Category: Research

Co-creating the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation entrepreneurship curriculum

From May – October 2024, Belle and Co. worked with the dedicated team at Allan Gray Orbis Foundation to co-create their high school scholarship and university fellowship curriculum. Belle and Co’s director, Ms Rodrigues served as curriculum advisor and leadership expert working with design thinking experts and learning designers to ensure alignment with Allan Gray’s 14 behavioural entrepreneurial competencies.

The Allan Gray Orbis Foundation invests in the education and development of individuals with entrepreneurial potential within Southern Africa. We believe that it takes one responsible, high-impact entrepreneur to change the reality of a city, or even a country, by creating long-term, meaningful job opportunities.

Above images:

Image 1: University Fellowship Advertisement

Image 2 & 3: High School Scholarship Advertisement

Mentoring cultural entrepreneurs: Utamaduni Hub, Egypt

April -May 2024

During the months of April and May 2024, Belisa Rodrigues was asked to serve as mentor for the English-speaking cohort of cultural entrepreneurs undergoing the Utamaduni Heritage Hub programme. As can be seen in the video above, the Utamaduni Hub is a joint initiative of ICCROM and Senghor University, and located in Alexandria, Egypt.

Utamaduni Heritage Hub thanked its partners, mentors and guest speakers for enriching the learning experience of all participants.

As part of the mentorship journey, participants had to meet with their mentor twice a week, to enhance their understanding of the topics covered that week, as well as develop their final business model and pitch. Angelina Gamal, mentored by Belisa Rodrigues, won 2nd place at the pitch competition which saw her unique business “Taste Egypt” win a laptop as well as additional support to develop her idea further.

Belle and co would like to congratulate all participants for giving their best and sharing in their learning journey with others.

Digital Standards Workshop – 25th October 2023

📣 British Council & Department of Basic Education’s Digital Standards Development Consultative Workshop on the 25th October, held at the Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre. Project Lead is Belle and Co. (Belisa Rodrigues), supported by Research Lead from Limina Education Services (Dr Isabel Tarling). And supported by Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.

💡 What is the Digital Standards Project?

The Digital Standards (or Guidelines) Project is a collaborative co-creative process that draws together diverse stakeholders from the education sector to develop digital standards for learning and teaching in South Africa’s schools and beyond.

📌 Milestone 1 (March/April): Input Document

The 8 month journey has taken us from developing a baseline research called the “Input document” which undertook an integrative literature review approach of all standards and policies related to digital teaching and learning. The Digital Capital Map (which consists of Digital Competencies, Digital Agency and Digital Citizenship).

📌 Milestone 2 (7&8 June): Consultative Roundtable 1

The first broad consultative conference on developing digital standards for digital teaching and learning in South Africa. Around 80 education stakeholders attended from a broad spectrum including academia, private sector, government and civil society including schools.

📌 Milestone 3: Online Working Groups

From June until September, the 6 standards working groups included: (1) Learner, (2) Educator, (3) Education Leaders, (4) Parents & Communities, (5) Service Providers & (6) Institutions and Infrastrucuture Standards. 24 meetings in total were conducted.

📝 Once standards were drafted, these were analysed and converted into google forms for voting by the public. The draft standards are still available for public input. Visit the project website to weigh in: https://sites.google.com/limina.co.za/dsdproject/

📌 Milestone 4 (25th October): Consultative Roundtable 2

Most recently, the working groups and others interested in finalising the draft standards were invited to an all-day workshop to walk, step-by-step, through each draft standard and to vote on them.

💡 Why digital standards?

The White Paper on e-Education (2004) provided South African education with a vision and long-term goals to implement digital learning in all education spaces. We need digital standards for different role players and for institutions to operationalise the White Paper in a practical and contextually relevant way.

💡 What are standards?

Standards are different to policies. Policies provide long-term goals, visions and guidance to entire corporations or countries. Standards operationalise policies in short-term or medium-term goals that target specific role players or institutional functions and processes.

📩 Please email me: Belisa Rodrigues (rodrigues.belisa@gmail.com) or send a message to ssa.events@britishcouncil.org.za (Subject header: Digital Standards Project)

DSD-A4-booklet-25-October-finalDownload

Developing Digital Standards for South African Schools

7&8 June 2023

#SchoolsConnect #DigitalStandards

Belle and Co. is the Project Lead on the Digital Standards Development project for all schools in South Africa.

Role players from all spheres are invited to participate in the development of the digital standards in two rounds of in-person roundtable meetings, and various online working group meetings between June and December 2023. Through iterative rounds of refinement and redevelopment, these role players will develop the digital standards to inform digital learning in South Africa’s schools and department of education offices.

