The If I Could…blog is our one-stop-shop for the latest internship, development, and Cape Town-based news. Find out what we’re up to, what we’re involved in, and what we think is worth knowing & sharing.
Also, keep track of our ‘intern chatter’ series — blogs written from and for interns alike. Our series provides tips, suggestions and overviews. Everything is written from a first-hand experience and gives insight into the life of an intern.
Enjoy!
Do you have any suggestions for Blog content? Would you like to be a guest writer and be a part of the If I Could..blog team? Then contact us and tell us your name, location, and send us a few writing samples. We look forward to hearing from you!
Trevor Noah on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
South African funny man Trevor Noah made his debut appearance on America’s favourite late night talk show “The Tonight Show” with host Jay Leno last week. Trevor is currently one of SA’s leading comics and his brief stand-up stint during the show was well recieved by the American studio audience. We wish Trevor all the best for his future endovours in the US and have every faith that he will do SA proud.
Incase you missed it, check out this video…
Rachel shares her internship experience with us
It’s been an exceptional year for us at Development Works and the if i could… internship program keeps going from strength to strength. At the moment one of our current interns, Rachel, who has been with us for the past 2 months now has only had great things to say about her media internship at Heart Radio in Cape Town.
“I have been in South Africa for exactly two months now, but I feel like it’s been ages. Let’s say about eight months; I feel like I am already part of the country; I feel like I shouldn’t even be exited about it. Why do I feel this way?
My colleagues at work at Heart radio, at Creative Consulting and Development Works (if I could…), friends I stayed with at the back packers lodge and not to forget even those I met on the streets while going about my business in the city, all played a huge and magnificent and tremendous role in the time I’ve spent in the country thus far.
I have opened my eyes and heart to various things I found here in South Africa -the culture, the people, the unpredictable weather that caught me unprepared when I arrived (oh my!), name it and the good news is, it’s not going to stop here. I will certainly take such type of discipline wherever I go.
My experience here has been wonderful and I have to take time to get this message out of so people can actually come here and know what I’m talking about. I feel so good right now. I am proud of myself that I have accomplished a great task and I am ready to face whatever may come my way not just because of my internship and the way it has shaped me, but also because of the people I met here.
My supervisor, Melani Jones jokingly told me that I have changed (with an angry face, by the way!). Now, to her she was kidding, but to me I never took it as a joke, because in deed I feel I have changed, for the better. I am not the quiet and boring Rachael who came into the office the first day, but I am now the Rachael whose personality has been better shaped for the real, hectic and vibrant world. I learnt this from Mel and the rest of the breakfast team at the radio station. I’m not too sure if I would have learnt this elsewhere, but every experience I’ve had here has got something different to learn from!
I would like to take this opportunity to appreciate Lindy, Jessica, Michelle and the entire team at Creative Consulting and Development Works (if I could…) for this wonderful and brilliant opportunity, you are absolutely, without doubt impacting this world greatly!
Melani Jones, Phat Joe, Julian Naidoo, Francois, Nick Feinberg , Gavin,Vernon and the entire Heart radio for not only this great opportunity, but also shaping me to be a competitive and outstanding person.
My entire family for making this happen!
Thank you!
To you all, whatever success I will hold will not only be mine but yours as well!”
With love,
Rachael
Photos: Black Tuesday & Secrecy Bill Protest
Tuesday, November 22, 2011, was a big day for South Africa as journalists and citizens came together to protest the passing of the ‘Secrecy Bill.’ This piece of legislation would give the South African government the right to withhold information from its citizens and prosecute journalists who share information that may be seen as a threat to the government.
To South Africans, this passing is a step backwards in what was a once-attempt toward a democratic country.
It’s a major issue at the moment, and if you are at all interested in human rights, communications, and social justice, it is something worth reading about!
To learn more, check out some blog posts:
Creative Consulting& Development Works
As well, some of our If I Could…staff members attended the protest at Parliament. Check out some photos of the event:
‘Black Tuesday’ – Nov. 22, 2011
Today marks ‘Black Tuesday,’ a movement that protests against the passing of the ‘protection of information bill,’ also known as the ‘secrecy bill.’
According to the African National Congress, they need to update ‘apartheid-era legislation safeguarding valuable information by all organs of state.’
It’s being hugely debated around the world, and heavily protested within South Africa.
To learn more, read the Guardian’s article here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/21/black-tuesday-protests-south-africa-secrecy?newsfeed=true
Intern Chatter: Living & Loving CT and Heart 104.9FM
{this post is from Rachel Petua, one of our interns currently working in Cape Town’s mega radio station, Heart 104.9 FM. This will be a weekly blog series highlighting her time in Cape Town. enjoy!}
Upon being given the opportunity to work in Cape Town and also discover this amazing city, I did my personal research which didn’t necessarily turn out to be what I wanted it to be. It was all about crime in Cape Town and trust me, I was completely baffled and frightened for my safety, but on the other side I really wanted to spot and experience the city that everybody is hyped and ecstatic about! Cape Town, it is!
