Johannesburg - The tertiary education phase of a young adult’s life might be exhilarating, but for many in South Africa, it is also a time of intense financial pressure.
As the cost of living continues to increase, students are also facing rising university and college costs which could threaten to jeopardise their futures before it has even begun.
A local youth platform, Varsity Vibe, is aware of these challenges and decided to put more power back into the nation’s future leaders.
“Varsity Vibe is not only a platform that helps students and youth in SA save money, but it is also a community where these users can connect and relate to one another through their shared experiences,” Chief Operating Officer (COO) Matthew Peter told The Saturday Star this week.
He explained that Varsity Vibe was created in order to address the very real need of stretching the budget of all students as well as the youth of SA, in instances that are unique to each individual.
“Varsity Vibe’s goal is to give more value to the youth of South Africa and make sure that they #NeverPayFullPrice while also helping businesses better connect and engage with the future leaders of the country,” Peter said.
The pioneering tech-based company’s programme was initially created back in 2010 but has since re-branded in order to reach more students in need as well as to include more deals and discounts from some of the country's biggest brands.
This includes the likes of Cotton On, Superbalist, Telkom, Nando’s and Dis-Chem.
“Being able to work with brands that are actively looking to make a difference in the youth space, by providing access to their brands at a reduced cost, as well as helping provide opportunities for young content creators, is truly incredible,” Peter explained.
“The brands were eager to partner with us and have loved the experience. Varsity Vibe has become a gateway for them to connect and engage with a very niche market that is so difficult to penetrate.”
Peter explained that they initially started as a card for 3000 University of Cape Town (UCT) students about 12 years ago with only 15 deals at 20 stores in the Mother City.
“It has now grown into an online platform of close to 400 000 members which allows instant access to hundreds of discounts and deals at over 2000 stores and online, all over the country.”
In order for individuals to be eligible to receive deals and discounts that are relevant to their own unique needs from Varsity Vibe, they need to be a registered student at a tertiary institution in the country. Alternatively, Varsity Vibe users need to be between the age of 16 and 25 and be a Standard Bank MyMo account holder or have a Telkom cell number.
“They can then get access to all our exclusive offers and deals which we constantly curate and update to ensure that we have something of value for everyone, whatever their unique needs may be,” Peter said.
The youth empowerment programme also prides itself on its efficient student verification system as they are the only South African business to offer this.
While the Varsity Vibe COO is proud of the work they have done, he admits that it has not been without its challenges.
“There have been various challenges – from signing on businesses in the early days, ensuring we have an efficient student verification system and as a digital platform, as well as dealing with technical and integration challenges with the app and website.”
He also listed unavoidable macro-economic events such as student protests as well as Covid-19 as some of the obstacles they had to encounter during their time.
“However, the benefits and advantages far outweigh these challenges as there are so many fulfilling elements to the work that we do, but the simplest answer is knowing, and seeing, how ecstatic users are when we bring on a brand or deal that helps them regularly save money and stretch their budget that little bit further.
“After all, assisting those who we will look to in the not-too-distant future to help shape and progress our country is a truly rewarding experience.”
Ultimately, Peter has big dreams for Varsity Vibe and its users.
“We would like to have every student or 16-25 year old in South Africa to become a member and grow this community as well as ensuring that, going forward, students and youth in the country get more value out of their day to day lives.”
He said that this extends beyond simply getting deals and discounts at retail brands but also getting access to opportunities.
“This can either be through content creation, internships or work experience through either Varsity Vibe or our partners. As our audience grows, we would like to cement our position as the gateway for all brands and businesses alike, to the youth of South Africa.”
Varsity Vibe is free to download for Android and Apple
To become a member of the youth platform or for more information, visit www.varsityvibe.co.za