Standing in front of 40 learners blabbing English rules and HOW to do a comprehension was not getting through to our over-stimulated learners.

A competition combined with local celebrities was the perfect setting to make English fun. 

The debating, reading and writing competitions culminated in a prize-giving in June 2022 at the Labia Theatre. I sought out Marc Lottering to do a motivational speech and Zubayda Jaffer and Nur Abrahams to share their journeys with us.

The point I wished to bring home was that our beautiful celebrities did not allow their environment to dictate their destination. Learners from working class backgrounds needed to be exposed to theatres, museums and universities; they too needed to see what opportunities the oystered world held for them, and not only for the minority of youngsters birthed into the laps of privilege.

Our learners received awards, laughter and hope.