In ancient times, it was used by Roman crowds to signal their vote for a gladiator to live, or, more recently, by WW2 Allied pilots sending a “set-to-go” to ground crew. Now it is an emoji familiar to shorthand social media junkies conveying “Okay “or “Sounds good to me”. When The Domino Foundation’s Life Skills Youth Workers gave the thumbs-up to the recent Leadership Development Day for 84 Grades 4 to 6 learners from Inanda and Ekuthuleni Primary schools, they were conveying the clear message: “It was great!”
Held at Northwood Boys, the event was designed to equip and empower participants with effective personal and team skills. Said Lutho Ngubeza, co-ordinator for Edge Schools, the human-development enterprise which ran the day: “Good leadership has the power to transform communities like schools, and the Development Day is designed to inspire individuals to maximize their potential and then use it to contribute to the development of their community and beyond.”
Each aspect of the programme incorporated both physical and cognitive experiential learning exercises. Youth Worker Wandile Ntsimbi explained: “Much of the public education system impacts school learners’ morale and discipline negatively. We regularly interact with these young people in their school environment in group and individual situations and mentor them in setting sustainable standard values for their futures. The Development Day took them away from their familiar environment and challenged them about laying good foundations to become future leaders unhampered by negativity in their pasts.”
