madrap wisdom #6

we busy ourselves so we can get time to quiet ourselves. it seems a little backwards to me.

madrap wisdom #5

when uncertain, always give the benefit of the doubt

words can never...

How do I explain my life when it is made up of emotion rather than action, moments rather than events. I can never explain the emotion when a 19 year old boy, previously thief, is released from a year in prison, having been raped, beaten, tortured, comes out and gives you a big hug, smiles from ear to ear and says, “Lets go for a Wimpy burger!”, immediately putting a CD into the car’s CD player pumping track #8, a song about the rappers mommy who stood by him.

When a 20 year old, previously drug lord, sits at a table with knife and fork in his hands, as clumsy as if he’s using chop sticks, (because he’s never eaten with a knife and fork before nor at a dining room table) and after finishing his meal says to the host in his strong coloured accent “Thank you for having us for dinner, the food was lovely”.

Sitting with a mother in her treasured one bedroom flat while she’s telling you about the change she’s seen in her son’s life, a previous druggie and gangster, and through that the whole household has changed with him.

A previous gangster and fighter makes a phone call and nervously, yet bravely, discusses the beginnings of an art career, the phone call being a huge achievement, taking ownership over his future even bigger.

How do I explain my life… words can never

madrap wisdom #4

you don't teach 'life skills', you live it.

all I know

Speak of which you do not know,
This thing you call my home.
There’s something I hear in your tone,
This land you say; Is so.

Two lies and a truth in your case,
That’s what you know.
Don’t you see it’s what they sow,
Of a land that is my place.

Two truths and a lie, a case more real,
Let me show you how.
Come listen with your feet,
Come see with your heart,
Come hear with your eyes,
Then you will see the truths I appeal.

Two truths you ask? Curious to learn.
Dimmed by your cloud of disbelief,
It’s impossible to make it brief.
Slow down, come listen with a heart that will yearn.

The lie you so quickly believed,
Is one of desperation and oppression.
It makes you feel better about your position.
Empty promises from a land that pretends to grieve.

And the truths you ask?
We have the truth that time allows,
Which for you finds itself used,
Rushed beyond and abused.
With time; happiness and love follows.

Freedom is a word that too,
Is beaten up and chained.
The truth in freedom that we gained,
Is to live and be as you.

This land you say; Is so
This land I say; Is all I know.
… It’s all I have to show.

branding - from within

On the ‘Old Boys’ LifeXchange camp this weekend we spent most of our sit-down sessions brainstorming “Branding”. We wanted to try find solutions from within, from ‘the horses mouth’ so to speak, as well as learn what the expectations are as LifeXchange members. The outcome was very interesting! After discussing what they felt or thought when seeing brandnames like Nike, Coca-cola we asked them what they felt and thought when they saw the LifeXchange brand. And this is what they said…..

From the inside LifeXchange members want to see:
LifeXchange become financially stable,
To have a LifeXchange office/house where they as members can come “hang out”, play pool, play games, have their classes and for it to be ‘their space’,
They want membership to be exclusive and not just for everybody,
They want to feel LifeXchange pride in who they are and what the brand means,
They want to “stand out” from the rest.

From the outside LifeXchange members want the public to see:
Members of LifeXchange having bright futures,
Members that are well disciplined, educated and trustworthy,
Members that have good leadership skills and are talented, but that’s not all.....

Lastly, we spoke about the publicity of the lives of our ‘youth-at-risk’. We discussed how if a person has reached point “B” and has become a world renowned artist, has travelled the world and has his own studio, it’s an interesting read, but that it only brings value when you talk about point “A” - where he was when he started - sitting on the street corner, unable to read or write or tell one day apart from the next because of his drugged-up stupor! Only then does the story of point “B” become alive; extraordinary, amazing, outstanding, significant, noteworthy, astounding, remarkable, incredible, astonishing…..all the possible words you can think of to describe the life change that has happened.

