Mycka in South Africa

Name
Mycka

How long have you been volunteering?
8 weeks

Short biography
My name is Mycka Bogert I am 19 years old and I have done volunteer work because of myself and not for my education. I did follow a sports education so I thought this was really fun! I also play football a lot and I work in a sports shop.

You create your own sports lessons and because you go to the same schools on the same days every week, you can develop a good methodology

How satisfied were you with the guidance in your home country?
Very satisfied. Had a few good calls and could always ask my questions.
My name is Mycka Bogert. In May 2023 I saw a video of a friend. She was doing volunteer work in South Africa. When I saw this I knew this would be something for me. The combination of Teaching, Coaching & the activities in the weekends made me very enthusiastic.
I quickly came into contact with The Power of Sports to get acquainted and to get more information about the project. After a few good online meetings I decided to make the Journey to South Africa in April 2024.
The journey + the work you do
After a long flight I arrived in Cape Town, where I had to transfer to the flight to Port Elizabeth. I eventually arrived at a beautiful accommodation with many facilities. I have never felt at home so quickly. The group I ended up in was also very nice, consisting of young people from all over Europe and other continents. It was expected that we always spoke English.
In the beginning the program was still a bit unclear to me and I did not know exactly what to expect. But it turned out to be much easier than I thought. You volunteer five days a week and you can plan your days yourself. You can choose from:
Coaching: Teaching sports lessons at schools. You visit different schools with a group and give sports lessons of one hour.
Teaching: Teaching English as a teacher at a school. You read one-on-one with children to improve their reading skills.
Childcare: Supporting teachers in a group with children from 0 to 5 years old. This includes singing songs, giving food and especially lots of cuddling.
I chose three days of coaching and two days of teaching. You create your own sports lessons and because you go to the same schools on the same days every week, you can develop a good methodology. When teaching, you can choose a class where you feel most comfortable and stay there. This can always be changed. This way you build a bond with the students and classes. Sometimes you teach a lesson yourself and sometimes you support the teacher. It is wonderful to see how much appreciation the children show. The more energy you give to the children, the more energy you get back from them.
Activities
From Monday to Friday you are busy coaching or teaching, which is already fantastic to do. But the weekends are often even better. Every week you can choose from different activities. So far I have done the following activities:
Visited a match at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Bungee jumping
Visited an elephant sanctuary and walked with the elephants
Skydiving
A weekend to Mossel Bay (shark cage diving)
Safari
We finally finished with the Garden Route, where we did the best activities and made the most beautiful hikes in Cape Town. I want to thank De Kracht van Sport very much and I will definitely come back!

What advice would you give to future interns/volunteers?

Don’t worry, because everything will be fine. Don’t forget to enjoy because time goes by way too fast.