SAWIP Community Engagement Feedback -

Presented at the SAWIP Team 2014 Graduation hosted at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies

As part of the SAWIP program, one of the key foci of the Washington, DC Curriculum is the “work exposure” component. The SAWIP work exposure component consists of very short-term internships at various places including The World Bank, Capitol Hill, Government Departments and NGOs. Due to the time constraints of the program, VISA requirements and the minimal number of days we actually spend working at our respective placements, we call these placements work exposure as opposed to internships. Nevertheless, the benefits are the same.

My work exposure placement has been at the World Affairs Council, Washington DC (WAC-DC). WAC-DC is a member of the umbrella organization World Affairs Councils of America (WACA), which seeks to educate the public on international issues and current affairs. The staff is friendly, supportive and engaging, while the other interns are plentiful and very active. Given my less-experience background in world politics and international relations, I look forward to making the most out of the remainder of my exposure period and learn as much as possible.

In light of the upcoming departure to Washington DC for the work exposure component of the SAWIP curriculum, here are five quick reasons that may have you considering an unpaid internship.

This penultimate post in the series: The Honourable Imaad of Crawford, is intended to be a light-hearted reflection on the final two values embodied in the coat of arms. The handdepicting action, and the pen symbolizing knowledge.

In this post, we’ll look at the amalgamated version of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika and The Call of South Africa (known in Afrikaans as Die Stem van Suid-Afrika) that were the essential contributors to South Africa’s present-day anthem.

South Africa’s national anthem is considered to be amongst the most beautiful in the world. It brings together all the leaders, servants, the mighty and the less-mighty in our country. It’s the words that Helen Zille, Jacob Zuma and Julius Malema all know and can sing together.

Who’s that man? Oliver Tambo

In this week’s post I hope to inspire some further inquisition into the life of a legend: Oliver Reginald Tambo. The motive for this came during a visit to the Slave Lodge in Cape Town on 26 April 2014, where an entire exhibit was dedicated to this man. I appreciated this visit just for this, as I’ve frequently come across Oliver’s name when driving past Samora Machel and passing through O.R. Tambo International Airport. I asked some of my friends about Oliver, and surprisingly found that many of them were as ignorant of his contributions as I was.

Oliver Tambo was a legend who climbed the ladder of sacrifice and success for the realization of freedom and democracy. A democracy that he never truly witnessed, but contributed to significantly -as a leader- for us to enjoy the freedoms we have today. Tambo is dubbed as the “co-founder of modern South Africa”, the other half of the “Mandela-Tambo duo”, and the anti-Apartheid movement’s “link to the world”.

A notably brief timeline of his life follows below:

1917 Tambo was born in rural Mbizana in the Eastern Cape to a humble family with a very insightful father who also appreciated the knowledge of the West.

Completed high-school in Johannesburg.

1940 Graduated with a BSc in mathematics and physics from The University of Fort Hare.

Expelled -along with Nelson Mandela- for participating in a student strike that was organized on principle.

1944 Founding member -along with Mandela and Sisulu- of the ANC Youth League. Appointed as the ANCYL’s first national secretary.

1948-1949 Appointed as President of Transvaal ANCYL then National Vice President of ANCYL and subsequently onto the Transvaal Executive of the ANC.

1952 Tambo and Mandela opened South Africa’s first black law firm where he notably engaged in pro-bono work at the firm.

Detained and imprisoned for disobeying Apartheid laws during the Defiance campaign.

1955 Tambo replaces Walter Sisulu as Secretary General of the ANC after Sisulu is found guilty (by the Apartheid state) of being a communist and banned.

1960 Following the Sharpeville Massacre, Tambo went into exile and settled in Muswell Hill, North London. His family was smuggled in shortly after.

He was mandated to rally international support for the anti-Apartheid movement and the ANC. His efforts were considered the primary force in realizing ANC missions and support in 27 countries by 1990.

1961 Tambo rallies support of other African governments for training and camp facilities for Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) after the ANC adopted the armed struggle.

1967 Appointed as Acting President of the ANC, following Chief Luthuli’s death.

1985 Re-elected as ANC President, and also served as Commander in Chief of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK).

By this time he had rallied much international recognition and support. Oliver was regarded as a head of state by many internationally.

