More Midlands schools to benefit from PfP leadership programme

Meander Chronicle Reporter

Symphonia for South Africa’s flagship programme, Partners for Possibility (PfP), will launch a new cohort of business-education partnerships in the Midlands area this April.

Partners for Possibility, the Midlands – 2020

Over the next 12 months, the principals of 10 KZN schools will go on a collaborative and practical leadership journey with business leaders from the region. Through these partnerships, principals will gain the skills needed to confidently lead change and mobilise communities around their schools, while business leaders will be able to hone their own leadership skills within a complex and challenging school environment.

Professional coaching

This launch forms part of Symphonia for South Africa’s plan to reach another 246 under-resourced schools in SA in 2021. Since its inception in 2010, PfP has extended its footprint to major metropolitan cities and remote areas in all nine of South Africa’s provinces. More than 1400 schools have been positively impacted.

The award winning, internationally recognised programme features the key elements of professional coaching, five-days of world-class training workshops over the course of the year, practical leadership development exposure in a marginalised South African school and regular learning and networking opportunities for principals and business leaders.

The PfP programme is also recognised by the South African Council for Educators, which awards 20 Continuous Professional Development points to participating principals.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the programme will be rolled out virtually using various digital communication platforms.

The process will be facilitated by Karen Mckenzie, who is a professional life and executive coach. A native of Port Elizabeth, Mckenzie now lives in the KZN Midlands. After matriculating, she furthered her studies in the fields of political science, travel and tourism, and has trained in leadership, hypnosis, neuro-linguistic programming and sales.

Mckenzie’s career spans 30 years, where she has gained experience in both the corporate and education sectors. She has worked at corporations including CSIR Building Technologies and Plastics, Swissair International Airline and FNB, and until recently served as a Clifton Nottingham Road board member.

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Since 2018, she has facilitated the PfP programme in the Midlands region, bringing together principals from under-resourced schools and business leaders from mostly privileged backgrounds. Mckenzie says the experience has brought her ‘’such a sense of belonging’’. She adds that PfP has been a platform where people, ‘’… truly meet each other in conversations, ‘in the trenches’ of our history, our hurts, our dreams and aspirations.’’

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What if you could use your business knowledge and skills to improve education in South Africa? Would you take action and get involved? Symphonia for SA is calling on socially conscious business leaders across SA to commit to the Partners for Possibility programme in 2021.

This is your opportunity to contribute to education through a partnership with a principal from an under-resourced school.

*For info contact Dorcas@Symphonia.net

If you know of someone who may be interested, please forward our details to them.

Visit www.PfP4SA.org for more information.

PfP believes that quality education has the ability to unlock all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals
Thats why we empower principals with the necessary skills to lead change in their schools & communities. Better leadership creates better schools with better educational outcome. pic.twitter.com/b7JgtsPcir

— Partners for Possibility – PfP4SA (@PfP4SA) February 25, 2021