.

Stop the Drama and Get on With Your Life

My son fractured his arm two days ago, after having it bitten by his dog last Friday and sprained on Sunday! This morning I awoke with a very loud message for him ringing in my ears….

STOP THE DRAMA AND GET ON WITH YOUR LIFE!

It may seem very harsh, but truth is he is a bit of a drama queen and is just now having to prepare for exams. His first statement to me after coming back to the hospital was that he would just have to sit his exams out until after they take the cask off and his second when he came home yesterday, was that his teacher said it is okay for me to write down the answers to his home work, he would read them out to me – (I think he sees himself as a CEO with a PA?!

He is adorable, lovable, loving and extremely imaginative. Drama is his second nature and I really do believe that had he started acting early, he may have one a couple of Oscars by now. Anyway with all that said, the message is clear, he has to get off the stage for the moment and get on with life!