1990-1992 Tambo returned home to South Africa after being in exile for just over 30 years. This followed extensive medical treatment after he suffered a stroke in 1989.

Elected Chairperson of the ANC’s first legal national conference in South Africa (1991) and Chairperson of ANC's Emancipation Commission (1992).

1993 Tambo died on April 24, 1993 at the age of 75.

Tambo’s life celebrates the memory of sacrifice that he and so many other freedom fighters bore. It resonates with the lesson that one cannot climb the ladder of success, or fight for what you believe in with your “hands in your pocket”. Practical and often sacrificial efforts must occur. Something will have to give. Tambo’s peers, family, and community were tested and challenged, but it is the spirit of relentless activism, humility, a sense of appreciation for community, and his manner of negotiation that demanded the world’s attention and kept a movement together.

Oliver’s significant impact in rallying international support in over 27 countries for the ANC served as the gateway to the world. It is only fitting that Johannesburg International Airport was renamed OR Tambo International Airport to serve as a tribute to this great man.

At Tambo’s funeral Nelson Mandela made particular reference to Tambo’s selfless nature:

“Oliver lived not because he could breathe.

He lived not because blood flowed through his veins.

Oliver lived not because he did all the things that all of us as ordinary men and women do. Oliver lived because he had surrendered his very being to the people.”

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To explore more about Oliver Tambo’s life, contributions and speeches, see the following links:

Personal Page of Oliver Tambo (ANC Website)

http://www.anc.org.za/list_by.php?by=Oliver+Tambo

Oliver Tambo (sahistory.org.za)

http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/oliver-reginald-tambo

In the continuation of my exploration of the core values in this series of The Honourable Imaad of Crawford, here I will briefly explore some differences between community service and community engagement.

Some key differences between community engagement and community service are:

1. It’s WITH and not FOR

Community engagement programs are carefully designed to ensure that beneficiaries of a product or service are engaged in the process. On the other hand community service is often implemented with a focus on offering services and products for a recipient community.

2. Engagement builds bridges

Engagement builds bridges and trust between different social and economic communities. Engagement programs become symbiotic where both beneficiaries and benefactors are mutually involved in the change process. Service is more often geared towards a specific need where the relationship ends with a simple handover of goods or services.

3. Longer relationships are formed

As a result of (2) above, there is a much greater potential for longer and evolving relationships to be formed. Since community partners no longer need to approach communities to deliver a once-off targeted intervention with specific tangible outcomes like food and clothing handouts, the rules of engagement change where both parties may realize each of their own needs and develop a mutual and fluid relationship that is beneficial to all stakeholders.

A few key steps for designing community engagement programs are outlined below:

1. Know your community: Essential to successful programs is to know the social, political, economic and specific landscapes of your industry with regard to you community.

2. Map community needs: Do a thorough assessment of the needs of the community, either with specific regard to your field, or the community in general.

3. Compile a personal / organizational asset inventory: Do a comprehensive inventory of your personal or organizational assets. This will help you decide in which area you may best be able to contribute to the community.

4. Compile a community assets inventory: As the relationship must be engaging, communities must be part of their solutions. Do an inventory to check to see what assets the community already has and that may also be used during your engagement program.

5. Use the above to design and implement a short-term intervention that also includes a handover process so that the community may realize self-sustainability in your initiative.

The four core values of Faith, Knowledge, Action and Community are explored in this series. My community focus relates to being authentic and honest with myself in realizing who and what makes my community. The other half is concentrated on the space that other communities have within mine, and the space for engagement. At least in my view, a sense of community is fundamental to human development and progress.

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For further reading, feel free to explore the following articles:

For a deeper understanding of the mutually engaging relationship with community projects, read this story and try to critically analyze the relationship between the boy and the apple tree. Also, consider how this relates to your community projects.

The boy and the apple tree

http://storytelling028.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-boy-and-apple-tree.html

Community Toolbox: Assessing community needs and resources

http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/describe-the-community/main

Week two of the SAWIP experience focused on the idea of community. What exactly is it? Can members have multiple communities and so also multiple identities? How does this relate to community service? What’s this idea of community engagement? These are just some of the questions that facilitators Grant Demas, and Michelle Petersen allowed team members to grapple with.

