Programme Benefi ts


The S@CC project off ers a variety of benefi ts for the PfPs, principals, sponsoring organisations, learners, teachers and the broader school community.


School @ the Centre of Community Mobilizing citizens and communities to partner with principals and teachers to educate our children


The School @ the Centre of Community (S@CC) project partners school principals in a one-on-one partnership for possibility with business and community leaders. This off ers a joint leadership development journey. The aim of this journey is the creation and hosting of community building events that reignite community participation in schools.


S@CC is a Symphonia for South Africa initiative dedicated to the mobilisation of business, government and civil society to work collaboratively in making a positive contribution to the signifi cant educational challenges in South Africa. It is the projects commitment and contribution towards realising the third Dinokeng scenario: Walking together. This scenario envisions a future for South Africa marked by collaboration, engagement and active citizenship where multiple sectors work together in support of a better South Africa. This supports the goal described in the Dinokeng scenarios report: “Towards an educated nation – where business works more closely with education to help develop the skills the economy needs.”


The S@CC vision therefore calls for the school to be at the centre of community, and speaks to the idea that the quality of education, the improvement of the school environment and the increased engagement of parents and teachers provide an upward spiral for real change and inspiring possibilities. In order to contribute to these possibilities, business and community leaders enter into creative


partnerships with school principals in order to support the premise that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. The avenue created for this purpose is a leadership development innovation called ‘Partners for Possibility’ (PfP), which creates an opportunity for business and community leaders to develop their leadership skills whilst at the same time making a signifi cant contribution to Education.


Through this thinking partnership experienced business and community leaders are given the opportunity to bring their skills, knowledge and experiences in partnering with principals in a PfP role. Principals and PfP’s attend leadership development sessions, community building workshops, community of practice sessions and receive coaching support. These interventions culminate in communally created community building events, the development of individual and communal leadership capacities and the creation of opportunities for citizens and members of the school community to mobilise the community around a school. This enables communities to once again take responsibility for the wellbeing of the school and its learners, thereby strengthening the fabric of society.


The ultimate goal of this project is to contribute to the improvement of learner outcomes by providing a signifi cant, systemic shift in the culture in and around schools. This supports the quality and eff ectiveness of the educational environment. In creating an educational context where teachers and principals are supported by parents and other members of the community, talents and skills within the community can be leveraged as citizenship and responsibility grows.


Benefi ts for Schools and Principals 


Improved leadership skills


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Opportunities to connect to and learn from business


Actively engaged teachers, parents and communities that feel a sense of “ownership” in relation to the school Parents become more active partners in education Improved quality of educational outcomes


Benefi ts for Business and Community Leaders 


Leadership development   


Engagement with communities outside normal sphere of infl uence and frame of reference


Social responsibility investment that makes a direct impact within your own organisation and in schools


Active citizenship in the area of education, one of the toughest challenges facing our country


Community Benefi ts 


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Louise and Ridwan established a partnership to address issues of learner discipline and apparent parent disengagement. They focused their eff orts on hosting community events that created opportunities to explore alternative stories and possibilities. In addition to ongoing conversations, project collaboration and the Madiba Day community building event, they have continued to grow and be challenged in their passion for citizen engagement and education development.


Out of the S@CC project, benefi ts that have been realised include: 


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Developing structures for parent involvement Engaging other schools in the district Resource procurement Learner ownership


The ripple eff ects of the successful Madiba Day event have contributed to sustainable programmes, processes and ongoing possibilities to mobilise the community around the school.


Louise and Ridwan’s partnership served as the foundation for the further development of the S@CC methodology that is now being implemented in other schools across the country.


The Way Forward


Parents that are actively involved in education Community that takes care of its school and learners Strengthened fabric of society


Improved relationships and networking within the community


These, and other benefi ts, were realised during the pilot phase of the S@CC project in 2010. Louise van Rhyn, founder and CEO of Symphonia for South Africa, initiated a partnership for possibility with Ridwan Samodien, principal of Kannemeyer Primary School.


In 2011, the School @ the Centre of Community project will engage 30 schools in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. With the ongoing partnerships and sustainable structures, the project aims to partner 100 schools in 2012, with an expansion of the methodology to the Free State and Eastern Cape. Enrolling government, business and civil society remains key to programme impact and sustainability.


Getting Involved 


Kannemeyer Primary School (KPS) 


Kannemeyer serves 500 students from Grade R to Grade 7, and employs 20 teachers. The diverse Grassy Park community surrounding the school has high rates of crime and unemployment. Parental engagement has traditionally been low and discipline issues have been high on the school’s agenda. Ridwan Samodien, the principal of KPS and teacher with 31 years experience, got involved with S@CC after attending the Community Building workshop hosted by Symphonia in March 2010.


The Community Building workshops, built on Peter Block’s methodology of the six questions that enable communities and societies to move towards each other and engagement with the issues that face them, have been hugely successful throughout South Africa.


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Are you a community or business leader called to become a PfP?


Can you support the project in another way?


Do you want to be a part of the Symphonia Community Building workshops?


Please contact the S@CC project manager on schools@symphonia.net or call 021 - 913 3507. You can also visit www.symphonia.net for more information.


Are you a principal that wants to get involved in S@CC?


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