“Ons het almal die kapasiteit om kreatief te wees. Dit is soos ’n spier wat ons moet oefen.” So sê mnr. Ravi Naidoo, stigter van Design Indaba en Interactive Africa. Hy was die spreker by die Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert Instituut vir Studenteleierskapsontwikkeling (FVZS Instituut) se eerste 2DO-lesing wat gisteraand (16 Februarie) in die Konservatorium gehou is.
Naidoo, wat ook die bemarking van Suid-Afrika se bod om gasheer vir die 2010 Wêreldbeker te wees, sowel as die bestuur van die “First African in Space“-missie behartig het, het met tweedejaarstudente oor leierskap gesels en van sy ervarings en lesse gedeel. Hy het die belangrikheid van kreatiwiteit, innovasie en ontwerp as waardevolle aspekte van sosio-ekonomiese ontwikkeling in Suid-Afrika beklemtoon.
Hy het verduidelik dat hy die land se “bewussyn wil verander” en Suid-Afrikaners will wys dat hulle belangrike bydraes op wêreldvlak kan lewer.
“In Suid-Afrika is die algebra van ons probleme dat ons te gereeld op die laagste gemeenskaplike deler fokus en nie op die hoogste moontlike veelvoud nie. Ons skryf elegante dokumente en beleide, maar ons misluk wanneer dit by die implementering daarvan kom.”
Naidoo het ook die behoefte om in Suid-Afrikaanse kreatiwiteit en intellektuele kapitaal te belê, beklemtoon. Hy het bygevoeg Suid-Afrikaners is in ’n unieke posisie om oplossings vir wêreldprobleme te ontwerp, omdat hulle maklik tussen Eerste- en Derdewêreld kontekste kan beweeg.
Die 2DO (To Develop/Ontwikkel)-program – waarvan hierdie lesing deel gevorm het – is in 2011 geloods en stel ten doel om tweedejaarstudente te help wat hulself vasgevang in ’n onontginde leierskapspasie vind – tussen die institusionele ondersteuning wat aan eerstejaars gebied word en die verskeie leierskapstrukture waarin senior studente kan dien.
Mnr. Lloyd Blake, programbestuurder van die FVZS Instituut sê, “Die 2DO-program ondersteun, motiveer en ontwikkel tweedejaarstudente om dié leierskapsgaping te oorbrug en belê in die leiers van die toekoms.
Volgens 2DO-fasiliteerder, mnr. Craig Galloway, bestaan die program uit vaardigheidsontwikkelingssessies soos projek- en tydsbestuur, professionaliteit en spreekkuns, asook sogenaamde “signature learning experiences”.
Die FVZS Instituut vorm deel van die Universiteit Stellenbosch se HOOP-projek.
Vir meer inligting, besoek http://blogs.sun.ac.za/fvzs/ of kontak Lloyd Blake by 021 808 4987 of blake@sun.ac.za.
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Exercise your creative muscle, Maties told at 2D0 Talk
“We all have the capacity to become creative. It’s like a muscle that we need to exercise.”
This is according to Mr Ravi Naidoo, the founder of Design Indaba and Interactive Africa. He was the speaker at the Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert Institute for Student Leadership Development’s (FVZS Institute) first 2DO talk, held in the Conservatorium last night (16 February 2012).
Naidoo, who was also responsible for marketing South Africa’s bid to host the 2010 Football World Cup and managing the First African in Space mission, addressed second year students on leadership by sharing some of his experiences and the lessons he has learnt from them. He emphasised the importance of creativity, innovation and design as the essential tools for socio-economic development in South Africa.
Naidoo explained that he wanted “to change the consciousness” of the country and show South Africans that they could be serious players on a global level.
“In South Africa the algebra of our problems is that, too often, we are about the lowest common denominator and we’re not enough about the highest possible multiple. We write the most elegant documents and policies but we seem to fall down, quite often, in terms of implementation.”

Naidoo stressed the need to invest in South African creativity and intellectual capital. He added that South Africans are in a unique position to design solutions for world problems because they can move effortlessly between first-world and third-world contexts.
The 2DO (To Develop/Ontwikkel) programme – of which this talk formed part – was launched last year and is aimed at helping second-year students at Stellenbosch University (SU) “who find themselves in an untapped leadership space between the institutional support provided for first years and the various platforms for senior students to serve as positional leaders”.
Mr Lloyd Blake, Programme Manager of the FVZS Institute says, “The 2DO Programme seeks to support, motivate and develop second year students in order to bridge this leadership gap and invest in our leaders of tomorrow.”
According to 2DO facilitator, Mr Craig Galloway, the programme will consist of skills development sessions – such as project and time management, professionalism and public speaking – and signature learning experiences (SLE). This initiative forms part of the SU’s HOPE Project.
• For more information, visit http://blogs.sun.ac.za/fvzs/ or contact Lloyd Blake at 021 808 4987 or blake@sun.ac.za.
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