Last week marked an exciting time in the lives of the Constitution Hill Debating League JNR finalists as they travelled to Cape Town for the Robben Island Spring School 2017.

The Spring School is one of Robben Island Museum’s flagship projects that has been running on the Island since 1998. Every year during South Africa’s spring school holidays, learners from all over the country, and neighbouring countries, arrive on the Island for a week of adventure and learning.

The delegates were immersed in the camp from day 1 – through a simulation of the prison experience. They then met Mr Johnson Mlambo, an ex-political prisoner who was arrested on the Island during Apartheid. Mlambo was their prison tour guide, and he shared his first-hand experience of being imprisoned on the Island.

The theme for this year’s Spring School was “Our heritage, Our future – Social Entrepreneurship in Heritage.” And the delegates were appropriately divided into electives which focused on creating art pieces that tell the story of our nation, and the continent as a whole.

The Constitution Hill JNR finalists performed well. They were the only group of debaters at the camp, and did not miss out on an opportunity to teach others the skill of effective communication. A few of the finalists also shined and became leaders of various activities such as hosting a 3-hour radio show on Bush Radio, and coordinating the presentation of artworks to the sponsors and managers of Spring School.

9/10 of the finalists were first-time flyers, and could not have received a better prize for their achievements in this year’s Constitution Hill Debating League.