The Baluleka ! Youth Network
Photographer: Paul Grendon
What is Baluleka ! Youth Network?
Baluleka! is a District Six Museum youth programme. It is an umbrella and open space initiative with a range of projects that engage young people in the life of the Museum, the city and beyond.
What are the aims of Baluleka!?
Baluleka! aims to recruit young people who are passionate about transforming society. Through their involvement (learning-by-doing) in the different programmes and short projects, youth learn various skills. These range from photography, art and performance, to research, facilitation and community engagement. We value and recognise the potential of young people who contribute to our programmes and who, eventually, become independent drivers of, or participants in, a grassroots movement to reverse the many legacies of Apartheid that we still live with today.
What does Baluleka stand for?
Baluleka! stands for ‘be important!’ or in Afrikaans, ‘wees belangrik!’. We encourage youth to take part in various projects that aim to rethink and then re-imagine a city that is inclusive and supportive of all people. We are growing a space for young people to creatively realise their potential individually, and in community.
Who forms part of the Baluleka! Youth Network?
It is a loose network of various partner organisations and communities, volunteers, interns, programme participants and skilled the facilitators who develop and run these programmes cooperatively. The network is built around a shared vision of social justice transformation in a city that is still deeply segregated along racial and class lines. We are always open to new collaborations- long and short term – and any contributions will be appreciated.
Baluleka! is committed to:
REFLECTING on the ongoing challenges of working with youth and memory in the present situation of increasing inequality;
ESTABLISHING Junior Youth Clubs at District Six schools through heritage and human rights programmes for primary school learners supported by our Young Facilitators’ Programme participants;
CONNECTING youth across social boundaries and generations to learn about the past as a dynamic practice;
STRENGTHENING the oral history programme of the Museum – a focused programme for young writers, filmmakers and storytellers.
Where did
The Museum had implemented a successful Heritage Ambassador Programme since 2002, in the central city, in Grabouw, Atlantis, the Eastern Cape and in the Northern Province. In the 2006/7 project, we focused on The role of forced removals and migrant
The
- Heritage Ambassador Programme (HAP)
- Young Curators’ Programme (YCP)
- Young Facilitators’ Programme (YFP)
How to apply
Baluleka! is the youth programme of the District Six Museum. It was launched on 10 December 2005 as an umbrella programme for a range of projects that serve to engage youth in the life of the Museum, the city and globally.
Baluleka! aims to become a partnership-driven programme and resource centre within the Homecoming Centre, serving as a hub for youth based and intergenerational activities. Young people, we hope, will bring cultural and political life back to the city centre and will sustain the important link between District Six Museum and its community into the future.
Feedback on learners’ participation in HAP
“During the session I put my all into it because I’m a person who loves learning new things.”
Masa
“I participated in mostly everything because every time I participated in something I learnt something new.”
Charlotte
“I participated well enough in the oral history session. I was able to explain clearly what my pictures represented. In the photography workshop my participation was average. I gave opinions where I could but I listened most of the time.”
Taryn
“I participated in mostly everything because every time I participated in something I learnt something new.”
Charlotte
Feedback on what helped learning?
“I participated in mostly everything because every time I participated in something I learnt something new.”
Charlotte
“Brainstorming, planning and listening to people’s ideas at all times or evaluating people. By listening and also by sharing the ideas that I have. Combining everything in simple English, taking down notes, paying attention, focus!”
Nameless
“I participated a lot in this workshop because it was the first time that I met my facilitator and also the other facilitators. I participated in the workshop where I was introduced to research methodology. I was observant and it helped me a lot – learning through my mistakes!”
Nothukela
“Using a computer (helped) because it was a long time when I did not use it. To know how people lived in Lwandle, how they were treated. To work with a recorder and I enjoyed working with a camera.”
Olwethu
“The explanations were quite clear enough for me to understand. I was interested to learn more about migrant labour and forced removals. Clear instructions! It always makes things much easier. There were different opinions and it made me learn where to improve. The workshop on photography was quite fun and if things are fun it’s easy to learn.”
Taryn
Feedback from learners on the barriers to learning?
Did not know what to do by means of planning. “Thinking outside (was difficult)!” (In reference to the workshop on the ‘Introduction to oral history’ in Lwandle.)
Nameless
“I’m not really good at presentation and I think that was the barrier.”
Nameless
“On this day (the ‘Introduction to research’ workshop in Lwandle) a couple of friends and myself left the premises so we were not punctual and I feel we could have learnt more if we started on time. Some of the websites lead to totally different topics and finding the key ideas was a bit challenging. We did a listening activity and it was quite challenging to hear exactly what the person was saying because her voice was not projected properly.”
Taryn
“It was hard for everyone to know me so it was hard to understand (when) another person speaks (a reference to the challenge of multilingualism – everyone in this workshop communicated in English despite our willingness to provide translation using facilitators who were multilingual).”
Zweli
“It was challenging because I don’t usually do work with mechanics like mics, recording and stuff. It was challenging yet fun because I like snapping pics that are telling a story about me and my community. It was fun and challenging especially when I had to rhyme my poetry with a song because I don’t usually recite like that.”
Masa
“Doing the oral history was hard for me.”
Zweli
“I think it was not easy because we had to tell our personal stories to other people we don’t even know (in reference to the ‘Introduction to oral history’ workshop). I think the photography workshop in Lwandle was exciting and also meaningful because we were given cameras and we told stories of the photographs that we took.”
Nothukela