Trailblazer Perspective: enke 2016 experience

by Joshua Hearne, Ralph Leaman, Andisiwe Makuni, Rutendo Nyasivimbo and Kim Marinda

The enke: Trailblazer Program was an eye opening experience and with new experiences come new challenges but with new experiences also come new cherish-able memories and enke gave us many of those.

Meeting new people from different provinces and different backgrounds was extremely special, we created bonds so strong that we can’t imagine how life would be if we didn’t meet them. They opened up our hearts and allowed us to appreciate life to an even greater extent. Our bed time was at ten in the evening but we found ourselves sleeping around two in the morning, sharing our stories, laughing and dancing, we spent our time creating unshakeable bonds and creating new families.

Enke also allowed us to learn more about ourselves and who we are, it taught us that you need to know yourself first before you can show yourself out to the world , it taught us how to love and be proud of who we are. Panelists and speakers came over to share their life stories with us and amazingly, we realized that as much as we are all different and we are all so unique , we are all still so similar, meaning we are never alone. You may think you’re going through something that nobody understands what you’re going through or what you’re feeling but in actual fact so many people understand and they are there to help you.

One of the many things that stuck out was when we learned that your background doesn’t define your future. Determination, commitment and hard work will get you to the place you want to be whether you come from a underprivileged or privileged background. Every person there showed us that we will never be alone because we have support from Enke and our fellow Trailblazers.

Enke also made us realize that we, the youth, are the future of our country. If we stand together and put our minds together, we can have an impact in many of the communities around us.

Enke really made a mark in our hearts, a mark that will be present in our hearts forevermore.

We leave enke having connected, equipped and inspired.

^{Original article published by on 11 August 2016 by Charter College http://chartercollege.co.za/article/enke-our-students-perspective}