A number of key panellists have just been confirmed for a series of Think Tank breakfasts on rural economic development, hosted by the National Development Agency and Kaelo Worldwide Media, supported by corporate partners MTN and ABSA.

The Amy Biehl Foundation has welcomed volunteers from Northern Ireland annually since 2006. The Irish raise funds and donate sporting equipment to the Amy Biehl Foundation and spend a week each year coaching soccer and hockey and training students in first aid in the townships of Cape Town. 

For National Youth Day, OneVoice South Africa (OVSA) learners in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape honoured young people affected by the unrelenting effects of HIV and AIDS. Reaching out in partnership with OVSA - a dynamic non-governmental organisation working in schools to support a reduction in new HIV infections – learners wished to acknowledge the many young South Africans who are faced with the ongoing realities of losing parents/caregivers and family members.

15 year old Siphiwe Shabangu from Killarney, Soweto loves playing soccer and figures he is quite good at the game. So when his friend Sam Mngomezulu invited him to a camp where he could play football, Siphiwe could not resist. Believing he was only going to be playing soccer, he was pleasantly surprised when the Castrol Skillz Holiday Programme curriculum began teaching him about HIV/Aids in a way that was just as much fun as playing soccer.

In line with the company group values of People, Integrity, Performance and Professionalism, Edcon the leading clothing, footwear and textiles retail group, continuously supports young black professionals through various initiatives and partnerships, one in particular is its work with the Black Management Forum and investment in a number of youth development programmes.

The Ubuntu Festival celebrates not only the sense of unity that Capetonians have been experiencing during the World Cup but also fosters a truly prosperous and harmonious rainbow nation where we celebrate our cultural diversity and build a spirit of Ubuntu that permeates every aspect of our lives. The festival offers a number of ways to celebrate: through food, music and dialogue we enjoy our uniqueness and our differences and embrace the philosophy that is entrenched in our constitution and is the principle by which former President Nelson Mandela led South Africa.

The Castrol Skillz Holiday Programme has caught the attention of other businesses, whose contributions have made it possible to further the impact of this community-building educational campaign.

Children from Lefaragatlhe Primary School in Rustenburg, North West Province, were at the heart of football fever on Tuesday 22 June when they received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the Mexico vs. Uruguay match at Royal Bafokeng Stadium with Hyundai South Africa.

To further the reach and impact of the Castrol Skillz Holiday Programme, Rio Tinto invested in five camps in Phalaborwa, Richards Bay and Soweto. The camps use the powerful impact of football to deliver life skills and important messages about HIV/Aids to participating children and the broader community. Through an engaging and creative football based curriculum these messages are delivered in a language that young teenagers understand and can easily relate to. 

The final in the series of International Business Breakfasts, organised by Connect’d Cape Town, took place June 24th at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

The first 16 graduates exited the training programme in May and the next group will be joined by two disabled learners under the auspices of Extrinsic, a disability management company.

Businesses and entrepreneurs wishing to conduct business in Cape Town will have access to a powerful new facility when the Connect’d Cape Town office opens today at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). Connect’d Cape Town is an initiative aimed at showcasing local skills and expertise as well as attracting and facilitating significant investment and business opportunities to the Cape Town region.

Connect’d Cape Town is hosting a series of international business breakfasts on key World Cup match days. These breakfasts are the only comprehensive, locally-organised business networking opportunities in Cape Town during this period.

It may be the final countdown to the FIFA 2010 World Cup but it’s also the final count down to the close of entries to the annual Jet Community Awards – one of Southern Africa's leading grass roots upliftment programmes, The closing date? Monday, 31 May. The reward? The six category winners will each receive R75 000 in cash, while the 2010 finalists will each receive R15 000 in cash.
 

The Sustainability Awards identify and showcase the work of initiatives driven by non-profit, corporate and government organisations who are working to make a sustainable difference in the lives of others and positively impact communities. Furthermore, the partnership between Impumelelo and Artscape Audience Initiative gave Artscape the platform to showcase some of their developing artists.

Do you know someone, aged 14-19, living in the Western Cape, who is selflessly devoting their time to uplifting their community? Nominations are now open for the third annual Amy Biehl Foundation Youth Spirit Award, which aims to recognise and reward young people who are already making a difference. Entries close on 12 July 2010. 

With our abundance of wind, waves and sun, South Africa is better positioned to lead the renewable energies charge than just about anywhere else in the world. But in addition to new forms of power generation, surely we should be talking more seriously about introducing daylight saving?

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is now so close that we came across a website the other day that measures the time until countdown in seconds.

South Africans have a rather outdated tendency to think that all of its cities should be the same.  As a result we judge Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and anywhere else in the country by the same criteria, and believe that all our cities should focus on the same industries, compete for the same kind of talent and so on.