Background

The project is funded through the FCDO’s UK Digital Access Programme which aims to catalyse more inclusive, affordable, safe and secure digital access for excluded and underserved communities in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia through sustainable models and enablers.

It’s a joint project by British Council, Department of Basic Education and supported by FCDO.

The determined need is that policy engagement around digital technologies in basic education will result in more available support for teachers and learners, and a more inclusive and effective basic education system at large.

Overview of the DSD Project

The ultimate output of the project is the development and dissemination of a Digital Standards document published making recommendations in digital technologies for teaching and learning at school level.

The aim is that a simple 2-page ‘standards document’ will be produced which can be used by the sector – in policy, as a support tool for school leaders + schools; in teacher development.

Research Input Document

To assist in this Standards Development Process, a research document called “Input Document”, has been developed referencing research and policy initiatives in this area of standards development across the globe.

This is available for you to read here: Developing Standards for Digital Learning and Teaching Input Document

June Consultative event (7&8 June 2023)

Over the last 2 days, over 100 education stakeholders from all over South Africa descended on Gauteng to attend the inaugural Digital Standards Development consultative event. The objective of Day 1 was to create shared understanding of Digital Citizenship and Digital Standards making; Day 2 objective was to start to work on standards for various role -players and institutions.

The 2-day event concluded with the “Operationalisation of the Online Standards Working Groups”. Participants who were particularly keen to be part of the on-going development and building of standards were encouraged to join a thematic working group and agreed to meet 4-6 times over the coming months.

Ultimately, after all the input has been received from working groups, a draft set of standards will be presented to the second consultative event on the 25 & 26th October 2023.

Whereafter, a final standards document will be launched and disseminated in early 2024.

DSD-Workshop-Programme_latestDownload

Ground Up: Local workshop on SE indicators

14 April

As part of the EU Erasmus Plus Programme called “Ground Up: Social Entrepreneurial Ecosystems for Resilient Cities”, Belle and Co. designed and delivered a 1 hour local workshop for Social Enterprises in South Africa. The response was overwhelming with 50 RSVPs streaming in, curious to know more about the project,

The project outcome: A set of indicators to measure the health of the Social Enterprise Ecosystem.
Number of partners countries involved: 11 Partners (North Macedonia, Costa Rica, South Africa, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Poland, Denmark, Ecuador, Serbia and Peru)
Number of months: 18 month project (Jan 2022 – until July 2023)

A project of this nature is inherently tricky, as it is trying to capture a set of mainly quantitative indicators to measure how well supported the Social Enterprise Ecosystem is in a given local (city, region, nation).

The 4 pillars the project focused on include:

  • Human Capital
  • Funding and Finance
  • Support Systems
  • Quality of Life

The local workshop, held on the 14 April 2023, was to showcase the Social Enterprise Ecosystem Assessment Tool that the SA team had developed so far and the data sources they had managed to find. It was also an opportunity for the ecosystem themselves to validate or dispute the tool and its sources.

WORKSHOP VIDEO

If you missed this session, you can view the whole workshop video here:

DIVE 3: Social Economy Policy Debate

Belle and co. discusses the South African social economy policy and role of social enterprise from a South African perspective in the second episode of the Dive 3 debates. DIVE is a EU Erasmus+ supported social enterprise programme involving 12 countries around the world.

Live Video below (went live 2 December 2019)

Extract from the Social Economy Policy consultation invitation (30 October 2019): 

The South African government, through the Economic Development Department (EDD) is developing a policy to strengthen and stimulate the social economy so that it can grow and thrive. 

The social economy is a people centred approach to economic development, based on principles of sustainable activity that stimulates socially and environmentally responsible growth through solidarity and social inclusion. Examples of social economy organisations include stokvels, co-operatives, social enterprises and non-profits organisations. 

After several consultation sessions in 2018, a draft Green Paper has been written which frames and makes recommendations on the following themes: 

– Support Framework – Sizing and Scoping the sector: What is the social economy, and how do we define and measure it? 

– Financial Inclusion and resourcing: How do we innovate existing mechanisms to better fund and resource the social economy? 

– Access to markets: Where are the gaps and opportunities in supply chains that can be strengthened to support the social economy? 

– Legal and regulatory: What is the best legal and regulatory environment? Do we need a legal form for social enterprises? 

– New Economies and Innovation: What can we do to position the social economy to be innovative, and respond to future needs? 

DOWNLOAD: DRAFT Green Paper 7 May 2019 with cases 3.

