It was a thrilling moment at the Jenna Clifford Studios in Morningside when non-profit organisation The Elevation Alliance (Tea) launched their new venture with some wise women on 15 April.
Clifford, originally from Nelspruit, was delighted this initiative was launched at her studios. Aimed at building a pipeline of young leading women, the studio has launched a mentorship programme for young girls to participate in the economic mainstream and confidently take up space and leadership roles in society.
In a room full of inspiring women, keynote speaker Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka – who is the executive director of UN Women (United Nations) – and the respected Prof Thuli Madonsela were glad to be part of this new venture. Sponsored by Sasol Energy Solutions, the UN Women’s office has also endorsed this initiative.
“This programme will help women invest in one another. We need to invest in the resilience of girls for our ecosystems. Just like Charlotte Maxeke, somebody invested in her and, in turn, she invested in many other women regardless of class. When spiderwebs unite, they can tie up a lion. I surely hope this grows from strength to strength,” said Madonsela.
She added that pairing these young girls with female mentors will allow them the opportunity to see how leaders operate.
Mlambo-Ngcuka added that mentorship is important for addressing many issues that young women face. “Mentorship is important for augmenting education in young women that one would not get from school or university. True role models, this type of education is provided by watching and observing. This is so much more powerful than education from books. Never underestimate the difference we can make in young women’s lives,” she said.
Portuguese ambassador to South Africa, Manuel Carvalho, who was one of the few men in attendance, said this notion of bringing women further to serve in the programme is needed. “Women are half of society, so if we push that half further, you put the whole of society in a better position. So I do think it is a very good idea and I hope they go far with this endeavour.”
Founder Brenda Mabaso along with the two other directors, Tshepiso Phosa and Dr Chantelle Swanepoel, were thrilled with the turnout.
Project coordinator Brenda Archdeacon is excited about this venture. “The mentee intake will be launched in August for Women’s Month followed by a six-month online structured programme. There are 20 mentee spots available for sponsorship,” said Archdeacon.
Details: Contact brenda@era01.co.za if you would like to get involved or for more information.
