Tapping into Resources

This past week saw things going wrong (again) as they usually do- but come the Saturday show, things just flowed! We may have been only five people in studio and you had the likes of Roche’ forgetting to write up his script for the show, but once they started talking Human Rights, all these slip-ups were forgotten. Mike and BK were away with Thobani and Anesipho to Addo Elephant Park on Saturday and while they were gone, Steve and I manned the show and the planning session after it. Again, we were reminded that these pupils have lives and they do forget things, as their blogposts were not done this week and there were a few mumbles about exams having begun hence the forgotten blogs. But I told them that they need to try and get things done on time as it means we can do more things and that if they have problems, they need to let me know as soon as possible.

I find that when they don’t respond the way I want them to or things don’t go the way I had planned, I take a deep breath and try plan around damage control. I have also started asking myself, what could I or the team be doing wrong that leads to them forgetting homework, or the blog, or even the same issues we have every week with the transport guy? Maybe I need to have a day of communication with them? So on Tuesdays, I Mxit, Facebook and SMS them to ensure that they are ok, not feeling overloaded and are ready for the workshop and show. Maybe the planning needs to be tighter? Or maybe we are doing as much as we can do for now? Nah, I think more can always be done but we will ensure that they take as much responsibility as the team does.

In terms of the order in the show as it stands, we are working on a running order and getting the imaging around the show up and running. I find myself a bit irritated that we haven’t sat down as a team to create a set show structure that the Upstart pupils can slot into for times when we may not be able to be there. But that is on the agenda for week six! Getting some structure into ours, theirs and the show’s life! 

For now, Mxit, Facebook, Twitter- these are the big resources we need to also tap into if we are to get into a growing connection with the Grahamstown youth. The Upstarters did however mention to us ‘oldies’ that Mxit is not as popular as we think it is and they laughed at us regarding our naivety :). What I have also suggested to Shireen is that we place posters in the local libraries and schools to promote the shows. And I was thinking it would  help if the librarians could turn on the radio during our show on Saturdays which would increase listenership and interaction with the youth. How we can make this activity as beneficial for the librarians? Still thinking about that one, hopefully I will have an answer for you soon enough. We want to get this going as soon as soon as possible because it means we can put up polls on the posters which tell them to vote via sms or Mxit or other forms of social networking. I have spoken to a designer who is willing to work with us for the year, so things should take off soon enough! Until then, as our anchors on RMR would say, “Stay tuned as I give you more next week- same time, same place (same person!)” 

Nadia

Thobani and Anesipho strike a pose during the Addo trip.

Navigating their way to the Addo Elephant Park.

The beauty that is the park.

All this was made possible through Wildreach and Addo Elephant park.

The team just before the Antarctica talk.

You need a pink band to get in!

Dr Bernard during her talk.

Sinovuyo and Anesipho talk to a teacher after the show.

Ziphozihle and Anelisa have a listen to their recorded content.

Throwing Forward (far, far forward!)

Does it ever make you nervous to think too far ahead? To think about all the things that could go wrong, the things that may succeed and the things that will need more planning? Just thinking about our community partnership and how it will end up, come June, makes me panic slightly. I’m panicking because the team of four radio students- BK, Mike, Steve and I- will dwindle to only me. I panic because the Upstarters might not know as much as I hope they will, and can we keep this group of six Upstarters interested in the project for the entire year? Panic as I may, there still is hope. That hope is in the success of this week. 

Wednesday arrived this week, as Wednesdays do and I found myself less stressed and dealing mainly with the smaller details required to kick the Upstart radio project into action. All my planning and delegating had finally paid off as BK took the reins and prepped for the workshop. She covered interviewing skills again and began looking into scripting for radio. 

The highlight of the workshop was when we grouped the Upstarters into threes and got them to interview Jeanne duToit (our fourth year radio lecturer) and Jude Mathurine (the fourth year new media lecturer). I was as nervous, if not terrified about how Jude and Jeanne would treat the ‘newbies’. Jude somewhat lived up to my expectations, making it quite difficult for Roche’, Anesipho and Ziphozihle while they tried to interview him. When I say difficult, I mean: he took FOREVER to settle down, went off course with the questions, analysed their questions a little too harshly and then gave a mini-lecture after the interview. I felt sorry for my Upstarters and wanted to get them out of there ASAP! But hey, I suppose they learnt something from that- life doesn’t have any rehearsals.  

•   Anelisa, Thobani and Sinovuyo place Jeanne duToit (fourth year lecturer) in the hotseat as they ask her questions detailing her youth.

• From left: Roche’, Anelisa, Sinovuyo, Thobani, Anesipho and Ziphozihle having a squizz through the latest edition of Upstart while waiting for the taxi home on Wednesday. 

