A TEACH South Africa fifth anniversary celebration video, in a week, to be precise. That was the task at hand for a number of Flowstars.
Designing and sending out invitations for the night of 19 February was the easy part. A week or so before the event, a number Flowstars were briefed about developing a celebratory video that would be played on the night.
Scripts were created, interviews were held; and the result was a nine-minute video that looks back at the past five years of TEACH South Africa.
Roshni Nana headed the project: “Once again, Flow staff showed off their ability to work within tight deadlines – gathering information, going out to interview people, setting up makeshift studios, choosing music and, of course, editing, editing, editing.
“At the end of the day teamwork won, and I am incredibly proud of the team that worked on this project,” says Roshni.
George Xafis had perhaps one of the more challenging tasks: putting all the footage into one, flowing video.
“The TEACH SA fifth year anniversary video was challenging as much as it was rewarding. The most challenging aspect to this video was completion, by deadline. The rewarding aspect was the knowledge I got through editing the interviews and other footage. Also working with a talented, knowledgeable team helped, and proved to be a great success in the final stages of the video.
“I have a deeper understanding and respect for the TEACH Ambassadors, their work and skills are paramount in the greater education of impoverished schools. Their empathy and drive to teach will give kids ambition, opportunity to find work, after high school, and most important, to realise their dreams.”
Zintle Mtyeku helped with shooting footage and facilitating interview sessions. She says: “It was great meeting all the people who are founding members, the people who supported TEACH South Africa from the beginning, and other stakeholders who have nothing but positive experiences to share about the organisation and the amazing things they have done for our society so far. It was a heartwarming experience and a great project to work on.”
Willem Steenkamp conducted some of the interviews, and was also impressed with his interviewees.
“It’s always interesting to meet people who are leaders in their field. But in the case of TEACH South Africa, it’s a bit different. Their involvement is more altruistic; they have long since appreciated that for our country as a whole to succeed, they need to be a part of the solution. That’s a hallmark not just of leadership, but great leadership,” he says.
Says Colin Ford on the night’s celebrations: “The speakers at TEACH South Africa's fifth anniversary event were really inspiring. It's incredible to hear how so many teachers and learners triumph over adversity every day, to ensure that learning takes place in our schools.”
I helped with some of the interviews and event coverage. The evening was one of those you where realise the power of people working together. Watching the video for the first time on the evening was amazing, because I saw and appreciated my colleagues’ hard work. Listening to the learners, graduates and stakeholders on the evening was inspiring because I realised how working together can help change the world.
Well done, Flowstars!