Unearthing The Dynamic Woman

Thirty thousand. This is the number of young women Planet Productions, through their Girlology program, seeks to transform and empower in 2016 at various tertiary institutions in South Africa.

The protagonists at the start of the workshop: tense.

This powerful program helps young women break down defensive walls they’ve built around themselves, open up about the challenges they’ve endured, be vulnerable to share their experiences and get help in order to reclaim greater learning and success in their lives going forward.

 

The walls start to come down.

The facilitators feel it is imperative for these young women to know they are not alone, nor do the current circumstances define what they are capable of.

Karen Burt and Claire Mawisa have worked to together for well over 20 years to design a number of programs to empower men and women of all ages. Girlology is the most in demand of Planet Production programs; no topic is off limit, the facilitators and featured guests answer all questions posed to them honestly drawing from their personal experiences.

  

Karen Burt offering guidance when the walls are completely down

Sponsorship of Girlology has meant a growth of reaching two hundred women in 2011 to a target of thirty thousand women in 2016.  Whilst this is fantastic progress, there are still hundreds of thousands more women who crave participation in the Girlology workshops. As the project manager, I’m in regular contact with Student Support counselors/representatives who constantly request Girlology for their campuses as they can gauge the positive behavioral changes with their students. In fact many of the support staff want a similar program for themselves - they feel could better cope with life’s demands if they’d had such guidance earlier in the lives. Then there are the young men who are frustrated that no one is taking to time to engage with them on the same level as the women.

The programs are most effective conducted in large group of participants, and at an accessible, safe and comfortable environment – this makes them a meaningful brand activation opportunity. The programs address a myriad of social ills that plague out beautiful country – why wouldn't any one  want to be a part of resolving some of the issues?

Dynamic team: Claire Mawisa & Karen Burt

Here’s the thing: Planet Productions has the programs, it has the experience and it has the will. What we don't have are the resources to really make an enormous difference. We know some people who do and we are talking to them. Only time will tell if they are listening.