Saturday’s show saw Roche’ and Thobani on the airwaves for the first time. Roche’ couldn’t even write his script he was so panicked! But the show went off well as our anchor Xoliswa was there this time and his interaction with the six was great! They read their re-written Upstart scripts on air and then after a break, we posed the question to them: “If you were Mayor for a day, what would you do/change?” We had answers ranging from Roche’ wanting skating parks, to Thobani wanting all Upstarters to get free Blackberries. Issues we could delve into in later shows? I’m sure we could work on it- or rather raise some interesting debate about some of these and more in-depth issues these Upstarters face. The four girls were very relaxed this time round.

• Roche's nerves getting the better of him- but a stellar performance from him in the end.

 As the Upstarters become more acquainted with the fourth year radio students, the anchors, studios, equipment and idea of the community partnership, I am getting the feeling that they are also starting to open up. With them becoming more comfortable with us and each other, the potential for interesting and solid show ideas/topics will start to flow. Currently we are driving the ‘show bicycle’, but by second term, I want to see us (Mike, Steve, BK and I) holding one handle bar and Sinovuyo, Thobani, Ziphozihle, Roche’, Anesipho and Anelisa holding the other bar. Come June, I want them to be holding the bars and breaks, while I help them steer the bike and apply brake pressure when needed. It is not a distant goal at all and that makes me panic even more! But one thing at a time- or in keeping with my bicycle analogies, one grip at a time. 

Once the Upstarters have taken over from the radio kids, I would like for the show to sound or at least contain elements of the Upstarters with a hint of the radio students. I see a jingle being produced with their voices running throughout and a few stings to identify the Upstart slot on the Yung Amplified show. I want the show to be an honest, fresh, and prepared segment that reflects these youngsters’ personalities. Last night (Saturday), my friends and I were chatting about Carlie and Sade’ from Yo-TV in our younger days. We all knew who these two presenters were as we watched the show religiously, entered all the competitions and played all the games daily. I want our Upstart show to be as interactive, and as familiar to the Grahamstown youth as that show was to me. It will take time, but it will happen! 

How will they be able to produce a show like this? I’m still working on that answer but I know that, they will at least have all the skills in place to record, edit, interview and produce content for a show of this type by June. The trying periods will be the vacation times- as they will have to run their hour slot without us there. That crash course will prepare them for what may or may not come and how to deal with it as a team. Let’s hope that experience is a good one- I’ll keep you posted in the meantime though. 

 Nadia

• The team in studio on Saturday and having some fun with ideas around "if they were mayor for the day".

• We set the Upstarters to blogging after the show about their week's experiences.

The Bonds Are Forming

All I could think about this week was the book I had read in English 2, “Things Fall Apart” by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. Things were very close to falling apart this week when the problems surrounding transport were not coming close to being resolved! First we couldn’t find a driver and then finding a bus proved to be mission impossible- but surprisingly, we found both. The rain (which had to fall on our workshop day!) threatened attendance of the Upstarters and this made me and the team quite nervous. But as the clock struck closer to 2:30pm on Wednesday this week, the team started to trickle in very slowly- but come in they did! And somehow even though things started to fall apart, they came together beautifully in the end. 

First to arrive was Roche’. Roche’ Buchner got his mum to drop him off and even sent me an sms when he got to the Africa Media Matrix (AMM). I like Roche’, in his Facebook profile, he has a couple of pictures showing that he’s quite the avid Skateboarder and likes music. He is keen to learn and has said that on the few occasions we have had a chance to meet with them. I do think that him and Mike will bond well (possibly too well!) considering he has a keen interest in the technical side of radio, and that is right up Mike’s avenue. I do however find myself worrying slightly about how he will integrate into the group. Considering he seems to be from a middle class background and the school he goes to (PJ Olivier) might make it slightly more difficult for him to interact with the other five Upstarters who had to walk to the workshop because they just don’t have a family car or someone to drop them off. I would really like Roche to slot in easier and I’m thinking of trying to get him to use the transport we have arranged to ensure a sense of ‘team’ and get friendships forming.  On the whole, he is a great kid and even though slightly shy, he has great things to share.

•     Roche with BK and Anelisa working on their profiles for the first radio show on Saturday.

And talking of things to share - Roche made one particularly important contribution to our discussions this week. We had asked the group, as a homework assignment to read the Upstart paper, choose an article and then write it to be broadcast on radio. The aims: shorter sentences, more description and no complicated vocabulary. Roche’ began reading his piece to us all, about last year’s Upstarter of the Year. BK stopped us, smiled and said, : “Hey! The Upstarter of the Year is here with us! It’s Ziphozihle!” And we realized that sitting quietly next to me, Ziphozihle Goje, was the Upstarter of the Year for 2011! And what a star she is! She is from Nombulelo High School and even though she is quiet (much quieter than Roche’), she has very definite ideas and is keen to learn too.

