PRESS RELEASE: For Immediate Release 7 June 2024

Commemorating Mandela Month, national youth network ACTIVATE! Change Drivers (ACTIVATE!) is launching the A! network fund which will be giving away resources to the value of R70 000 to young people working across various sectors.

ACTIVATE! has spent nearly 14 years, providing over 4551 young people across the country with platforms to collaborate and strengthen their abilities and skill set to meaningfully contribute towards the common good in communities across South Africa and the global community.

Continuing in its efforts to deepen the impact of the network in activating change in greater society, four business initiatives within the network will each receive financial and or non-financial resource injection to the value of R10 000 each, one of the initiatives being the existing YEP Fund initiative and three non-profit organisations will each receive financial and or, non-financial resources of R10 000.

“The network fund seeks to contribute toward strengthening solidarity and resilience within the network, by creating opportunities for activators in marginalised communities”, network lead Lebohang Zimba says.

Now in its second year, the A! network fund is targeting seven of the nine Provinces the network is found in. This includes the; Eastern Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North West and Western Cape province.

“We wanted to target activators in these Provinces to encourage the visibility and active participation of activators in these Provinces which at times is not as prominent as the activators in Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal”.

ACTIVATE! recognizes the capacity and agency of Activators to actively and positively respond to socio-economic challenges affecting society today and has decade long track record of providing support to the young people in the network (activators) to achieve their goals of driving meaningful and inclusive social change.

“While the amount being given is only a fragment of the required resources, we have been encouraged by the great ability of the network to mobilise itself with little to no help, and we are confident that our continued helping hand will only lead to the benefit of communities requiring a great deal of support”, Zimba adds.

Criteria:

Activators across the seven provinces are encouraged to apply and in its effort to bridge the resource deficit found in marginalised communities, the fund will have a particular bias towards rural and semi-rural initiatives including but not limited to:

• Collaborative Activator initiatives across various sectors and provinces
• Activator-led entrepreneurial and social interventions including start-ups, cooperatives, NPOs, NPCs, etc

Requirements:

• Be an Activator
• Already running initiative and registered
• In one minute an introductory video of why you are applying
• Must have a business or organisational Profile
• Must have a Referral/Acknowledgement Letter from a stakeholder you work with

Application due date 31 July 2024: https://forms.gle/XvwpnLhWviS3ctS69

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For enquiries contact: Lebohang Zimba | Email: lebohangz@activateleadership.co.za | Cell or WhatsApp: +27 76 690 7812 | Monday to Friday between 8am – 4pm

For media inquiries contact: Ms. Zamayirha Peter | Email: communications@activateleadership.co.za | Cell: +27 79 692 7931

About ACTIVATE! Change Drivers

ACTIVATE! Change Drivers is a multisectoral youth development programme with a national network that in the past 12 years, has delivered a leadership development programme to over 4551 young people from across the country, with tools to enable platforms for youth leaders to connect, share ideas and be empowered to become active change drivers in their communities