The Honourable Imaad of Crawford – Part One, focused on the influence of faith in my four core values to be worked on during the SAWIP experience. This week’s post will focus on exploring the questions above. As promised in part one, my coat of arms is pictured below symbolizing the values of Faith, Knowledge, Action, and Community.

The notion of community is diverse and dynamic in every aspect: religious, geographical, gender, age, language and interests. Community has been defined by multiple philosophers and authors who have had vastly differing notions of community, the simplest of which is:

“Community: a group of people who have something in common” - Bill Lee

“‘Clusters of individual lives make-up communities, societies and cultures. To understand some of the complexities, complications, and confusions within the life of just one member of a community is to gain insights into the collective” - Coles and Knowles.

Community development, community engagement, community service, and community capacity building are all buzz words associated with the notion of community. However, communities need not always be productive or progressive. In fact, it is easily argued that communities can be detrimental as well. Sometimes we may be unconsciously subscribed to a community and even get upset when we’re mistaken for being considered as part of another ethnic group, race, religion, culture or even nation. This leads to a case of mistaken community.

In a simple exercise, the team was asked to draw/map (using only pictures) our individual community (or communities). Through this, it became evident that members have multiple communities that fit into either of those mentioned above.

Let’s briefly explore some of the results of mapping our communities.

1. There are multiple forms of community. Examples of these include:

● Communities of identity: this is characterized by a common identifiable trait as informed by religion, music, culture, age, gender etc. A community of identity may or may not be geographically bound.

● Geographical community: the borders of a town, city, or neighbourhood spatially define geographical communities. Geographical communities are often the first notion of community in the minds of many.

● Intentional communities: this refers to communities where members voluntarily come together with the intention of supporting one another. Examples include: AA meetings to academic support groups, youth groups, and specific interest support groups.

● Communities of solidarity: these are communities that are not bound by geographical boundaries. Such communities incorporate social movements, and advocates for political, social, environmental and other rights and interests.

2. Communities are complex: the differing notions and facets of communities as described above, clearly indicate that the constructs of both community and identity are complex.

The communities that have shaped my being include but are certainly not limited to the following:

● Communities of identity: Faith and religion (Islam), Academic (Islamia College, University of Cape Town, Al-Manaar Hafieth Institute)

● Online: The internet’s major influence during my youth is considered to be a major contributor to independence in learning. It has such also become a community.

● Geographical communities: I consider myself a global citizen with roots in South Africa!

To critically engage with communities, one must understand this notion of community, acknowledge its complexities, and also be authentic to oneself in which one must first realize what his own communities are. In the next post, I’ll explore ways of working with communities.

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For further reading, feel free to explore the following articles:

Assessing community needs and resources

http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-resources/describe-the-community/main

On April 23^rd, The SAWIP Team 2014 had the honour and privilege of engaging in a session with Anti-Apartheid Activist Reverend Peter Storey on Servant and Ethical Leadership. The session interrogated our source of values and succinctly followed on from Nigel Bailey’s session on balanced leadership.

Imaad and Rev. Peter Storey

In the workshop’s interrogation of my source of values and what values are most important to me, I found that these values were highly influenced by my faith. In my pursuit of becoming a more ethical leader I choose to develop the following key values:

1) Honesty with myself and others

In traditional Islamic doctrine, the Prophets of God are believed to be of impeccable character. They particularly refrain from committing major sins such as blasphemy, killing, fornication, stealing or lying. Similarly, they refrain from committing minor abject sins such as tasting a single grape at the market without seeking the farmer’s permission. It is said though, that they may commit minor sins that are not of such nature, i.e. that does not contain such abjectness. If they did, they are guided back to repent before people can follow them.

This raises an important consideration for leadership. Leaders must have character, it must be impeccable, and it must be informed by honesty. If one’s character is blemished, people will not follow you. In my opinion, the worst character flaw one can possess is dishonesty. While I’m no prophet, it certainly doesn’t hurt to aspire to embody the level of honesty that the prophets observed with themselves and others.

2) Sincerity in my intentions and actions

Another key deliverable from this workshop, that I also found highly informed by my faith, was that of intentions. Faith teaches one to continuously question one’s motives. It is important for the servant-leader to continuously evaluate his motives for his leadership engagements. In a world where temptation, corruption and greed easily overpower people, evaluating our intentions will help to keep us grounded and maintain personal honesty.

