The investment made towards Mandela Day by South Africans and others across the world has hundreds of definitions, comes in a thousand different forms, and tackles a million different problems. However, one single thing remains constant: all contributions are made to change the world for the better.
One of the goals of Mandela Day this year is “the alleviation of poverty”. And, of course, providing employment and work experience is part of poverty alleviation. Flow has decided to be part of this goal by having an intern or two present in the offices every day of the year as the company’s commitment to “Make every day a Mandela Day”.
The reality is that many young South Africans are experiencing a Catch-22 at the moment. The cold, hard fact is that not many employers are hiring youngsters without work experience. But then where can they learn? That’s where Flow has decided to step in.
Flow already offers fantastic internship opportunities – a number of current Flowstars started as interns and are now full-time employees.
Says Tara Turkington, Flow’s CEO: “Last year, we offered over 150 days of work experience to interns. This year, as part of our Mandela Day efforts, we’re going to pledge to offering a full 365 days of internship opportunities to young people who are studying or are new graduates. If we can help a few young people get enough experience to find a job, or even have more confidence in finding a job, we’ll be contributing something valuable to South Africa.”
Tara adds with a smile, “The future is with our youth, and one of these days myself and some of my older colleagues might need a job from one of the younger people we have helped, so it’s good insurance for us.”
One of Flow’s newest additions, Mkhuseli Vangeli, started out at Flow as an intern.
He reckons throughout his time as an intern, “I would bug them to give me something to do. And then, they start to give you harder work because you’re making it look easy!” He added, “If you’re hungry enough for something, you won’t say no.” He describes being a Flowstar as the good life – “it’s not always glamorous, but the people are always there for you. They offer you professional and personal growth.”
After having chatted to PR Flowstar Apaphia Lefatle, I discovered that she began at Flow in 2013 as an intern and has since been permanently employed at the company. She believes that the idea of hiring more interns is wonderful: “It gives youngsters the opportunity to learn and grow in the industry.”
Flow has always made an effort to create sustainable Mandela Day initiatives. For example, two years ago, the company began a blood drive that takes place at our offices – a drive that still happens every quarter to this day. Another example is Flow’s involvement with Maloney’s Eye Primary School, an under-resourced farm school on Gauteng’s West Rand, which has taken various forms, including helping to plant a veggie garden, contributing to food and gifts on special days, and clubbing together with our client, Maropeng, and some of its other service providers, to donate jungle gyms.
Flow clearly mirrors the general ideals of Nelson Mandela. This ongoing effort to increase the employment of youngsters by giving them the experience, which is so coveted, is just another way Flow is making a difference this Mandela Day, and continuing the legacy of the legend, Madiba.
If you’re interested in becoming an intern, please mail your CV and a letter of motivation to info@flowsa.com
