Despite the current pandemic the RLabs Academy team have decided to fully devote themselves to assisting young people to grow to their full potential and become the dynamic leaders that this nation so desperately needs.
What was done:
Back in May 2020, the team hopped on this quest of initiating change and spreading hope by creating and offering a course that has become known as the “RLabs Youth Virtual Leadership Program”. The purpose of the course is to empower youngsters from the ages of 18-25 and motivate them to take full ownership of their lives by striving towards their goals and dreams and equipping themselves with skills and knowledge that’s not just of benefit to them but also to those around them. Whether it’s friends and family or even colleagues and acquaintances, everyone has something to gain from this program.
During the program, youngsters were challenged to discover their purpose in life which ultimately inspired them to take up their place within society and figure out who they want to become instead of allowing their circumstances to make those decisions for them.
The entire course was conducted virtually for 12 weeks and has since resulted in 68 out of 116 young people finding employment which is absolutely phenomenal, considering the high unemployment rate within S.A. and during lockdown.
The rest of these champions have committed themselves to “phase 2” of the Virtual Leadership Program. This phase helps youngsters execute their smart goals and dreams whether it’s wanting to go study further, finding employment or even starting their own businesses. It’s a process where they are provided with different types of employment opportunities which gives them the option of choosing which career path they would like to pursue whilst hunting down their dreams. This is what some of the future leaders had to say after completing the program:
Claudine Gordon:
“I’ve learned so much about myself and this has helped me with letting go of certain things in my past. This journey truly inspired me to become a person that’s more helpful and caring towards others.
Matthew Felix
‘’because of the leadership program, I am currently saving up to buy a laptop so that I can pursue my dream which is coding”.
Na-illah Salie
The leadership program has helped me to communicate with people much better as I am a very quiet person, it also taught me alot about how things are at a workplace because I have never had a job before in my life
Brett Webster:
“The leadership program has affected my life in so many ways, it made me evens more motivated to pursue my business and build on it more in so many different ways
And it gave me the courage to continue on my own with my business career that I’m building for myself, by just going out there and doing things I never thought I could do myself.
Conclusion:
The RLabs Youth team will forever be grateful for being granted the opportunity to mould yet another group of champions who are self-aware, competent and always willing to be part of the change they want to see in their communities. It was a blissful experience having them with us throughout this journey of self – development.
YES, Interns & Virtual Leadership Programme participants.
