Empowering future generations: Career Exploration at Sunnyside Primary School

An Athlone-based non-profit organisation (NPO) hosted an educational roadshow at Sunnyside Primary School, with the aim of helping pupils explore career options and think about what they would like to pursue in the future.

The NPO Reading and Writing Solutions held an educational drive at the school on Thursday, February 12.

The organisation runs a reading programme across primary schools in the metro. The roadshow was hosted in partnership with Noor Latief Property Consultants and several City of Cape Town departments.

Representatives from municipal departments and other NPOs engaged learners on a range of topics, from water conservation and crime awareness to the importance of education.

Founder of Reading and Writing Solutions, Jeff Paulse, said the day aimed to empower children and help them make positive choices. He added that the event was particularly exciting because learners were encouraged to ask questions and participate actively.

“As a literacy NPO, our objectives are always focused on innovative ways to encourage learning, effective listening, and reading among all our learners. In celebration of World Read Aloud Day, I decided to involve different City of Cape Town departments to educate our learners about recycling, anti-littering, saving water, the role of the fire department, Metro Police, the K9 unit, and traffic services,” said Paulse.

Mr Paulse, a former school principal, said the organisation also wanted to expose learners to the wide range of career opportunities available within various city departments.

Sunnyside Primary teacher Damian Hendricks said the day was both fun and informative. He noted that pupils had already begun asking many questions about different careers.

“To Mr. Jeff Paulse, thank you for this initiative. I believe our learners will gain a lot from it. I have received so many questions already; some I struggle to answer. It just shows that there are many careers our children are not aware of because they are not exposed to them. Now they have a better understanding. While they were excited to see the dogs and everything else, I hope they take at least one lesson from today. We appreciate what he is doing for the broader community,” he said.

Meanwhile, mayoral committee member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, urged parents to teach their children to use water sparingly. He warned that the current lack of rainfall remains a concern, noting that even if rain falls in the metro, it is not sufficient unless it also rains in the areas where dams are located.

Departments represented at the event included the K9 unit, Metro Police, Traffic Services, Water and Sanitation, Urban Waste Management, Equestrian/ Horse Unit and the Fire and Rescue Service.

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