We will share the stories of 6 black community leaders who are making a difference at the grassroots level in Johannesburg. Through short biographical videos, articles and photography, as well as targeted marketing and social media exposure, we will highlight their work and help facilitate partnerships and collaboration that grow their impact locally and nationally.
80% of South Africa's population is black. The country's problems cannot be addressed without fully engaging black people as partners in creating solutions. But most of the narratives and expectations about black people are negative and severely limited. We identify those who are making a difference, particularly at the grassroots level. We shine a spotlight on them in order to shift narratives, and to generate hope, opportunities for collaboration, and greater impact for their initiatives.
Over the span of one year, we will identify and select 6 black leaders in Johannesburg; produce videos that give an in-depth look into each person and his/her initiative; market those videos and accompanying written narratives broadly and strategically; and monitor the resulting impact: the number and types of responses they receive, and the extent to which these responses help their initiatives grow and multiply.
We will use the examples of these 6 individuals to tangibly show how black people drive positive change from the ground up. The videos and accompanying articles and photos will contribute to a new narrative, and serve as a pipeline of sorts for corporates and other individuals interested in supporting or partnering with grassroots efforts. This will make it possible for more grassroots black people to be directly engaged in addressing South Africa's social and economic problems.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