 

Comments on the policy can be sent to:

krige@ilo.org 

AAppolis@economic.gov.za 

SEGreenpaper@economic.gov.za 

Or WhatsAPP: 0663018278 (Kerryn Krige)

MORE INFO: https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/cooperatives/projects/WCMS_501549/lang–en/index.htm

 

DIVE 3 Social Enterprise and International Frameworks Debate

Belle and Co will be posting weekly Facebook Live Debate episodes exploring the topic of Social Enterprise from a South African perspective, as part of the EU Erasmus+ Supported Programme called “Dive 3: Zero to One > 1 to N”.

EPISODE 1: Social Enterprise as an International Framework or Global Movement, and its relationship to a South African context (released Monday 25th November).

This local series aims to create some discussion around the topic of SE in South Africa in a 5-part weekly series.

The DIVE programme has been running for 3 years together with 12 countries: Macedonia (lead country), Romania, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Italy, Portugal, Peru, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and South Africa.

More information on the programme please visit the project website: http://dive.youthalliance.org.mk

Follow the debates online, Belle and Co’s Facebook @belle.co.za and posted below as they arise.

 

 

SMITHSONIAN Research Mission

USA, 25-30 August 2019

Belle and Co. spent 5 days in the USA, on a research mission to discover some best practices in the museum world under the auspices of the African Union’s Great Museum of Africa project. We interviewed over 14 respondents (directors, curators, fundraisers, exhibition designers, 3D specialists, digital directors, librarians, garden directors etc); toured numerous museums, libraries and back-office admin and storage buildings; as well as collected A LOT of physical materials.

The highlight of the mission was getting to deeply experience and understand what went into the making of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. A museum built on participatory collection practices, deeply connected to community and used as a space for social justice, healing and restorative justice – “A museum to make the ancestors smile”, Lonnie Bunch III, Museum Founding Director.

 

AU’s GREAT MUSEUM OF AFRICA

22-23 June 2019, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Belle and Co. was invited as an independent consultant to join the African Union (AU) Commission’s 3rd Meeting of the Technical and Advisory Committee of the Great Museum of Africa (GMA), held at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in June 2019.

Images above: Artistic and Architectural impression of the Great Museum of Africa, Algiers, Algeria.

LINK TO THE ARCHITECTURAL DOCUMENT: Grand Musée de l’Afrique à Alger-1

The Great Museum of Africa was approved by the Executive Council in July 2016, as a Flagship project of the African Union Commission; and Member States agreed that Algeria would be the host country. It was also agreed at this meeting to establish a Technical and Advisory Committee composed of Member States, the Commission and stakeholders led by Algeria to develop the road map for the launching of the Great Museum of Africa within its first 10 year implementation plan of Agenda 2063. 

Current Committee members are appointed from the following Member States: Algeria, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia and South Africa.

The Second phase of nominations for Committee members is currently underway from the following Member States: Tunisia, Senegal, DRC, Kenya and Namibia.

The Meeting Agenda:

DAY 1 (Friday, 21 June 2019)

Opening Session included: 

Welcome remarks by Mr Machacha Shepande, Acting Director for Social Affairs, African Union Commission in representation of H.E Amira Elfadil, Commissioner for Social Affairs.

Remarks by Mr Daves Guzah, Chairperson of the 5th Pan-African Cultural Congress (PACC5) and Chairperson of Arterial Network, in representation of the Cultural and Creative Industries Sector Working Group.

Opening remarks by Mr. Facal Ouret, Chairperson of the Technical and Advisory Committee of the Great Museum of Africa (GMA) and Director General of the Algerian Agency for Great Cultural Projects in representation of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.

Session 1

Presentation of the Aims and Objectives of the 3rd Meeting of the Technical and Advisory Committee of the Great Museum of Africa by Ms. Angela Martins, AUC Head of Culture

Progress Report on the Status of the Establishment of the Great Museum of Africa by Mr Faycal Ouaret

Session 2

Development of the Template for the Collection of Best Practices and preparation of the first mission on the collection of best practices – draft to be presented by Ms. Belisa Rodrigues

Interactive session.

DAY 2 (Saturday, 22 June 2019)

Session 3

Discussion on possible ways and strategies for Resource Mobilisation for the establishment of the Great Museum of Africa.

Sharing ideas and discussion.

Session 4

Finalisation of the development of the Comprehensive Project Document of the Great Museum of Africa

Session 5

Discussion on the Legal Status of the Great Museum of Africa including discussion of the Host Agreement with Algeria.

