SAWIA S O U T H E R N A F R I C A N W O M E N I N AV I AT I O N & A E R O S PA C E I N D U S T RY
I N F O R M . C O N N E C T . M O T I VAT E . I N S P I R E
AVIATRIX PROFILES 12 AUGUST 2012 THE SOUTH AFRICAN AIR FORCE
SIYANDIZA COMMUNITY OUTREACH & THE YOUNG FALCONS AVIATION ACADEMY
ALPHASIM T-6 SAAF “SIYANDIZA”
PHOTOGRAPH SOURCE: http://www. flightsim.com/vbfs/Attachments/up1/126648.jpg
SIYANDIZA COMMUNITY OUTREACH & THE YOUNG FALCONS AVIATION ACADEMY The Siyandiza Community Outreach is a programme that has been created by the South African Air Force (SAAF) in a bid to promote aviation awareness and develop the country’s youth, particularly those that come from disadvantaged backgrounds, by exposing them to information on career options available in the SAAF. The programme is managed by the Directorate of Corporate Staff Services.
This outreach programme is about social mobilisation, advocacy, awareness, education and communication. In a way, Siyandiza comes up in a form of intervention with regard to addressing issues of equity in the line of aviation. Also, the programme becomes essential in the sense that it deals with poverty alleviation, especially when some of these youngsters eventually become selected for job opportunities. Siyandiza’s target audience is, at the moment, high school learners from grades 9 to 12. In its approach to reach learners, Siyandiza places emphasis on careers such as pilot and navigator, as well as air traffic controller, mission controller and engineer.
In its vision, Siyandiza points out that its intention is to expose the youth to aviation careers, thereby supporting the SAAF in achieving air power excellence. On the other hand, the programme’s mission is to prepare the youth in developing an active interest in the SAAF and aviation in general by providing exposure and some rudimentary training. Siyandiza employs a very calculated strategy in order to achieve its objectives. Firstly, it embarks on aviation awareness by visiting schools every year. Siyandiza also hosts schools when learners are on an excursion to visit the South African Air Force Museum. Therefore, it is important for Siyandiza to participate in exhibitions at Science and Technology events. Siyandiza is also present at air shows, as well as selected agricultural shows.
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YOUNG FALCONS IN TRAINING
PHOTOGRAPH: WO2 David Nomtshongwana SOURCE: AD ASTRA, Official magazine of the SAAF - (Vol. 30 #3) 2010.
district. The Executive Mayor of were present to witness the splendour Trompsburg made it possible for of the passing-out parade held in Siyandiza to carry out its presentation. honour of their children, the Young Falcons. Also visited thetosame district inwas Learnersinneed be proficient mathematics, science, geography and English in order for Albertina Sisulu High School in them to be considered as Young Falcons. This is a developmental programme with regard to seems clear Siyandiza as must be Edenburg. aviation awareness. Learners who wish toItapply for the Youngthat Falcons programme programme is on the right track, in grade 10 or 11 in order to commence awith the development training. Other activities included a trip to and there appears to be much hope that success will continue Kimberley, whereFalcons Siyandiza attended These Young are then exposed to several aspects of aviation through visitstoto SAAF be held characteristic of allthem Siyandiza’s facilities and lectures during camps that are annually to enable to appreciate the activities. world of aviation and everything it entails.
