Phakamani Young Minds Academy

We asked this Cause 3 Questions: >> Who are you and what do you do? >> Why did you get started? >> Tell us a story - a person you helped - that keeps you going...

Tell us a bit about your Cause - who are you and what do you do?

Established in 2014, Phakamani Young Minds Academy is a non-profit organisation providing academic assistance to learners throughout their schooling career - from foundation phase right up to their final year of secondary schooling.

We focus on after-school tutoring that enhances content knowledge through reinforcing work done by educators in classrooms, the provision of extra lessons, homework supervision, exam preparation, extramural activities and facilitating learning in a safe environment.

Supporting learners with little help at home, PYMA ensures that like other students, all our beneficiaries submit completed homework at school. We also provide access to post-school opportunities (such as tertiary education, learnerships and employment) to matriculants who require it, as well as encourage them to return and help others do the same.

Why did you get started?

The education system is in a constant state of flux in terms of subject-specific content improvement and new curriculum implementations. As these changes occur, strategies to adapt to new or more advanced methods and theories are not efficiently practiced. This negatively impacts learners, teachers and parents as regards content comprehension. Most young people living in our community (Freedom Park) have poor educational prospects. Essentially, only half of all learners who begin Grade 1 reach Grade 12. Of these, very few access tertiary educations.

PYMA aims to reduce all these challenges that young people are experiencing and we do it through education empowerment. As our mission is to provide an educational programme to learners in the basic educational system. Placing great focus on their unique scholastic and personal needs, we aim to aid their academic, mental and personal development.

Tell us the one beneficiary story – a person you helped – that keeps you going

Nonhlanhla Khumalo is currently in Grade 9. She enjoys the way in which they are being tutored and how the catch-up classes actually help her to prepare ahead. Through the aftercare programme she actually managed to get ahead of her peers and now she also helps by teaching her classmates! Our tutors are selfless because they give up their own data and airtime to help the learners do their research for projects. That’s one of the things that Nonhlanhla liked the most - the tutors give up their own needs to help the students. All the Grade 9 learners spoke in one voice when they said “the tutoring program and the methods of revision and the help we receive are a blessing.

Without the help we get from the aftercare we would not be passing as we are now. The aftercare helps us ask questions which the teachers in class would not be able to answer because of time.”