Because of this, it becomes appropriate to speak of point “A” (with consent) even when that person is still AT point “A”. But, only because we have seen that point “B” is possible, through the success of other members, and so this becomes a story that the public can read and hear about, they can follow their journey and give support knowing that point “A” will reach point “B”

Have we started tapping into our solution to the “Branding” issue?

madrap wisdom #3

taking a leap of faith requires taking a leap. go figure.

the "branding" issue

by Cobus:
Archaeologists suggest that branding dates back 5000 years! There is evidence that in 3000 BC the Babylonians were already branding certain products. The branding of cattle and livestock dates back 2000 BC and as far back as 1300 BC, potter’s marks were used on pottery and porcelain in China, Greece, Rome and India.

Today business is branding! The mere mention of brand names like Coca-Cola, Nike and Apple brings to mind images, experiences and emotions connected to these brands. We either buy, or do not buy based on branding. But how do you use the same brand to reach two completely different markets, achieving two completely different outcomes?

One of LifeXchange’s successes is the way we market ourselves in high risk areas. We are not known as a rehabilitation centre, a program for troubled kids, or a youth-at-risk intervention organization, but rather as an extreme sport and adventure organization selecting young people with huge potential. Our brand is non-threatening to gangsters, drug addicts and the uneducated, and has a reputation as the organisation to be in. In the public sphere however we market ourselves as a youth-at-risk intervention organization working with some of the world’s most broken and lost young people. This is the reality of what we do and whom we target in order to achieve our goal; making a broken young person whole again.

Our problem: Selling the same brand to two different groups of people does not seem sustainable. Whenever there is an article in a newspaper or magazine about our intervention approach and the words ‘youth-at-risk’ occur we pray that none of our young people will read it. Yet, we want to be known to the public as an organisation that is specialising in high-risk youth intervention, leaders in our field, excellent in what we do, trustworthy and sustainable. But, in the communities we work with we want to be known as an adventure organization that recruits young people with talent and helps them turn their life stories into success stories.

So how would you do it? This is a request to please give us your advice, guidance and opinion our double-edged problem. Looking forward to hearing your touch of brilliance on this topic!

madrap wisdom #2

though not as comfortable, life is simpler and clearer when we have less.

in south africa

In South Africa it’s sensible to back-up your laptop, not in case your computer crashes but in case it gets stolen. In the past 3 months, between me and my two sisters, we’ve been robbed 10 times: 2 laptops, 2 passports, 6 cell phones, 3 wallets, 2 bicycles and that’s not mentioning my sister’s boyfriend who had his entire office building cleaned out, my friend’s sister’s throat slit and an old lady down the road shoved into the boot of a car. Sorry for being a bit brash, but these are not uncommon stories for South Africans.

During the past two weeks all public service workers across the country have been on strike. Without indulging in discussions on the why’s and why not’s for the strike; it has left us with no fuel at petrol stations and in our hospitals many adults, children and little babies have been left to die. Our teachers are also on strike, leaving our youth unable to go to school, including those in Grade 12 who were meant to write their last mid-semester exams this week which determines their future careers, bursaries and placement in universities. And for those who’ve refused to strike they have been physically attacked and the buildings have been vandalised with chairs through windows.

Currently South Africa has just passed a law of ‘Protection of Information’ limiting the media on how much can be released to the national and international public. The ANC (our current governmental party) Youth League have “fight, produce, learn” as their slogan and dance in the streets shouting “Kill the Boer”, meaning white person. Seeing their members dancing in military camo’s makes anyone nervous because these above two statements are significant incidences that occurred in countries like Zimbabwe before their drastic downfall began!

This is just a drop in the ocean of our country’s problems. It sheds light as to why South Africans have been fleeing the country since 1994 and why those who remain are constantly negative about our future. But you can’t help yourself from asking, “Will we go the same way?” Some say we already are. Are we?

Imagine that we all, and I mean ALL, for one moment, believed positively in the future of South Africa? Would we still go the same way?

Below are some interesting, thought provoking pics and links
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=15&art_id=vn20100722045340729C272215

http://www.rense.com/general56/murd.htm

http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-08-23-publicservice-strike-hospital-deaths-under-spotlight