Students undergo MOT Sessions where valuable life skills are shared with the students.  The Vision of MOT is to create a warmer and safer society.  False Bay College has run the MOT programme across all campuses to give students the extra skills to manage themselves and their interactions with other.  The values of the MOT programme are Courage to LIVE, Courage to CARE and Courage to say NO.

The underlying principles in the MOT Programme are to teach students how to work proactively, reinforce the positive and see the whole person as being a valuable member of a campus.

The MOT Programme at False Bay College has been a powerful motivator of young people and the college has seen improvement in many areas of student life that can be attributed to the delivery of the MOT Programme.

Recently the 10^th AGM of MOT South Africa took place in Cape Town.  At this event, there was reflection on the past 10 years and the role that MOT has played in the lives of young people.

Dr Patricia Jacobs, IPSS UWC was the guest speaker.  She has recently completed research around the motivation levels of students in TVET Colleges.  She has looked at the levels of motivation when students have been exposed to the MOT Programme.  The findings have been very positive, with students displaying high levels of motivation.  This bodes well for the sector and the MOT Programme.

Part of the 10^th AGM were the awards in four specific categories:

1. MOT TVET College Campus of the Year: Awarded to Northlink TVET College
2. MOT School of the Year: Awarded to Simons Town High School
3. MOT Coach of the Year: Awarded to Ms Nobuntu Luthuli from False Bay College, Khayelitsha Campus
4. Are Hovstad Award 2019 presented by Wenche Hovstad was awarded to Ms Christine Thomas, from False Bay College, Fish Hoek Campus.

Christine portrays the MOT core values in her daily life and interaction with others.  She is the MOT Coordinator at the Fish Hoek Campus of False Bay College.  Christine has spearheaded many MOT programmes and initiatves to ensure the holistic development of students.

MOT South Africa recently trained a new cohort of 27 MOT Coaches from False Bay College, College of Cape Town, Mbekewni Youth Centre and San Souci High School.  These coaches are commended for taking the step to become a MOT Coach as it requires you to give so much of yourself in the holistic development of young people as well as being a role model, creating a safe and warm environment within which these students will thrive.

By Melanie Vermaak (Acting Deputy Principal Academics at False Bay TVET College)

While there is no direct English translation, ikigai is thought to combine the Japanese words ikiru, meaning “to live”, and kai, meaning “the realization of what one hopes for”. Together these definitions create the concept of “a reason to live” or the idea of having a purpose in life. To find this reason or purpose, experts recommend starting with four questions:

• What do you love?
• What are you good at?
• What does the world need from you?
• What can you get paid for?

“Essentially, ikigai is the reason why you get up in the morning.” Yukari Mitsuhashi

Okinawa, a remote island to the south west of Japan, has an unusually large population of centenarians and is often referred to in reference to ikigai. According to experts on Blue Zones (those areas of the world where people live longest), the concept of ikigai pervades the life of these islanders. Combined with a particular diet and support network of friends, ikigai is helping people live longer on Okinawa as it gives them true purpose. But just knowing what your ikigai is not enough – all of these people put their purpose into action.

“Ikigai is about feeling your work makes a difference in people’s lives.” Professor Adam Grant, Wharton Business School

From a careers perspective, Ikigai is about feeling your work makes a difference in people’s lives. How people find meaning in their work is a topic of much interest to management experts. Wharton Business School has found that what motivates employees is “doing work that affects the well-being of others” and to “see or meet the people affected by their work.”

In one experiment, fundraisers at the University of Michigan who spent time with a recipient of the scholarship they were trying to raise money for brought in 171% more money when compared with those who were merely working the phone. The simple act of meeting a student beneficiary provided meaning to the fundraisers and boosted their performance. This applies to life in general. Instead of trying to tackle world hunger, you can start small by helping someone around you, like a local volunteering group.

Source: World Economic Forum