Help more people do it:
Mobilise and inspire others
Countless books have been written addressing the topics of mobilising and inspiring others, but to us – in the context of contributing to a social environment that supports the optimal development of children – it is about three things:
1. Leading from the front
In your attitudes and behaviour:
be the change that you would like to see
Focus on what you are truly passionate about
Do what you are suggesting others should do
2. Sharing information, knowledge and passion
Never underestimate the value of simply having sincere conversations with people about what you care about and what you would like to do – your passion will shine through and that is really inspiring!
That said, formal presentations, community media and social media are powerful tools that you can use to reach and mobilise more people. Click on the boxes below to access resources that you can use on different platforms. We have also included some guidelines on how best to approach this.
Our best advice
Social media posters
How to engage the media: a quick guide
Media samples
Great presentations: do’s and dont’s
Helpful slides
What will bring the next big change in South Africa (video)
How can each of us start changing South Africa (infographic)
The power of reading for pleasure (infographic)
The amazing potential of young children (presentation podcast)
Websites to visit and social media pages to follow
What children need to grow a love for reading and writing
How adults can stimulate early language and literacy
A growing baby – what is important at different stages
Websites to visit and social media pages to follow
3. And creating opportunities for participation and contribution
We think that people who take initiative and create the space for others to participate and contribute, are special (well, definitely in our books!). We love discovering such people, celebrating them and working with them – you can be inspired by some of them here.
If you are one of these special people (see above), how can you create opportunities for participation and contribution around the development and support of children in your community? Here are some ideas:
Start an interest group
Get people who are interested in supporting children together (online or in person) and put your heads together to come up with ideas on how to do this in your community.
Get people to do things with you
For example, starting a reading club, supporting pregnant mothers, hosting an event or making social media posts.
Host events
Events are great opportunities to create awareness and to fundraise. There are endless ideas for fun events and fundraisers on the internet – just ask Google and Pinterest!
Fundraise
Some people really do not have the time or the inclination to participate, but children need books, toys, happy spaces etc. If they want to contribute financially to that – fantastic!
Ask people to help
If you know someone has a specific skill or a resource that would be helpful, ask them if they would be willing to help.
If things develop to the point that you think it would be best to officially start a Non-profit Organisation (NPO), we have some further resources that can help you:
A guide to setting up, registering and governing an NGO
Are you looking to establish a non-governmental organisation (NGO) or searching for resources to strengthen your pre-existing organisation? We’ve curated a guide that will help you think through the legal, financial and technical questions associated with setting up and governing an NGO in South Africa.
A guide to monitoring and evaluation for NGOs
This website is an M&E resource for non-profit organisations (NPOs) and public benefit organisations (PBOs). Those with little M&E experience will be able to use the step-by-step guides to plan, monitor and evaluate programmes and interventions. More experienced users can access extensive resources to improve existing M&E processes or simply learn from other practitioners and organisations.