On Wednesday 11th of May, we attended Ubuntu‘s Growing Up Gala. We had such a fun night and are so proud to be supporting such a great organisation. Ubuntu Education Fund provides world-class health and educational support to the orphaned and vulnerable children of Port Elizabeth, South Africa.Â
Ubuntu’s 9th London gala brought over 350 people to the iconic Roundhouse for an unforgettable night inspired by the stories of “Growing Up†with Ubuntu. The charity celebrated 17 years of transformative community development and launched Vision 2020 – their bold, five-year expansion plan. We enjoyed exquisite dining and music by the Faithettes, and heard inspirational stories from Ubuntu scholar, Zanele Nobhadula, and Board member, Ciko Thomas. Together, we raised more than £650,000 for their worthy cause, and had a good time whilst doing so. Thanks for a lovely night and for all the dedication you have to kids in the township of  Port Elizabeth!Â
Our successful Inspired Youth workshops, held in cooperation with Pride Factor, took place in Johannesburg and Cape Town in March 2016. The one-day workshops received an overwhelmingly positive response from those who attended, the role models and celebrities who presented motivational insights, as well as the organisations and schools who brought students to the event.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the organisers of the event on Saturday,†said Gladys Ndlangamandla of Tembisa Secondary School, whose students were brought to the event by the President’s Award Group. “The feedback I’m receiving from the learners is just overwhelming.â€
“I have enjoyed myself and the inspiring information I got today I will always keep with me,” said Perfect Zikhali.
More than 800 teenagers and young adults attended the events and left motivated and better prepared to achieve their full potential as they aspire to become the country’s future leaders. Having run similar youth programmes in the United Kingdom, we are excited about bringing our experience and commitment to giving children the best possible start in life to South Africa.
We have held a number of Youth Leadership Summits in the UK, equipping young people with practical life strategies and emotional development tools. The South African workshops are the first to take place globally.
“The exchange rate is such that we have the capacity to make a much bigger difference in South Africa,†says Greg. “The workshop is designed around my experiences in trading and training, where the ability to master oneself has a very strong bearing on performance and success. By learning to manage emotional and reactive decision-making, you’re empowered to unlock the resourcefulness centre in your brain. This is where the magic happens and I want to give young people the same skills, which will make a huge difference as they grow up, finish school and begin careers.â€
Along with the motivational talks, the workshops included entertainment acts, gifts and prizes, opportunities to meet and mingle with the speakers and browse exhibits on education, mobile connectivity and youth products. Participants received vouchers to buy the food of their choice from the onsite store as well as programs, pens and a special memento!
Role-models from a broad cross-section of business, sport and entertainment contributed their time and expertise to providing youngsters from every walk of life with a memorable experience. All the participants have given the events rave reviews after hearing insights from, and interacting with, a dozen of the country’s highest profile role models.
Some of the motivational speakers included:
Nick de Wit, SA freestyle Moto-X champion and ranked 5thin the world
Romy Heldsinger, CEO of JAG, a sales lead company
Iris Cupido, CEO of the SABC Foundation
Mike Sharman, Co-Founder of RetroViral, online campaigns for brands
Lunga Tshika, SA Ambassador to One Young World, a global forum for young leaders
Katlego Maboe, the host of Expresso and Strictly Come Dancing
Theodora Lee, the winner of the Best YouTube Channel at the African Blogger Awards in 2015
Jimmy Nevis, the number one pop/R&B musician
In Johannesburg, Sibusiso Leope, also known as DJ Sbu, got proceedings underway with a high-energy talk, followed by digital fundi Romy Heldsinger, the CEO of JAG Method, and motivational speakers Iris Cupido, the CEO of the SABC Foundation, and Sibusiso Molimi. MetroFM’s Talk Show host Rams Mobote then interviewed multiple FMX champion and stuntman Nick de Wit. The afternoon program featured the debut live performance of rising star Alexandra May’s new song before Mike Sharman, founder of the Retroviral Creative Agency, recounted his path to the top of the digital advertising world. The day ended with the thoughts of entrepreneur and the SA ambassador for One Young World, Lunga Tshikila.
“Education moved me from the street corner to a table full of decision makers. Education changes lives,” DJ Sbu told the audience, adding, “It’s not about where you come from, but where you’re goingâ€.
We wish to thank all those who participated and worked on organising the workshops for making this such a great event for South Africa’s future leaders!
Interested in hearing more? Check out our social media on Inspired Youth