3) Respecting and never undermining the dignity of others

The dignity of the human being is one of a precious nature. A mantra I live by is to respect the dignity of others. It is easy to degrade the dignity of another, especially if we tend to disagree with them. Striving to maintain respect in an environment of difference has taught me to engage with others in a respectful manner, to consider the issue at hand and not the person.

4) Upholding my faith

I believe that my faith encompasses all of the above, as it is claimed that Islam is a way of life. It is impossible to isolate the influences that faith has had on my leadership. It is also safe to say that faith (of some sort) plays a significant role in the lives of many in which every major religion, humanist movement, or humanitarian cause has at least a doctrine of encouraging compassionate behaviour towards others.

My Coat of Arms which encompasses the above and four other key values - (1) Faith (2) Knowledge (3) Action (4) Community - with my motto “There is no pride, nor shame in learning” will be pictured and perhaps expounded upon in part two.

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Please see the following links for an interesting read on Servant-Leadership and The Charter of Compassion.

Link: Robert Greenleaf (principles of servant-leadership)

Link: The Charter for Compassion

Week two of the SAWIP journey focussed on leadership values and ethics. Nigel Bailey’s workshop essentially left team members with messages in groups of three. Three-Cs and BEE: Caring, Confident, and Composed and Build, Elicit, and Express (not necessarily in this order) respectively. Nigel’s workshop focussed on these two simple principles as ingredients of balanced leaders. The Three-Cs explanation follows below, while Elicit and Express refers to key characteristics for building relationships. Through one’s eliciting, prompting, and encouraging others to express themselves while carefully listening to them, one has the opportunity to build a relationship with them.

April was a significantly challenging month for me as I found myself in some hot water. The circumstances over the course of the month tested the Three-Cs of Balanced Leadership. Let me first provide a brief explanation of what the Three-Cs entail.

When a balance between being caring and being confident is realized we find that caring leaders respect others, know the needs and rights of others, and are humble when needed. Similarly, with this balance, confident leaders respect themselves, know their own needs and rights, and assert themselves when necessary. The crucial ingredient that helps maintain a balance between these polarities of care and confidence is composure. I would argue that composure is dependent on striking this balance between being caring and confident, as well as balancing one’s concern for himself with his concerns for others.

My composure has been radically tested over the last few weeks. This was particularly the case due to an imbalance in my confidence and care. Being tested by a situation that was very new, yet very personal, resulted in my being overly caring and somewhat lacking confidence with regard to the outcome of the trials that came my way. It is the ideal time to remind myself to be confident, and that no matter how big the situation is, the storm will pass. Tough times will not endure, but the balanced individual will.

I’m Imaad and you’ve just landed on the space that will document my SAWIP journey over the next seven months. I’ll save the introductions, background and biography for the formal parts of the SAWIP website.

The South Africa-Washington International Program’s promotion on my campus is somewhat of an enigma. SAWIP Alumni roam the university and when questioned about what the SAWIP selection experience is, they feed me responses like “Just be yourself, be authentic. That’s what SAWIP is really about.” Undoubtedly, the journey thus far has been incredibly introspective, from the application form to the interview and subsequently the selection camp.

SAWIP is my first official network of “crazy” people. People who do what they love, are daring, rise up to challenges despite all odds, serving others, inspiring others, making a difference as leaders, thought-leaders, change-leaders, and entrepreneurs who push and give in and of themselves to realize positive change amongst humankind. This network started with Selection Camp, the moment it all became real.

I was ecstatic about having made it to selection camp, despite still knowing very little about SAWIP, except that there’s a trip to DC in the mix. Selection Camp took place on the weekend of 21 March 2014. Apart from the professional and leadership development, service engagements, exposure, networking opportunities and a trip to Washington D.C., there is a great sense of inspiration in all of this.

The selection camp featured a number of team and individual activities from debating to sharing our personal stories and washing dishes. However, the most momentous of occasions was meeting more than 32 incredible, unique, and committed individuals with a selfless passion for this beautiful country of ours.

While some may have expected a fierce sense of competition at Selection Camp, I got exactly what I had wished for; an environment that facilitated inspiration and growth in many ways and this was only the beginning.