Are you working in your community?

Johannesburg – Are you working in your community?

Independent Media has opened up an opportunity to

accelerate community development efforts of SA’s youth.

On Tuesday, the company said young people living in South Africa and

making a difference in communities stand to win R250 000 worth in prizes to

boost their community development work

Independent Media is looking for 100 inspiring

young leaders aged between 18 and 35 years who are trailblazers, influencers,

disruptors, healers or innovators in their communities. These 100 young leaders

stand a chance to win R250 000 towards their work to enhance their community

development projects.

“We recognise that there are a lot of inspiring

young people doing exceptional work in communities around the country; however,

a lot needs to be done to support their work in order to help accelerate their

efforts. Our aim with the Young Independents competition is to provide some

support to boost their efforts and their community development endeavours, and

provide the necessary support to enhance their work in communities,” says Saajida

Francis, head of The Young Independents. She continues, “Our aim is to

encourage and accelerate young leadership in various structures of society,

recognising that this age group is the future of our country, and by nurturing

them, we are nurturing the country’s future leaders.” 

Independent Media is asking community members to

nominate any young person between the ages of 18 and 35 whom they think is

making a difference in their community. The nominee’s work can be involvement

in the church, the workplace or general community, or he or she could have

environmental influence etc. The five nomination categories are:

·         Disruptors include young

people challenging the status quo or traditional thinking with their

unconventional ideas and actions. This includes artists, writers, media, and

civil society leaders.

·         Healers include young

people involved in healing our planet and society with their hands and heads.

These are young medical practitioners, young educators involved with

environmental work such as recycling, and NGO workers.

·         Influencers are young

people who are influencing the actions and behaviours of brands, policies and

people, and this includes government leaders, trendsetters, social media gurus,

and critics.

·         Innovators include young

people inventing new products, and business ideas or services that are changing

the way we live, work and play. This category is for youngsters who are driving

business or technology, scientists, architects, and chefs.

·         Trailblazers include

young people leading their field at a local and even international level.

These include top sport stars, academics, scientists, and business leaders.

Nominees must be South African residents (not

necessarily born in South Africa) who are doing exceptional community

development work.

To enter someone for the competition, submit the

nominee’s contact details (name and telephone number or email address), as well

as the nominator’s contact details, along with a motivation letter explaining

why the candidate should be considered as one of the 100 inspiring leaders.

Applications close on 31 January 2017. More information on the competition is

available here. 

The 10 winners in each category will receive R35

000 each, and the runner-ups will receive R15,000.

The 100 Young Independents will each win:

·         A

chance to win R50 000 in one of five categories.

·         A

profile in The Young Independents special

edition across the national Independent Media newspapers in 2017.

·         A

profile on the Independent’s youth platform.

·         Exposure

on our social media platforms.

·         Invitations

to relevant youth seminars and networks aimed at leadership development, among

other relevant issues in the various categories.