We were sitting with the Upstarters, re-working their profiles and I was paired with Ziphozihle. When I asked her what she wanted to talk about in the first Upstart Radio show for the year, she said, “I want to talk about Mistakes”. I was a little bit confused because I wasn’t too sure where she was coming from with this, but when I asked her to elaborate, she spoke about how people always make mistakes and it’s ok because we’re human. She also spoke about how she doesn’t like it when other kids laugh or make fun of a person who made a mistake in class, “It’s not funny”, she said. “My teacher said in class that nobody is stupid. We all have a brain”, and with that she smiled then waited for me to say something. I just nodded, smiled- happy to just be learning about Ziphozihle and her world. Here I thought I was going to be doing all the teaching yet it had just become a two way process of learning. 

• Here Ziphozihle teaches me a thing or two! Just when you thought you knew everything!

Onto Anesipho! A young lady with a plan and who likes to talk if given the opportunity! I have a feeling that she would wear fashionable clothing and drop earrings to school on a daily basis if she had her way. She is confident, tall and easy to get along with. I thought we might have a few problems initially as she seemed a little bit uninterested in the beginning but now, she is all in! She has been very polite and works well on her own as well as in a group. I haven’t really had a chance to sit down and get to her know her as well as the others, but I think time will see us becoming really good friends. I think that is what I like most about this Upstart project.  

•   Anesipho posing for the camera while getting to grips with interviewing- our own fashion  model!

When I think of the kind of smile that should be used on the Colgate/Dentene adverts- I think of Sinovuyo. Her shy smile is gripping and it reaches the corner of her eyes. I cannot wait to hear more about her world and what is ticking behind that pleasant face. I haven’t been able to get to know Sinovuyo very well as she is the quietest of the group and quite shy. She does however speak if we ask her something and I have seen her sharing a private joke with schoolmate Ziphozihle once or twice. She is such a delight though and she is always willing to help or answer something when we need to know about Upstart as this is her second year with the organisation. I was quite worried about her debut on air on the Saturday show, but when the time came, Sinovuyo held the paper quite steadily and spoke into the mike, her voice not wavering or cutting out as I had thought might happen. She was still a little quiet, but give her some time and she will be as able as the rest of the group.

• Sinovuyo listens closely to BK as she explains interviewing skills. (Sinovuyo is the one with crossed hands and standing)

Anelisa is going to be one of the talkers and confident ones this year- I just know it. She is quiet in the initial stages, but once she is used to you and her surroundings, she says what she has to with energy and confidence. She is also eager on the microphones as we saw on the Saturday show. When the anchor asked questions of the group, Anelisa would look around at the others, notice that nobody was going to say anything and lean in to the mic, keen to answer in the way she saw fit. I would like to see if she has any debating skills as that would make for interesting radio having someone take her on!

I don’t know why, but I do also feel like Anelisa may have a lot to tell about her life, and for now all I can base it on is a feeling. I think she will open up when she feels more comfortable in the group, but for now, like the others, I haven’t had a chance to get to know her as well as I should. I look forward to discovering hers and the five other Upstarter’s worlds.

• Anelisa smiling at one of Steve’s jokes during the talk on recorders.

 Thobani. What a polite, mischievous and keen young man. I think at this stage each of the Upstarters are starting to grow on us as a group. Thobani was involved in an accident on the way home from our Wednesday workshop and there was legitimate concern from the whole group regarding his safety. I knew the ties of affection were strengthening between him and the group when he smsd to tell me about the accident and I called him back to check up on him. Tonight (Sunday 4 March 2012), he smsd me to say: “Hey, thanks for Saturday show. I was listening to it and it was great- wish to be there but now I am feeling right better than before. See you soon!” I replied and asked if he is good enough to come to the Wednesday workshop, his reply again, “I will be there that’s for sho! Just can’t wait, miss you guys…thanks for your caring guys”. 

And so, I find myself very fond of this group and after all the drama that it took to sort out the Saturday show, and the stress of the week, it all comes down to remembering that working with these Upstarters is more than just creating radio material. It is about learning and teaching lessons that may help these individuals be just that: individuals with an ability to make informed and positive decisions in life. It is about thinking further than your next deadline, and more along the lines of thinking towards someone’s future. I like that kind of thinking- I think I’ll use it more often :) .

Sinovuyo, Anesipho and Thobani looking very focused indeed!

On the whole however, the workshops, the shows, the homework we have been giving them has all been quite basic with a slightly challenging aspect to it. After sitting down on Tuesday and working through each week on the calendar, I worked out a basic outline of what we had to do and how we would try and achieve this all in the term. I did it in relations to what the Upstarters can and can’t do. We have spoken quite a bit to the Upstarters and while collaborating with the print version of the project, we want to try and generate content that interests these Upstarters. I am thinking of asking the team about what they think about a Radio Talk aspect to the course in which we encourage the Upstarters to use the recorder more and open up about issues that directly affect them. I think this will work especially for shy people like Sinovuyo and Roche. This week does look more promising than the last and I am keen to see which mountain needs overcoming by the team :).

• Steve and myself working with the Upstarters.

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