NYTimes: Hip Cities : Special
The New York Timesincluded Cape Town in its list of “Hip Cities That Think About How They Work.”
Amongst a list of top-notch locations such as Barcelona, Copenhagen, and Berlin, Cape Town was highlighted and commended for its efforts to be environmentally friendly, active, vibrant and take large strides in reducing crime and violence.
The article highlights:
Wedged between sea and mountain, Cape Town’s natural setting is stunning. Nor does the city — with its colorful neighborhoods, historic sites, and easy charm — disappoint.
It goes on to mention the city’s 3.5 million residents as it becomes one of the world’s top tourist destinations.
Other fun mentions include:
Four major universities and many research institutes make Cape Town one of the continent’s bustling research centers. Named the 2014 World Design Capital last month, the city government is encouraging a cluster of design and creative firms in a neighborhood called the Fringe. The 2010 World Cup of soccer was a boon for infrastructure, especially public transportation. A new bus system, with dedicated lanes, has been rolled out in recent years to keep the many suburbs connected and alleviate crushing traffic.
Very favorable mention…go Cape Town!!
Table Mountain: New 7Wonders of the World.
Hooray! We all know it, but after campaigns, advocacy awareness, and website promotions, the rest of the world has made their decision to include Cape Town’s infamous Table Mountain as one of the New 7Wonders of the World.
This is HUGE news for the Western Cape.
The Vote for Table Mountain campaign first created THIS video when we were made aware that we became a finalist:
Table Mountain: New7Wonders of Nature finalist from Flow Communications on Vimeo.
After hundreds and thousands of votes, the committee made the decision to include Table Mountain. Watch their announcement video:
The New7Wonders of Nature are:
1. Amazon
2. Halong Bay
3. Iguazu Falls
4. Jeju Island
5. Komodo
6. Puerto Princesa Underground River
7. Table Mountain
Spokesman Martin Jansen van Vuuren, added the following:
“South Africa will gain an additional 108,000 international tourists a year due to the increased exposure of Table Mountain as a New 7 Wonder,” he said.
“The value of this tourism increase is estimated to be approximately R1.4 billion per year for the first five years following the inclusion.”
Welcome to our blog!
We’ve launched our new internship blog and we couldn’t be more excited! Housed on this page you’ll find all sorts of info related to South Africa, the development sector, and most importantly, your internship programme.
Soon, this blog will be your one-stop-shop for comprehensive news, fun facts, and updates. As we scour the news and read about current affairs, we’ll post them onto the blog as part of our ‘thoughts incubator’ series and hope to generate discussions that will challenge your thoughts, open your mind, and educate you about different initiatives.
As development hopefuls and practitioners, it’s important to keep challenging ideas and learn about current happenings. Soaking in all this knowledge will directly impact your day-to-day work with your organization. We’ve quickly learned that Cape Town is nothing short of excitement and constant adventure. With that, it can also be a bit daunting to scour news and tourist sites for upcoming events in the Western Cape.
Visit our blog frequently for postings on future events and our recommendations of must-see’s and must-do’s! Lastly, we’ll be posting information related to your internship programme — including profiling your host organizations, adding helpful hints, and highlighting different interns within the programme.
This particular section and series will equip you with as much information to make your internship experience as profound as possible. It’ll also give you insight into the other interns and what other cool organizations are doing in the area.
So in short, stay tuned! Keep checking back for photos, events, updates, and forums on all things related to Cape Town, the development sector, and your internship experience. — Enjoy!
**This is a collaborative effort, so please shoot us an email or leave us a comment below with story ideas, current news tips, or if you’d like to contribute as a guest blogger!**
Intern Reflection: the importance of summer internships!
The article “A Guide for Summer Interns: Your Personal Matrix” by Jodi Glickman is published on HBR blog website on July 6th. Great timing as it is almost the half way (maybe now almost the end) of our summer internships. The main message Glickman conveys is that we are in the driver’s seat of our careers and what we get from our summer internships is in our hands. She suggests making a current situation and a wish list matrix which includes people we worked with and people we think they might serve as mentors to us. This will show us the outline of how to go from point A to point Z. Filling gaps between point A and Z is our new task that we can share and discuss with our mentors/colleagues. I think it is a great opportunity to create a strategy for the rest of our internships. Moreover, as what we want to do is a concrete document now it will keep our minds focused.
No one will practice and learn everything doing an internship in summer however it is one of the best ways to put our knowledge into practice, learn more and sharpen our skills. This is important not only for our own personal development and for our career but also for the future of the world as we all are ambassadors of development and peace. I believe that keeping our minds focused and getting the most from the internship to honor all resources poured on us and all efforts we put forth until today is the least we can do.
-Banu
Dear World Wide Web
Dear World Wide Web,
I am soooo excited to get out! The chilly weather in Cape Town has kept me hiding under a blanket for a few days, but next week is Pecha Kucha 20×20! Sooo excited.
“Pecha Kucha takes place in over 420 cities worldwide. Devised for people to meet, network, and show their work in public. The presentations are 20 images X 20 seconds each.” (more…)
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