This week I want to focus on my MAD goal.
A bit of background. As you may know, I belong to Hout Bay Harriers (HBH), Hout Bay's running club. I don't run fast at all; truth be told, I shuffle at best. The club has the most incredible development team from Imizamo Yetho (local community). Besides being some of the most amazing people that I have met, I admire their grit and goals they set themselves; regardless of whether it is summer or winter, some of them are up by 04:00 to train before work. One of the runners has often asked me for a job, unfortunately, I have not had the right opportunity to offer. Yet. It is something that I have been thinking about a lot.
So, with our focus changing predominantly from providing media liaison and business communication support for our clients, to reputation research, opportunities started flickering of how I could work more with the communities in which we live and work.
Earlier in the year, a project presented itself that needed fieldworkers; I needed to deploy a team that could engage with isiXhosa speaking stakeholders. I reached out to said HBH and asked him whether he could speak isiXhosa; unfortunately, as he is a foreign national, he does not. Then, sometime later when the surveys had to be captured manually, I asked whether he could use a computer, to which he shyly admitted he could not. This made me realise that he was representing one of so many people in our communities.
So, for the past couple of months, I have been on a mission to learn more about computer skills development. My path crossed with the wonderful duo of Shile and Mzi from
Quirky30. They are doing amazing work in Langa empowering unemployed youth with coding skills. I reached out to them to find out how we could duplicate what they are doing in other areas, specifically Hout Bay, as I would like to first get something up and running locally in my own community and then see how best to duplicate it and extend it into other communities in South Africa and Africa.
Taking a step back, for some time I have been wanting to expand into Africa. The example that I always use is McDonalds. I admire the fact that they are able to consistently produce the same level of hamburger and fries across the global. The fact is, you find comfort in the quality and what you will be presented with regardless of where on the globe you are. I want to do the same with reputation into Africa. We have the most amazing continent, people and resources, helping to build the continent's reputation will impact the economy, foreign investment and social development.
What the big hairy audacious MAD dream is, is this... imagine we can train up community members from different countries with basic computer, fieldwork and data capturing skills. Then imagine this, when we have a project in e.g. Malawi or Uganda, they then come with me to train up the people in those communities and help set up similar hubs as they can speak the language and understand the culture. Taking a group of South Africans would not make sense, it is about empowering and working with the communities in which we operate.
When I was sharing the dream with my friend Bronwyn (my laughter coach friend that I also wrote about last week), she burst into song and started singing Vicky Sampson's "
My African Dream" I won't lie, I rolled my eyes. But then the next morning, I still had the earworm so I decided to listen to the words and found the song on YouTube. I realised that
My
AfriCAN
Dream = MAD, which also stands for Making A Difference. As 'they' say, if your dreams aren't big, MAD and scare you, they are not big enough!
Going back to Sihle and Mzi, they said that what is needed to set up a coding hub is a room that can accommodate at least 15 computers. So my mission was to find a space in Hout Bay to make this happen.
In my discussion and chats (with everyone and sundry), I came across the Sijongo-Phambili Learning Centre in Penzance Avenue, Imizamo Yetho. What a jewel of a building! I am now working with them to put a pilot project in place to get the basic computer classes and coding into place so that we can use it as a blueprint to duplicate it across the country and continent.
Here's a document that I have put together putting a bit more structure to the above.
My AfriCAN Dream [MAD]
THE WHAT
To empower local community members with basic computer skills and by so doing, give them an opportunity to get into the job market.
[In the case of Hout Bay, we will reach out to both Imizamo Yethu and Hangberg; the Centre’s vehicle will be used to transport people from Hangberg to the training centre]
The purpose of the MAD initiative is to empower local community members who do not have basic computer skills with an opportunity to learn how to use a computer and in that way boost their opportunities of entering the job market and contributing to the economy.
Motivated | Ambitious | Dedicated
The Nitty Gritty
A computer room that can accommodate at least 15 people, which is easily accessible to the local community members, and ideally has an internet connection.
In Hout Bay, Sijonga-Phambili Learning Centre in Penzance Avenue, Imizamo Yethu, is the ideal setting as it already has an infrastructure of a computer centre and furnished classrooms.
[If we want to include Coding as an offering, we will need a second training room kitted out for at least 15 people.]
There will be three sessions a day:
· Session 1: 09:00 to 12:00
· Session 2: 13:00 to 16:00
· Session 3: 17:00 to 20:00
The proposal is that people can either sign up for a month-long course, or they can attend / book sessions according to their own availability and interest.
It’s proposed that we run the following program as a pilot for four weeks, commencing the week of 17 July 2018; then to review and refine it further.
