Dainfern hosts regional conference
DANIFERN – Dainfern College hosted 12 Round Square Schools from around Africa to an enriching programme following the theme 'discovery'.
Dainfern College was privileged to host the Round Square Regional Africa Conference for 12 to 14-year-olds from 20 to 24 March where they welcomed 12 Round Square Schools from around Africa to an enriching programme following the theme ‘discovery’.
An opening ceremony was held in the college’s multipurpose hall where Craig Carolan, Round Square’s Schools’ support director for Africa, delivered a welcoming speech to the delegates.
Also in attendance was Dainfern College’s Senior Prep principal Ray van Gass, joined by high school head of Round Square Sonia Claassen and other officials from Dainfern College.
Delegates were exposed to a variety of activities and outings aligned with the Round Square ideals of internationalism, democracy, environmentalism, adventure, leadership and service. The leaders guided the delegates through many leadership and adventure challenges. For their outings, the delegates discovered the colourful history of Jozi and Soweto as well as the Cradle of Humankind and contributed hours of service to decreasing our human footprint through ‘eco-bricking’.
Two motivational keynote speakers addressed the group. Joey Evans, a Dakar race driver, left the delegates emotional but with a sense of determination. Nhlanhla Lux challenged the delegates to discover what is important to them and how to pursue their dreams and goals. In their downtime, the delegates enjoyed a memorable ‘glow party’, a movie night and some early morning yoga. The accompanying staff members also enjoyed some social activities over an evening of collaboration and collegiality.
Claassen shared her thoughts, “It was an awesome Round Square we had overall. We covered all the ideals and we had a nice blend of each aspect.
“The feedback we got from the schools that took part was very positive. It was nicely balanced – stimulating and challenging.”
Courage, compassion and teamwork were key elements through all the days and delegates and staff departed on Sunday with a wealth of happy memories, feeling enriched and challenged, with a greater understanding of themselves and how important it is to be a leader for our beautiful country and make a difference.
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