Westbury grooms future leaders
WESTBURY– Residents in the crime-stricken Westbury neighbourhood have taken a stand not to moan about the failure of the South African education system, but will make a difference on their own.
A Westbury resident together with a team of volunteers have taken it upon themselves to transform the drug and gang heaving community.
Through a project called Readers R Leaders coined in May 2013 by Cyril Turton, Westbury pupils have the opportunity to change their lives.
“We teach children how to read English because when a child is good in English all their subjects are bound to improve,” said Turton.
The project currently has 20 committed tutors who tutor 80 pupils from Dowling and Newclare Primary Schools.
Readers R Leaders concentrates on primary school tutoring because “this is a level when you still can make a difference and a greater impact in the education of a child,” according to Turton.
“Today’s readers are tomorrow’s leaders… education is an antidote to social and criminal activities,” he added.
Turton said through conducting informal research in Westbury, he found that there is a lack of reading.
For that reason, he has formed a reading club at the Westbury Library and introduced street libraries.
“We put tables strategically on certain roads in the area and display old books. Residents can then take the book home, read it and return it and the process continues,” he said.
The street libraries are being conducted through Turton’s Like a book, take a book, read a book and pass it on initiative.
Crystal Lee, a volunteer at Readers R Leaders, said, “Children in the area are in dire need of English support because it is not their first language”.
Lee, however, is of the opinion that teachers need help from parents.
“The culture of reading starts at home. Parents should read to their children because good readers are made on the laps of a parent,” she informed.
Another volunteer Tendani Mafadza said, “It takes a community to raise a child because sometimes you see a child has not eaten and some being abused in a way, and it is our responsibility to try and help that child and educate them so they can have a better future, because they do not have the support from home”.
Readers R Leaders is seeking volunteers to tutor English to pupils.
“We also need books so that the children and the community can have relevant educational books… We also need donations so we can give volunteers a stipend for taxi fare,” informed Turton.
Details: Cyril Turton 082 418 3347.
