My SleepOut™

My name is Keenan Pather from Moorton Heights Primary school. I am currently in grade seven. I was one of 3 learners who were selected from the Kwa Zulu Natal Province to represent my province and my school as a Nelson Mandela School SleepOut™ Ambassador.

This was one of my greatest achievements thus far. We had to host our very own SleepOut™. My teacher, Mrs K. Gounden, helped us make this event a success. She had also approached our community youth centre (run by Mr Clive Pillay )which Nelson Mandela had funded .

We had numerous meetings to help coordinate our SleepOut™ at the youth center. We had our SleepOut™ on the 3 August 2018 at around 6pm. A total of 75 learners, from neighboring schools attended with their parents.

Two main themes were highlighted that evening: Leadership and Volunteering. We were fortunate to have a few motivational speakers to inspire the learners. Learners had the opportunity to participate in various activities and it was great fun too. We had a sponsor for a delicious supper and colddrinks.

The highlight for the learners, or should I say my new friends , was that at midnight we had a huge bonfire . Toasting marshmallows and telling scary stories around the fire was truly a memorable activity. Some of the learners were enjoying the stories and braving the cold while others were getting scared. With all this, we had managed to get learners bring in reams of paper for our beneficiary school (Spes Nova School). We also longed to open up a library at our school with books learners will enjoy reading and with the help of parents, teachers and learners we were able to get some lovely books which I am sure the learners and I will surely enjoy.

Being an ambassador has opened up my mindset of appreciation for the things I have. I have learnt to give a helping hand when needed. Thanks to all that made our very own Durban SleepOut™ a success.

Thank you Tata Nelson Mandela for leaving a legacy behind for us to follow.