Seeds of South Africa
Published by yojules June 28th, 2007 in General, Avo Solutions, Thinking stuff, Jules Muses
I challenge you to find a South African who has been completely untouched by the crime and poverty in South Africa. I can’t think of anyone. Our country is so alive with possibility and hope, but sometimes the darkness of the realities of living here overwhelm even the most committed optimists.
We have all felt the paranoid collective conciousness that swells whenever we have a couple of weeks of horrendous news reports that batter our sense of safety about living here. Every now and then, some company or organisation takes it upon themselves to build ‘anti crime’ campaigns, marches or petitions, and huge amounts of creative energy and, may I say, budgets, go into marketing the ‘anti-crime’ message. I think this is a way for people to take back some of the powerlessness they feel in the face of the darkness: marching or campaigning seems to help people feel they are ‘doing something’.
I’d like to suggest that there is a different, more constructive way to take back the power. In my new talk, the Seeds of South Africa, I make the case for building the people of this country. Many of us who have the means, the time, or the skills, are already doing small things to help the immediate people in our own communities: paying for our domestic worker’s childrens school fees, or helping out at our local churches or community support programes, or providing employment for other South Africans. This talk inspires South Africans about what is possible for individuals to do to make this country a better place.
When each of us is buiding a little piece of South Africa, we take back our power and our pride: I think it is one of the most important ways of holding back the darkness. By knowing your life has meaning and purpose because of the value you are creating for other human beings!
Check out Graeme’s site http://www.tmtd.biz/2007/02/07/crime-where-facts-politics-and-emotions-clash/ for some fascinating insights into crime stats and roots
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Hey Jules.
I know that this new talk encapsulates so much of who you are, what you believe and more significantly, what you practise.
You open the doors of your company to those who are close to us at Avo. It has been such a gift for me to bring Thuli into the Avo space. As the daughter of someone special to me, it is wonderful to see her actively learning about the business world in such a caring environment. Evelyn has willingly given her time to train and support Thuli in her journey.
I also believe that the kind of opportunities we create around Diversity, CSR and Creativity also reflect this belief. We have just developed another project which will see 8 Seamstresses in the Garment District working with a corporate team to produce amazing toys which will be handed over to a nursery school in Rockey Street.
Then of course, there is our work with the Yeoville Community. Here we are developing business skills for those who are currently unemployed but who play a significant role in the community as volunteers.
I feel privileged to work in your space Jules. You are a woman of great heart, great vision and love.
I’m glad to see that there are indeed some folks interested in addressing the crime problem with a legitimate, medical “treat the cause not the symptom” methodology.
No amount of “awareness” campaigns, protest marches or handing over of memorandums will make the slightest dent in what is essentially a social problem. Wearing pink T-shirts for Sheldean, or driving with your lights on for crime are nothing but placebos allowing the man on the street to imagine that he is making a difference… but all he’s doing is patting himself on the back for caring.
The answer is not a quick and easy one. It invloves initiatives like the ones mentioned here that must be sustained over time. These initiatives must be designed with one prupose in mind: to make crime a less desirable lifestyle choice.
There are two ways of achieving that: more effective punishment for criminals, and more lucrative alternatives to crime. Both of these approaches must be employed simultaneously if they are to have any effect.
Punishment is something that must be handled by the government, and I believe they are doing the best they can. By promoting education and creating employment opportunities, it’s up to the private sector to combat the problem from the other side.
Bravo!
Ohmygosh!
You give us simple solutions to very huge and complex problems that overwhelm us in the thinking and paralyse us in the doing. It takes real genius to distill the impossible into the manageable…what is it with the obvious that lurks in the shadows and eludes us so?
Thank you for the light…
M
xxx
WOW Jules, sounds like wonderful stuff. sometimes people think that they have to make a huge difference and do something really big before they have an impact, but it is not always the case. I have found that once you just start something small it has a snowball effect and you want to do more and more.
Yes we can make a difference in our own little ways. And to hold back the darness there is a song/hymn that comes to mind “This little light of mine I’m gonna let it shine” If that can play in our heads with the message ‘no matter how big or small what difference can I make right now!’ ….just imagine what could happen….
You go girl - may your message hit billions!