Alumni - New loveLife Trust

The Alumni Programme

Be part of the change

The Alumni programme is a bridge that connects the groundBREAKER programme and the corporate world. When groundBREAKERs complete their development course, they are promoted into this programme to prepare them for further development. This development is in the form of jobs, professional guidance, careers, and entrepreneurial opportunities. This program aims to connect youth with personal development and learnership opportunities. Opportunities include an exchange program, an entrepreneurship program, various development internships, and learnership training programs through loveLife’s partnerships.

Alumni play are big role – alumni groundBREAKERs and mpintshis are core to helping loveLife stay young.

As a member of the Alumni Association, you can support loveLife:

By becoming a loveLife advocate and ambassador;
By contributing your time, energy and experience to loveLife through several local Alumni events, clubs and Y-Centers.
By helping to mobilize fellow Alumni and create networks and opportunities for cooperation;
Through mentoring of current groundBREAKERs, mpintshis and new graduates

Your experience in youth leadership development and knowledge of your community and livelihoods are valuable assets. Your commitment ensures that loveLife maintains the quality of programmes you are used to. It also ensures that the groundBREAKER programme becomes the programme of choice for young people.

Since 2012, Alumni have been represented by two alumni representatives who are on the Love Life Board. As such, former groundBREAKERS have a voice at the group level. Board nominations are accepted annually in March, and elections to the National Alumni Advisory Board are held in April. The board of directors is formed for a period of 1 year.

Testamonials

“Goodmorning Mr Mthembu, I believe you’re well Sir, I would like to take this moment to appreciate you for always believing in me – while it could be impossible for other people to do that. I’ve grown to be a bigger person under your leadership and mentorship at loveLife and National Youth Camp, If you remember 2019 Camp at Umlalazi.

I asked you for your permission to attend South African Police Service (SAPS) Psychometric Test – I passed and as a result I was admitted to the Police Force. I’m Eastern Cape right now doing my semi-military training, I’ll be returning as a Police official in December 2022. In that regard I want to say “Ngiyabonga Jama ” -thank you Jama for giving me an opportunity to grow! I’ll forever be grateful for this opportunity you gave me, together with Mam Thuli.

I’ll forever be part of the loveLife family and the National Youth Camp. I’m looking forward to being with this movement when I finish my training. Continue inspiring growth and changing the lives of young people 🙏🏾. Thank you!”

My name is Gomolemo Kodisang – a health groundBREAKER based at Hillbrow CHC.

Being a groundBREAKER has been one of the best experiences of my life given that I had lost all hope in finding an opportunity that would help me grow and get my foot in the door.
Being a part of the loveLife family has helped me find my passion and interest in public health, more so around championing the sexual reproductive rights of young people, I have enjoyed attending workshops and events where I continuously leave that space, challenged to do and be better.

I am currently an international politics honours student and through the work I do at loveLife I can confidently say that my interest in academics has now peaked to public health. I help young people find their voice on a daily basis and through doing that I am also finding my voice!

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Let me take this opportunity to thank all Mpintshi’s and groundBREAKERS in all the Y-centers – especially Y-Center at Witbank (Ezinambeni), you guys are awesome!

It is more than a privilege for me to write this as an ex-groundBREAKER, I feel special and honored. I’ve been a groundBREAKER for the year 2011 and 2012, under the leadership of the honorable Sesi Yvonne.
I am writing this from the bottom of my heart and feel honored to mention that today I am a qualified teacher with B.Ed. Baccalareus intermediate/senior phase qualification, all because of the teachings and experience I got from loveLife.

I love loveLife because it made me realize that I can make a good teacher, I started small as a Mpintshi and moved on to groundBREAKER – and finally an educator.

The likes of bro Teddy Ditsepu, bro Elkin, the honorable Mr Mdluli, Ses’Yvonne and others have played a crucial role in our lives – especially my life as an individual. All the programs of loveLife such as body-Y’s, Cyber-Y’s, Radio-Y’s and others also played a big role in shaping my life. I am a great teacher today all because I started at loveLife.

Lastly, to the loveLife ambassadors, I would like to let you know that everything I’ve learned from loveLife isn’t a waste – I will transfer the information from generations to generations.

Likwenka S.E (ex-groundBREAKER)

My name is Xolane Mkhaliphi a loveLife groundBREAKER – I wrote this letter to share my story and how my life changed after being employed at loveLife. The year was 2019, I was doing my grade 11 and I got my girlfriend pregnant, at a every young age, due to not having enough information about contraceptives and family planning.

In 2020 my baby was born, I was still at school doing my matric – my life was hard at that time. I was not able to provide for my child and help my girlfriend – as my family was not interested in helping me financially.
To make matters worse, I was even struggling on getting an ID number in order to further my studies or job hunt.

My grandmother, a 73 year old lady who raised me, had no idea about the process of applying for an ID, as she had lost all my mother’s documents including my mother’s death certificate. Home Affairs said they needed her death certificate in order to continue with the process of issuing me an ID. My grandmother had lost everything – she couldn’t even remember when my mother was born – so I had to search for such information alone.

Through God’s grace I found the the undertaker that helped bury my mother on her funeral. They were able to provide me with my mother’s ID number, enabling me to apply for my ID. The process was successful – it took me two weeks, then I got my ID in 2022. As soon as I was done with my matric, I saw a loveLife post near my local clinic – I immediately applied and got hired by loveLife – that was when my life changed!
I am now able to help my girlfriend and provide for my baby and I am making a huge difference in my community – I share my testimony with many of the youth because I don’t want any of them to repeat the same mistakes I made – I am teaching many of them about protected sex and other options like family planning.

loveLife New Trust had a great and positive impact over my life – it became a stepping stone by channeling me to become a fruitful member of society and grow into a patriotic citizen of South Africa.

loveLife gave me a platform to volunteer and acquire several skills such as Leadership skills, Communication skills and Facilitation skills. Today I am a project manager of Emakhazeni Community Health Project funded and powered by Exxaro.

I discovered my self-trough love life programs that I was facilitating such as Living my life, love for Life and Life skills which channeled me to fall in love with working with people and focus on the health path. From loveLife I have also acquired that health is all in all for all – therefore, a healthy and positive lifestyle is very imperative.

Ncedo Rodney Mohlala

2014 – Love Life New Trust Mpintshi

2015 Love Life New Trust Ground Breaker

My name is Tshepo Sindane from Middelburg in Mpumalanga.

loveLife is a big mother body that changed a lot of young people’s lives – like me, since I was part of this organisation. I have managed to overcome lot of challenges in my teen years – until now.

It has opened lot of doors for me, I was involved in many projects and organisations through loveLife. Various organisations have been formed under the mentorship of loveLife. Even now in my life, I am busy with youth development in social health and sports.

Overall I can say loveLife is one of the organizations that has helped shape young peoples lives to become youth pioneers.