Chartered give back initiatives – 2022
“When you’re in a position to have gotten so much, the gift at this point is giving back”– Paul Stanley
We believe that balance is the key to a fulfilled life. One of the key areas of balance is give back. Giving lifts our spirits and makes us happy. It is through giving that we make our own lives richer. At Chartered, we believe in encompassing the wheel of balance, so each staff member is required to volunteer two hours of their time to help those in need. Covid hindered our give back opportunities during the past two years, but thankfully we are on track again, with our focus for 2022 being meaningful impact.
Our first partner organisation is Fight with Insight. Fight with Insight was established in the city with the vision of creating a safe place for the children of Johannesburg, using boxing to teach them life skills that assist them in taking responsibility for claiming their rights. Their offerings extend beyond boxing, and they also focus on the following: fitness, friends, food, feelings, future, and fun. We have partnered with them in their life skills programme and are working with a group of young adults around financial literacy. Once a month, a team from Chartered will spend time covering a wide variety of topics relating to financial literacy. By working with the same group of youngsters throughout the year and tailoring our topics to meet their needs, we aim to equip them with the financial skills required later on in life.
Fight with Insight has a strong focus on physical activity. They believe it’s a vital pillar of mental health, so each week, inner-city youth and children with autism and members of the public are invited to attend a morning of physical activity. The morning kicks off with an inner-city run followed by two hours of boxing and conditioning. A lunch, prepared by the youth in the programme, is then served, and everyone enjoys a meal together. The philosophy behind this is “doing with and not for”. Because these children often struggle with relationship building, the aim is simply to be together, learning from each other and exposing the youngsters to individuals they might not otherwise get to meet. Many of our fitter staff members have signed up to participate in this programme.
As is often the case with charities, the focus to remain financially afloat means there are often no resources for personal development and soft skills. All our staff members are taken through Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead programme at Chartered. This was implemented after Kim Potgieter trained under Brene Brown to become a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator. The essence behind Dare to Lead is equipping leaders with the necessary skills to have the courage to lean into vulnerability and connect on an authentic level. We will be inviting representatives from various NGOs and taking them through the Dare to Lead programme. We aim to help equip them to bravely lead their organisations and help them have courageous conversations.
For the staff who prefer to give back by getting their hands dirty, we are partnering with Hearts of Hope and helping them paint their new home, which will house 18 orphaned and vulnerable children.
New Give back opportunities will become available throughout the year, and various in-house drives such as a collection of books, old work clothes and sanitary pads will take place. If you would like to get involved with any of the drives mentioned, or if you want to share ways that you give back, please email Lyndsay, we love hearing from you.