Extracts from the final reports of San PRO pilot course students

EXPECTATIONS

• “My expectation of the course was to acquire skills in multiple fields, which I will be able to implement at my workplace as well as to support my people.”

AREAS OF LEARNING

• “I experienced many things which I have never seen before.”
• “We did not cover Botswana laws which was important for me ... . I am from Botswana and need to know our law in order to help my community members.”
• “Mostly I enjoyed skills training in computer, HIV/AIDS, speechcraft, career guidance, English and law because they are relevant and I liked the topics very much.”
  [These subjects were favoured by most students.]
• “I achieved great knowledge in each of the subjects because I enjoyed them very much.”
  “I enjoyed the various excursions.”
• “Some of us did not know NGOs, how they work and what they are, but in this course my colleagues taught me the use of NGOs and what donors are. With this knowledge my people will be helped and I am going to tell them more about WIMSA the mother of the San.”
• “I had difficulties in accounting.” [All except one student made a similar statement.]
  “The time to time changing of lecturers created confusion in the minds of the students and should be dealt with. That we had not full-time lecturers was a problem, … they kept on changing and they also had the problem that they did not know what the other was teaching.”
• “If someone wants to know about San then every second person was brought to TUCSIN to talk to us but I did not really like that. I thought we would learn more about new things rather than learning and talking about ourselves.”

SOCIAL LIFE

• “I learned a lot from [my colleagues] about their languages, cultures, behaviour, food and traditions.”

CAPACITY-BUILDING

• “If someone can say something concerning the rights of human beings and culture I will be having an idea about that and I will answer. So I will try my level best to encourage [my community members] to stand up to be one of the people who will be recognised to know their rights. If something is wrong they have to stand together.”
• “Basically I do have confidence as I can feel and know what I have gained from the course.”
• “Now I have a plan to open an HIV/AIDS resource centre in our community.”

RECOMMENDATIONS

• “I suggest that the course should be based on practical things that the students can do practically which is related to what they do or should do.”
• “Administrative skills need to be taught in the next course.”
  “There should be a needs assessment.” [Most students assumed that a needs assessment had not been undertaken as they had not been directly involved in it.]
• “I would like to recommend that in future such courses should incorporate non-San students. I think by doing so people will be aware of the skills and knowledge that San have”.
  

The pilot PRO course farewell ceremony held at TUCSIN in Windhoek on 19 March 2003.

Left:
Sonner Geria, Bega Cg’ase, Nxisea Nxao (seated, from left) and Brenda Bravenboer (background).

Below, from left:
-Victoria Geingos delivering a speech on behalf of the students.
- Course student Jan Jacob expressing his views on the course.
- TUCSIN Director Henriette Rispel speaking on behalf of TUCSIN.

So far all the students employed by San organisations have adhered to the tripartite contract each of them entered into with TUCSIN and WIMSA, which states, among other things, that “after successful completion of the Public Relations Training Course, the participant is obliged to serve in his/her community for a minimum of two (2) consecutive years”. Two students from Namibia who had worked as community mobilisers on a voluntary basis will be employed as community development workers by the Omaheke San Trust (OST) as from April 2003. The only student from Botswana not employed by a San organisation will join the regional WIMSA team as a trainee and after four months be employed by WIMSA Botswana as Administrative Assistant.

The employers of the San public relations students have been encouraged by the WIMSA Regional Education Advisor to contribute to an evaluation of the effectiveness of the course by compiling a report on the students’ performance in the workplace, noting any improvement in their application of different skills in accordance with the evaluation guidelines drawn up by the Regional Education Advisor to help ensure that the data received are comparable. WIMSA expects to receive the employer reports by mid-June 2003. These reports will be crucial in deliberations on further similar courses for San youth.