There are, nevertheless, some RadioThe Young Falcons’ learning areas include Virtual Aviation, Navigation, Meteorology, challenges that and thishow programme is work, telephony, Aerodynamics, Propulsion Systems, Instrumentation radio and radar faced with. The root cause of these including some life skills. problems has been Siyandiza’s lack of funds to buy promotional items. Also, On completion of the training programme, all those learners in grade 12 showing interest in needs to reach corner the careers in the Air Force are then givenSiyandiza a preparatory phase for theevery selection process. of the country, and money plays a vital rolein to this be able to do so. Siyandiza a However, there are requirements regard, namely thatislearners unit in the Directorate Corporate Staff must be South African citizens, Services aged between 18 and 22 or, if they are (DCSS) and, as a result, university graduates, they should be older depends than 26 years thisnot programme entirelyofonage. In addition to these requirements, the the budget applicants not befrom area-bound, that must it receives the Air Force, all units Mostimportantly, of the have no criminal record, preferably be like single and,do. most schools in rural areas are12. inaccessible, the learner must have successfully completed grade and this makes it difficult for them of This year Siyandiza started fairly well intoits make attemptscontact to carry with out itsmembers outreach exercises of Siyandiza. inadequacy in inthe aviation awareness. The Siyandiza functionaries visitedThe Emaculata High School Soweto in transport system March where they addressed learners from grades 9 to 12 aboutinthethese Nationalremote Defence Force a Career Exhibition in May. Also in May places adds to these problems. In availand the Air Force in particular, while at the same time focusing on career opportunities 2010 able therein was a Matric Motivational addition, there are inadequate means the aviation world. and Career Day that Siyandiza of communication. These are serious attended in the Mpumalanga. addition problems that young During same month ofInMarch, other events included the keep Soweto these Career Day, which was to this, another important event that people behind and forgotten. held at the Orlando Community Hall, and Siyandiza also received learners from Tidima High Siyandiza was Aviation School,attended all the way fromthe Limpopo. These learners were made up of children from grades 8 Weektoat12. Sci-Bona Discovery Centre in These problems aside, Siyandiza’s Johannesburg. objectives are relatively easy to achieve as asuch result of the programme’s In April, Siyandiza was able to reach far-off places as Trompsburg in the Free State Siyandiza’s presence also structure. Thisable programme province. The school was was Madigetla High sound School, and Siyandiza was to give a presentaprominent at the Pietermaritzburg is the responsibility of passionate tion to senior members of staff. Royal Air Show this year. The Young educated members of staff who also Falcons’ Winter Camp held at the exhibit excellent leadership. South African Air Force Gymnasium was a notable success. Most parents
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YOUNG FALCONS ON THEIR WAY TO AN AIR SHOW IN 2007 SOURCE: http://www.youngfalcons.org/news3.html
Another trip was undertaken to Trompsburg and, this time, the presentation was made to a great number of teachers from the Xarib district. The Executive Mayor of Trompsburg made it possible for Siyandiza to carry out its presentation. Also visited in the same district was Albertina Sisulu High School in Edenburg. Other activities included a trip to Kimberley, where Siyandiza attended a Career Exhibition in May. Also in May 2010 there was a Matric Motivational and Career Day that Siyandiza attended in Mpumalanga. In addition to this, another important event that Siyandiza attended was the Aviation Week at Sci-Bona Discovery Centre in Johannesburg. Siyandiza’s presence was also prominent at the Pietermaritzburg Royal Air Show this year. The Young Falcons’ Winter Camp held at the South African Air Force Gymnasium was a notable success. Most parents were present to witness the splendour of the passing-out parade held in honour of their children, the Young Falcons. It seems clear that Siyandiza as a programme is on the right track, and there appears to be much hope that success will continue to be characteristic of all Siyandiza’s activities. There are, nevertheless, some challenges that this programme is faced with. The root cause of these problems has been Siyandiza’s lack of funds to buy promotional items. Also, Siyandiza needs to reach every corner of the country, and money plays a vital role to be able to do so. Siyandiza is a unit in the Directorate Corporate Staff Services (DCSS) and, as a result, this programme depends entirely on the budget that it receives from the Air Force, like all units do. Most of the schools in rural areas are inaccessible, and this makes it difficult for them to make contact with members of Siyandiza. The inadequacy in the transport system in these remote places adds to these problems. In addition, there are inadequate means of communication. These are serious problems that keep these young people behind and forgotten. These problems aside, Siyandiza’s objectives are relatively easy to achieve as a result of the programme’s sound structure. This programme is the responsibility of passionate educated members of staff who also exhibit excellent leadership. By Lt Col R.P. Leburu, SA Air Force Siyandiza Programme SOURCE: AD ASTRA: Official magazine of the South African Air Force - (Volume 30 No 3) 2010.