Meeting end.

 

Crowd-funding for your non-profit

Crowdfunding (CF) presentation, Thu 30 Aug 2018, AORTIC Secretariat (Mowbray, Cape Town)

On Thursday 30 August 2018, Belle & Co. Associate Alexandre Rodrigues presented a lecture on non-profit financing in South Africa, with a focus on crowdfunding.  Alex is a CAIA (Certified Alternative Investment Analyst) charter holder, and works as an investment principal at Edge Growth, an SME growth specialist and impact investor.

The presentation delivered by Alex covered the following topics:

  • What is crowdfunding?
  • How does crowdfunding work?
  • How do you put a campaign together?
  • What resources do you need?
  • What platforms can you use?
  • Q&A

The presentation lasted an hour and participants in attendance were mostly from cancer non-profit companies (NPCs) AORTIC and CANSA.  Only a few participants had had some exposure to crowdfunding, with one having run an entire campaign on rewards-based international CF platform Indiegogo (to raise funding for a music concert), another having used GivenGain (also a global CF platform, but charity-based) for on-going small donations (for their cancer related NPC) whilst the last person had mostly only heard of CF (in a corporate model run by a financial services firm, OUTvest by Outsurance – a way to crowdfund one’s investing goals).

Alex began the presentation by highlighting the main sectors that use crowdfunding (social causes at 30% followed by small businesses/ entrepreneurs at 17%, with creative industries in third place at 12%).  The various types of CF models were then briefly discussed (equity, rewards, charity and peer-to-peer/P2P lending) before the global stats on the quantum of financing raised via this mechanism were shown (over $50bn worldwide in 2016, with most devoted to P2P lending at over 75%).  SA examples of platforms offering the various CF models were presented (rewards-based: Thundafund, equity: UpRise.Africa, charity: Back-a-buddy and P2P: PeerFin/ Rainfin).

The presentation went on to describe the elements of successful campaigns (e.g. use of rich media like videos, short but punchy copy, tools to share the campaign on social media, deadlines on fundraising plus realistic targets, reaching the “tipping point” within the first 2/3 weeks etc), with a focus on South African rewards-based CF examples (mostly taken from SA CF platform Thundafund), including: Land for Lions, Siki’s Coffee Revolution and “Know Your Water”.

Alex then explained what factors to consider when choosing a CF platform for one’s campaign (fees, type of funding: all-or-nothing or keep what you raise, ability to use/ incorporate multimedia, social media sharing tools etc), before delving into the importance of defining what you need the funds for and why (clarity of purpose to engage your supporters).

The presenter then stressed the importance of having a (realistic) fundraising goal and ensuring that the campaign length is optimal (SA data on rewards-based CF campaigns show that the average successful campaign raises ~R25k over 9 weeks).

Alex then went on to explain how campaigns run by dynamic teams rather than just an individual generally outperform (mix of skills and broader networks), and how maintaining a budget for the project and campaign is key to avoid running out of cash during fundraising and execution of the project.

Towards the end of the presentation, Alex explained the significance of planning, especially during the critical times of one month prior to launch (ensuring the content is ready – rich media like photos and videos, plus copy for the story, milestones to report back to community on progress, thank you letters to donors/ supporters etc) as well as on the day (stressing the importance of being able to “launch in a day”, i.e. go all out during the 24 hours after the campaign goes live, sending links to the campaign via social media, emails and even considering a launch party to drum up excitement for the project).

Alex explained the significance of feeding back to the community throughout the campaign as an essential way to keep interest and momentum, i.e. maintaining the campaign, especially given the fact that up to 65% of the funds raised are done so in the first 2 and last 2 weeks (i.e. the importance of starting and ending strong) of a campaign.  It was noted that campaigns that didn’t get past the 30-40% fundraising mark in the first 2-3 weeks were unlikely to reach their goal by the end of the campaign.

Lastly, Alex walked the crowd through his experiences running his own charity-based CF campaign 5 years ago (in 2013) and what he did well (short, punchy copy; a thank you to donors) versus what he did poorly (lack of rich media, no updates to supporters etc).  The presentation ended with some general Q&A, during which participants asked questions such as: “what the best platform to raise charitable funding in SA was” (local platform vs international; answer: depends on if campaign could have global appeal or not, i.e. for cancer-related causes, either one could work), and “what a cancer NPC could use CF to raise funding for” (e.g. sending an underprivileged scientist to an international cancer conference; to pay for the publication/ printing of a cancer directory etc).

The group then broke for refreshments and general socializing, with catering provided for by AORTIC.