Giving Back: Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa Empowering Our Communities

Don’t you hate it when big corporate organizations neglect their duty and promise to give back to communities they operate in? Well Coca Cola Beverages South Africa has been showing the community of Ebony Park, Rabie Ridge and Ivory Park that they give back to communities through various interventions.

On the 22nd of February, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa together with the IkamvaYouth Ebony Park branch launched a Soul Ambassadors network for CCBSA employees and participated in the Ebony Park Mentorship day. The Soul Ambassadors are a network of CCBSA employees coming together for a good cause.  Soul Ambassadors are CCBSA employees who are passionate about the community and give of their own time to deliver positive change in the communities where we operate.  CCBSA supports these individuals by providing them with extra time outside of the one day community leave given to all employees to execute this work as well as funding to deliver the plan.

The idea is to offer CCBSA employees a chance to change someone’s life through mentorship; by helping learners / scholars move from their current state to their desired state. Learners from different schools around Midrand and Tembisa who are part of the IkamvaYouth family came in numbers to celebrate the day and also be part of the mentorship program together with CCBSA Soul Ambassadors.  During the launch, the Ebony Park branch Grade 11 learners were all paired up with mentors from the CCBSA Soul Ambassadors and signed the IkamvaYouth Mentor-Mentee agreement.

The IkamvaYouth mentorship program enables learners to access post-school opportunities. Although the career guidance workshops increase learners’ awareness of post-school opportunities and ways to access them, IkamvaYouth learners also need one-on-one support from a mentor to help them make the transition from secondary to tertiary education. The mentoring programme ensures that every Ikamvanite accesses tertiary education and/or employment once they matriculate. Secondary objectives of the programme include developing communication skills, self-knowledge and self-esteem.

Ikamvanites who participate in the mentoring program get the following benefits:

• Increase in the mentee’s self-confidence

• Helps the mentee learn to take better control of his or her career

• Teaches the mentee how to speak up and be heard

• Educates the mentee on how to accept feedback in important areas, such as communications, technical abilities, change management, and leadership skills

• Improves the mentees interpersonal relationship skills

• Provides an important networking contact for the mentee

This mentor-mentee relationship also enables the CCBSA Soul Ambassadors to:

• “Give back” — to the organisation, the community and the mentee

• Reminds the mentor how to listen actively rather than passively

• Encourages the mentor to share knowledge and help shape the future of our youth

• Strengthens the mentor’s interpersonal relationship skills and perceptions of the various problems facing our country’s youth and education system

• Teaches the mentor about other areas/departments within the organisation

• Helps re-energize the mentor’s career

Ikamvanites had this to say;

“We all need that one person who can share knowledge with you and guide through your difficult time and also be there as a thinking partner”- Adele Kayitare

“It’s a good opportunity for me to know more about Coca-Cola as it is one of the biggest organisations in South Africa. Having someone from Coca-Cola to mentor me is a blessing and I’m looking forward to the relationship” Tsolofelo Moeletsi

As Ikamvanites take a journey to success, CCBSA Soul Ambassadors will be right there with them to ensure that they reach their desired outcome.

Their Future is in their hands.