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NALEDI HIGH SCHOOL PUPILS WITH SENIOR DEFENCE FORCE MEMBERS DURING THEIR VISIT TO THE SAAF MUSEUM SOURCE: http://www.af.mil.za/news/2009/052_2009.htm
SIYANDISA PROJECT LURES ANOTHER SOWETO SCHOOL The Siyandiza outreach programme of the South African Air Force (SAAF), which seeks to scout for young talent for aviation, is beginning to spread around South Africa like wildfire. It is attracting attention from a variety of high schools, especially institutions from disadvantaged backgrounds. About 120 pupils from Naledi High School on the extreme west of Soweto visited the SAAF museum on 18 September 2009. Two teachers and a parent escorted them: Mr Eric Johnny Nkutha (natural science teacher), Mr Gauta Segoto (parent) and Mr Serai Makatsa (Southern Sotho teacher). The project attempts to help pupils from previously disadvantaged environments with career guidance. Most of the pupils who attended the Swartkop Department of Defence (DOD) ceremony were in Grade 10 and 11. The Grade 12s could not come because they were writing examinations on the day. “Young people should not act like they are enjoying their last hour. They still have more time left to use,” said Maj Gen Lucky Ngema when addressing the pupils. General Ngema, who is a former teacher at Ncube Secondary in Soweto, emphasised the rigorous discipline that would be required from the pupils should they opt for a career in the Department of Defence (DOD). Maj Gen Dan Mofokeng, DoD’s Chief Foreign Relations, told the pupils that his division has 40 offices outside South Africa and, therefore, a wide variety of skills continue to be demanded there. He however warned them that it could only be through hard work that the prospective candidates could enter the unit. “We are very grateful to be here. We think we are fortunate to have been selected for this enlightening outreach trip to the DOD,” said Mpho Mpshe (16) and Nthabiseng Dube (19), both Grade 10 pupils from Naledi Secondary. The delegation arrived late at Swartkop Airfield, so they lost out on the usual flights in the Air Force aircraft around Tshwane. Other members of the DOD who were present included Col Pule from the Inspector General’s office, Lt Martin Matsetse, Lt Col Skweyiya, Lt Col Moshoeshoe, WO2 Molepo and Maj Clement Maleka, who presented a paper on different careers available in the SAAF. He noted that the organisation was a repository of all kinds of training opportunities. By CO Solomon M. Kotane, Ad Astra magazine, and photos by WO2 David Nomtshongwana SOURCE: http://www.af.mil.za/news/2009/052_2009.htm
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SIYANDIZA AT THE SWARTKOP AIR SHOW
ABOVE: DOCUMENT SOURCE - www.docstoc.com/docs/ 70116073/at-swartkop-air-show LEFT: POSTER SOURCE - www.saafmuseum.org.za/articles/ posts/page/6/
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YOUNG FALCONS IN A HELICOPTER, THE FIRST FLIGHT FOR SOME OF THE LEARNERS. SOURCE: http://www.youngfalcons.org/news3.html
APPLY TO JOIN THE YOUNG FALCONS AVIATION ACADEMY SUMMARY OF THE YOUNG FALCONS PROGRAM
30 Grade 10’s are selected each year based on their mathematics prowess, fitness and enthusiasm for flying to complete a one year course in aviation basics and some formative short courses. Successful candidates are invited back for a second year as Grade 11’s where these subjects are handled more thoroughly and a few very interesting aspects of Aviation are added into the course on an ad-hoc basis.
ELIGIBILITY FOR JOINING YOUNG FALCONS PROGRAM
1. Must be starting Grade 10 in the year that they want to join. 2. Must have Maths as a subject (“Maths Literacy” not acceptable) – the higher the mark, the better your chance. 3. Must be able to attend the course every second Saturday during the school term. 4. Applications close in the first week of February each year. 5. There are many, many applications each year – candidates who suffer from asthma, need glasses or have any physical infirmity are most likely not to be selected. Selection is done according to the demographics indicated in the 2001 SA Statistics for Western Cape high school learners taking Maths on the higher grade.
SELECTION & INTERVIEWS
Selection is done by the end of February. Interviews and fitness tests are done soon thereafter and the successful candidates (and their parents/teachers) are invited to the opening session the very next Saturday. The course is mostly from 09h00 until 13h30 every second Saturday during the school terms.
VISIT THE YOUNG FALCONS AVIATION ACADEMY FOR MORE INFORMATION http://www.youngfalcons.org
CONTACT THE SOUTH AFRICAN AIR FORCE ADDRESS: South Africa Air Force Headquarters, Air Command, Directorate Human Resource Services, Private Bag x199, Pretoria, 0001 TELEPHONE: (012) 312-2148/2609/2801/2904/2726/2511/2695/2985 FACSIMILE: (012) 312-2138 WEBSITE: www.airforce.mil.za
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