Rage 4 Good is the official social investment initiative of Plett Rage Student Festival. The name may mean nothing to you, or you may have heard the name but not given it a second thought, or you may even be aware of a some of the work that the scheme has introduced over the past 5 years within the disadvantaged communities that form the boundary rope to this beautiful town. The truth is Rage 4 Good has had a phenomenal impact on so many lives within so many communities, and we, as participants in that community, need to be aware of what ‘good’ is being achieved as a result of Plett being the host town for Rage.
I chatted to Nicola Probyn, co-founder of Firecracker (the company behind Rage 4 Good) about all things great about this perpetual project – the work that has been implemented and the work that still needs to be done – to give you, the residents of Plett, a deeper insight into just how important this work is in helping develop our precious society.
So, who are Firecracker? ‘We are an integrated event management and marketing company based in Cape Town which was co-founded by event management specialist Claire Alexander and I back in 2012. As well as Plett Rage Student Festival we also work with various corporates, NGOs, governments and other affiliated agencies.
‘Rage was one of our first clients back when we started out. Mike Silver from Elevator Agency introduced us to the Rage management team and it instantly became a project of love for us. I have always had a close affinity with Plettenberg Bay with precious childhood memories, so for both Claire and I, it was an easy decision to get heavily involved.
‘When we put the first plans in place for Rage 4 Good we championed the notion that the program should focus on social inclusion, youth/ educational development and community upliftment. From the outset we fully committed to raising awareness and social responsibility before, during and after the festival and that commitment hasn’t wavered. If anything, it has grown with each new project that we implement’
The list of accomplishments that are accredited to the work that has been undertaken by the team at Rage 4 Good over the last 5 years is extensive. ‘Since we started, we have managed to deliver numerous initiatives to the local communities. In that time we have re-landscaped the recreational area of Murray High School plus built a food garden to help supplement their food scheme; created art workshops for ‘youth at risk’ in Plettenberg Bay; facilitated character transformation intervention workshops using role play; organised a number of Christmas parties at the local orphanage; we even put together a boxing tournament in the Xolweni township. We continuously donate stationery, books and school uniforms to local learners as well actively employing local women to sell Plett Rage merchandise. As much as we have achieved, however, the work has merely begun and with each passing year comes new opportunities for us to develop existing plans and introduce new schemes.
‘2018 is no different. We are continuing our partnership with the Bitou 10 Foundation and will be working with Murray High School and Plett Secondary to bring the Career Guidance and Character Transformation programme to the learners for a second year. Through extensive needs analysis we can see that too many learners leave school before Grade 12 with no idea of Further Education and Training opportunities they could pursue. In addition, Grade 9 learners are not aware that the entrance requirement for many courses at Higher Education institutions is Grade 12 with Mathematics or Science, or both. High School learners are not given adequate guidance as to how to identify their own individual skills, talents and interests and the importance of this self-awareness when making study and career options. When selecting a field of study or a career, learners have seldom had the opportunity to visit places of work and interact with people working in their field of interest. They are often not aware of what the job actually entails and which long-term career options are available in the field.
‘Furthermore, what surfaced from last year’s programme is that the number of ‘at risk’ learners were higher than originally thought (this is learners exposed to drug and alcohol abuse in the home.) 2018 will see Rage 4 Good funding a highly experienced counsellor to come into the schools and work with the learners and their parents. This is the first time the parents are invited to be part of the dialogue and we’re optimistic that it’s going to be a huge success!
‘Secondly, following the needs assessment completed in consultation with the local high schools, community stakeholders and education department officials, it was identified that female high school learners desperately need access to sanitary hygiene products. The average cost of a pack of sanitary pads is R44, thus making it unaffordable for most girls living in the townships around Plettenberg Bay. The girls affected have no choice but to stay at home and miss an average 5 days of school per month. This obviously has disastrous consequences on their education and therefore opportunities in life to break them free from the cycle of poverty.’
Rage 4 Good have set the goal to donate 4,000 packs of sanitary pads to local high schools, Murray High School and Plett Secondary High School and are seeking a sponsor or a local business to step in to help. ‘We have spoken to a number of feminine hygiene brands to see if they can donate but the majority are already committed to helping other communities that need their help. We need to look for support from the local community. If you would like to support Rage 4 Good with goods (particularly sanitary pads) or financial sponsorship, please do get in touch!’
Despite all of this, there can be no respite in the levels of commitment from Rage 4 Good. As Nicola describes, the work is ongoing. There are also hopes that Rage 4 Good will have wider reaching positive impacts on more communities across South Africa. ‘We hope to grow the scope, reach and support of Rage 4 Good,’ Nicola continues, ‘to increase the positive impact made in the local community. The Western Cape Events Department have been loyal sponsors of Rage 4 Good since its inception, but we would love to get more companies and organisations behind the project. We would also love it if other festival owners looked to Rage 4 Good as a case study for how they can use their own events as platform to make positive change and impact.’
If you are keen to lend your support, no matter how big or small, and would like to donate or sponsor schemes for this years Rage 4 Good, don’t hesitate – call Nicola Probyn on 082 965 7362 or Claire Alexander on 076 8353509. Alternatively you can email at info@firecracker.pro for more information on how you can get involved.