This is the proposed schedule of different classes, targeting different audiences within the community:
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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09:00 to 12:00
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Word
BASIC
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Basic computer skills for
WOMEN
4 week course
Week 1: Word
Week 2: Excel
Week 3: Outlook
Week 4: CV / Job interview skills
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Basic computer skills
OPEN TO ALL
4 week course
Week 1: Word
Week 2: Excel
Week 3: Outlook
Week 4: CV / Job interview skills
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Basic computer skills for
YOUTH
4 week course
Week 1: Word
Week 2: Excel
Week 3: Outlook
Week 4: CV / Job interview skills
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SKILLS FOR SUCCESS
09:00 to 15:00
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13:00 to 16:00
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Word
INTERMEDIATE
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Excel
BASIC
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Outlook
BASIC
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Excel
INTERMEDIATE
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17:00 to 20:00
|
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Evening class Basic computer 4 week course
Week 1: Word
Week 2: Excel
Week 3: Outlook
Week 4: CV / Job interview skills
[Programme currently run by Sijonga-Phambili]
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CV Writing / Job interview skills
Fieldwork / data analysis training
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Evening class Basic computer 4 week course
Week 1: Word
Week 2: Excel
Week 3: Outlook
Week 4: CV / Job interview skills
[Programme currently run by Sijonga-Phambili]
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Coding classes will run in tandem with the basic computer skill classes as outlined above. A separate room needs to be dedicated to coding lessons. These classes run daily for six hours (09:00 to 15:00); this is a 12 months course. To qualify for a coding class, a two-day ‘Skills for Success’ session needs to be completed. This is a series of interactive videos focussing on: choosing a career, interview skills, job applications etc.
WHO WILL BE TARGETED
The target audience will be unemployed members of the community.
There are three key target audiences:
- Women: classes will specifically be facilitated just for women;
- Youth: classes for people that have just matriculated, but who do not have the necessary computer skills;
- All: these classes will cater for anyone who would like to learn the basic computer skills.
It will be important that people wanting to attend the course register beforehand; seats will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
CODING: It is proposed to focus on younger individuals who have just completed school.
There are three phases:
PHASE I:
· Basic computer skills
· Basic Word
· Basic Excel
· Basic Outlook, including email and getting to grips with the internet
PHASE 2:
· Intermediate computer skills
· Intermediate Word
· Intermediate Excel
The learners will receive a certificate as well as a training manual after phase 2, as the training is certified.
PHASE 3:
Once the basics have been learnt, the students can decide whether they would like to pursue additional training. Current opportunities are:
· Coding and website development [this course will be facilitated by Quirky30]
· Fieldwork and data capturing [this course will be facilitated by Reputation Matters]
The learners will receive a certificate for coding which is internationally accredited and recognised.
Additional life skills to be considered being offered e.g.
- Time management
- How to prepare for work: Goal setting | Selecting a career | How to write a CV | How to prepare for a job interview
- Financial planning
WHO WILL FACILITATE THE SESSIONS
The Sijonga-Phambili Computer Centre is currently being managed by Life Manuwe; he will continue to provide the training. He will initially be supported by Quirky30 for coding and website development. Reputation Matters will provide data capturing and fieldwork training.
For other computer centres, we will require an accredited facilitator and administrator.
Basic computer skills
As we are targeting an audience that are not in the job market, we cannot charge them a fee to attend the classes.
We are seeking sponsorship to cover running costs. This includes facilitation fee, administration fee, cleaner, training manuals, Wi-Fi, computers, maintenance of the building.
The fee per person per class is R150.00
Sponsor an individual for a course
four weeks
e.g. Women, Youth, Evening
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Sponsor a course
four weeks | 15 people per course
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R 550.00 per person
US$ 40 per person
€ 35 per person
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Individual classes, e.g. Word (basic & intermediate) | Excel (basic & intermediate) Outlook = R150.00 per person, per class.
Coding
R2 500 per month per learner for the 12 month course.
[US$ 185 per month per learner for the 12 month course]
[€ 160 per month per learner for the 12 month course]
As part of the pilot project, and to remain transparent with the funding, we will be working with the Rotary Club of Newlands who will be managing the funds. Ideally and to keep things consistent, we would want to work with the different Rotary Clubs across Africa.
For the ideal set up:
- Building with two computer rooms [one for basic computer skills / one for coding] and a classroom for other skills development classes
- 30 x computers [15 for the basic computer classes / 15 for coding]
- Wi-fi
- Whiteboard
- Projector
- Screen
- 45 x tables
- 45 x chairs
- Stationary [note books / pens]
- Transport for people who are not within walking distance of the facility
- Lunch for coding students
It would be ideal if the building / computer rooms are close to a crèche / school so that young moms can leave their children there while attending the classes.
Regine le Roux
083 302 1528
