NEWS, VIEWS & OTHER INTERESTING THINGS

On Monday 1 April 2019, international Law firm Hogan Lovells launched their Youth Employment Services (YES) Programme. help2read is very proud to announce that we are an implementation partner of this important programme.

The YES Programme, launched in 2016, is a collaborative initiative aimed at responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call to action from government, business and labour in order to address South Africa’s unemployment crisis and equipping youth with work skills and practical work experience.

The Hogan Lovells YES programme consists of 28 candidates who will be participating in the year- long work readiness programme. In addition to the training and work experience exposure, the youth will receive a monthly living stipend. 15 candidates have been placed in various divisions at the Hogan Lovells offices in Sandton, while the remaining 13 candidates will be actively supporting children in primary schools in Alexandra as help2read Community Literacy Tutors. help2read is proud to have passionate literacy partners such as Hogan Lovells who understand the importance of literacy and community development.

Hogan Lovells YES Programme Participants

The launch was opened by Hogan Lovell’s Chairman of its South African practice, Mr. Nkonzo Hlatshwayo, who spoke candidly on the issue of access to work experience and the importance of using the available resources available to the candidates through this opportunity. Candice Pillay (Partner) said: “We at Hogan Lovells are passionate about literacy. As Lawyers, words are our tools for work and we encourage the Literacy Tutors to apply themselves fully to helping the children at the schools where they will be based to improve their literacy skills in order to thrive.”

Although help2read MD Lynn Campbell could not be present at the launch, she had this to say about the partnership: “help2read is delighted to be collaborating with Hogan-Lovells on the Yes4Youth government supported youth employment initiative. There is extensive value in this collaboration for both parties; help2read is assisted with having an anchor funder for the full Literacy Tutor programme in Alexandra, while Hogan Lovells is able to demonstrate how employing young people in a supported programme leads to personal growth. Young people are offering young learners an opportunity to become fluent readers and ultimately life-long learners. help2read is extremely grateful for the financial support and opportunities offered by Hogan Lovells in this brand new collaborative initiative.”

The candidates appreciated the welcoming atmosphere of the day and enjoyed meeting various people from the Hogan Lovells team, inspiring them to apply best efforts in their work.

“The launch was good and very informative. … The people were great and welcoming and I am excited to grow and learn on the programme while giving back the gift of reading of the children in my community.” – Community Literacy Tutor

The help2read team after opening remarks

Another tutor commented: “I’m very glad to have been part of the launch and the programme.  The launch was beyond what I had expected. The Hogan Lovells employees are so welcoming; I was inspired by how they take their work seriously and how helpful they are. The ice breaking activity was great, I learned that people will always be different and they are mostly not what we expect them to be. I am looking forward to this year; I truly have a great feeling about it. – Puleng

To all the candidates participating in the programme; we wish you all a very exciting reading adventure. And a huge thanks you to the Hogan Lovells team; we thank you for investing in children to read and thrive!

In the words of Dr Seuss “So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾percent guaranteed) Kid, you’ll move mountains.”