Prepare South African Teens to Succeed in School

For many grade 12, aka matric, students across South Africa, the midpoint of the school year brings with it unique feelings of excitement, anxiety, and hope. As “first in family” applicants to college/university, the new possibilities that come with being part of Infinite Family are one of the most significant transitions of their young lives - choosing the path that will build their futures. We sat down with Unathi*, one of our Infinite Family Net Buddies, to hear about her experience first-hand.

When asked what excites her most about the year ahead, Unathi’s answer was full of possibility: “I am excited to enter a new chapter of my school life and of my life.” Like many young people standing on this threshold, however, the excitement is accompanied by a quieter, more personal fear. “What I am most scared of is leaving home,” she admits. 

This tension between the pull of a future without many role models and the comfort of the familiar is one that all Infinite Family matric students recognise. Thanks to support from the GlobalGiving community, ALL of our Net Buddies apply to three to five advanced education programmes before finishing high school. Moving away from home, whether across the city or across the world, requires a special kind of courage. By supporting our teens, you prepare role models that will make this phase easier for their younger siblings and cousins. 

Unathi has applied to the University of Johannesburg, with an eye on programmes in Public Relations, Human Rights, and Business Information and Technology. Her choices weren’t random. They are rooted in the subjects she is studying right now. “What drew me to these courses is that they are in line with the subjects I am taking in school,” she explains.

Video Mentors sponsored by generous GlobalGiving donors meet weekly with their matric students and play a unique role in their lives, helping them to research their options thoroughly, to align their choices with their strengths and interests, and to remember that there is no single “right” path. Financial constraints, entry requirements, and limited availability of certain programmes narrow many fields significantly before our Net Buddies can even apply. In these situations, Mentors also help their Net Buddies reframe their Plan B choices not as settling, but as strategic stepping stones. A program that feels like a compromise today may open unexpected doors tomorrow.

Five years from now, Unathi sees herself working abroad as a teacher helping students understand and learn a language that enables them to communicate across cultures and borders. It’s a vivid and meaningful picture, even if the specific details are still taking shape. “I haven’t really gone that far,” she says with honesty, “but I can give you a layout.”

That kind of honest assessment is exactly what application season calls for. Net Buddies don’t need a perfectly mapped out plan, they need enough initiative and self-direction to take the next step, and enough flexibility to grow into who you’re becoming.

Perhaps the most encouraging part of Unathi’s story is who she has in her corner. “My mother, my sister, and my Mentor,” she says, when asked who knows what she’s working towards. “[My Mentor gives] me advice and always tells me that if I can’t do something there is always another option. [She helps] me a lot with things that I am confused about.”

This is the critical asset that GlobalGiving donors provide to teens striving to break the cycles of poverty and violence in South Africa: A Video Mentor will not have all the answers but shows up consistently, offers insight and ideas, and reminds a young person that there is always another path to a brighter future. Because they know this to be true, their Net Buddies believe it and invest in themselves to make it come true.

We are deeply grateful that you are part of our global Infinite Family and share our belief that every teenager, regardless of background or circumstance, deserves a chance to succeed in school, work, and life. Because of YOU, more of them will.

*Note: Photos, quotes, awards, and stories come from real Infinite Family Net Buddies. For their safety, we change the names and images to protect their identities.

Links:

• Infinite Family website
• 2025 Impact Statement