RLABS Collaborates with College of Cape Town,City Campus at their Open Day
This weekend the RLABS team is out once again doing a Social media Surgery. The venue for this weekend’s event was held at the College of Cape Town (City Campus) where their NCV Marketing team ran a social media network workshops on the 30 and 31 July at the College of Cape Town Open Day. As a leading provider of Education and Training, the College of Cape Town has much to offer students and prospective partners. Our courses lead to recognised qualifications that are demanded by commerce and industry.
The RLABS Team came on board and partnered with the college to create an online buss around this event. On the 1st day there weere students from different High schools coming through the door of the college to see what they could possibly come and study at the campus next year. Our aim was to sign these students up with various social media tools such as Gmail, Facebook, and Blogging etc. RLABS aim was also to drive traffic to their group on Facebook.
I love these Social Media Surgeries as it is a good way to interact with the public in an open space. Got to love innovation.
Credit cards maxed out at SABC Education Baba Indaba and Kids Indaba
Those who didn’t book surely lost out! The organiser’s desk was inundated with bookings for 2011!
Weary but elated is the way most exhibitors are feeling after a bumper show in Cape Town this weekend! The Cape Town ICC hosted thousands of moms, dads, babas, kids and grandparents at the SABC Education Baba Indaba and Kids Indaba and boy did it rock! With a total of 39 783 visitors through the door, this show saw exhibitors’ products flying off the stands and to put the sparkly sprinkles on top of the cupcake, visitors were not afraid to make on-the-spot purchases – credit card transactions were coming thick and fast, resulting in a jam until batches were transmitted. Exhibitors such as Gelli Baff, Baby Throne and Educare completely sold out of their products!
More Baba Indaba articles
- Supermodel or supermom – Cape Town’s the place to be 6 Jul 2010
- Pretoria and Midrand alive with activity at Kids Indaba! 8 Jun 2010
- Pretoria and Midrand Baba Indaba dazzles and delights! 3 Jun 2010
- SABC Education Baba Indaba supports Child Protection Week 25 May 2010
RLabs Stimulate Toddlers: Social Media Surgery
Diapers, cots, prams, bottles, soft toys, baby clothing, teething gel are just a few thoughts that spring to mind of an expecting mom. To enrich parents and parents-to-be more about baby stuff was the SABC Education Baba Indaba. The Baba Indaba was designed to inspire new moms to delight in their pregnancy, bring fresh ideas to parents, stimulate toddlers and entice kids with various essential, interesting and fun products.
This annual event was held in Durban, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. On 23-25 July the CTICC was the venue where parents, babies, toddlers and tweens were entertained, inspired and encouraged to discover a world of fun and education with a variety of exhibitors. For the first time in South Africa the Kids Indaba, which focuses on children between the ages 6-12 years, was part of the already well-known Baba Indaba.
Among the necessary new-born products, nutritional and healthy food, educational cartoons and maternity fashion shows, was Bridgetown’s very own Reconstructed Living Lab (Rlabs) to stimulate the children via computers. Rlabs was determined to take Social Media Surgery to the younger generation, who were eager to interact with technology. Rlabs aimed to increase the understanding of technology and to educate the children between the ages of 6-12 years about various educational sites, children from as young as three years old were playing games on the Wii, X-Box and the PC’s.
Most of the children who passed-by showed an interest either by pulling their parents towards Rlabs or running towards a pc or the games projected on the screens. They were knowledgeable as well about the internet and exchanged their favourite sites with the Rlabs team.
Technology has weaved its way to the very young ones and to enhance the phrase “…if you can’t beat them join them,” Rlabs encouraged the parents to embrace the ever transpiring evolution of the online world by introducing them to sites beneficial to their children’s development.
- This was a guest post bt RLABS. www.rlabs.org
Wii all stand together
Who said that you are too old to learn?We have learnt so much from our seniors, and many things they have imparted in our lives while we were growing up. And now it is time to give back and teach them what we have learned. Today Michael did a session with our seniors from our community. He set up the Wii console for them and had them play tennis etc as a form of exercise and a way to stimulate their brains. The seniors had a blast and at the same time ha a workout without them realising it lol.
This is just one of our ways that we utilise technology and a way to give back to our community. It is important that we look after our seniors as they have been praying for us and caring for us over the years. We will be having more Wii sessions with them as time goes on and also look at how we can introduce them to Social Media.
MobieG Gets Introduced to JamiiX System
Some of the MobieG counselors
On day two we did started the day off by doing a recap of the previous evenings training and see how much the trainees has remembered. After the recap Craig introduced the counsellors to the JamiiX system, the platform that they will be using. Jamiix, a web based tool allowing you to manage multiple conversations from different Social Networks and Instant Messaging platform.
We took them through the entire system and showing them all its functionalities that they would require to do the counselling. This is how you add the contact for their mobile counselling service:
Go to Menu
Add Contact
Select Jabber option
Jabber ID: mobieg@jamiix.im
Nickname: MobieG
Accept Contact
God Gazer
I just loved this poem when i heard it and It really blessed my heart and made me really just want to be a God Gazer.Check it out:
God-Gazer
I want to be a God-gazer,
captured by the brilliance
that springs from the radiance
of You.
I want to be a God-gazer!
Not a cheap food grazer
or an easy option lazer.
I want to be a trail-blazer
for the ordinary, everyday life.
I want to be a God-gazer -
not just copying the halcyon ways
that shimmer brighter in the haze
of by-gone rays and the good old days.
I want to be a God-gazer!
Looking beyond the trappings of success,
cutting through the stucco of respectability
like a laser piercing darkness.
I want to be a God-gazer!
Reaching for the stars and
seeing beauty in the moment by
becoming fluent in the language
of the God Who is here, Who is now.
I want to be a God-gazer
until my imagination is saturated;
until my thirst is sated;
until my passion is stirred;
until my intellect is stretched
as far as it can be;
until my yearning yearns
for others to be free.
I want to be a God-gazer -
not a meetings manager
or a people pleaser
or a ‘tea and sympathy’ vicar -
not a leadership trainer,
not just a speaker
but a seeker.
I want to be a God-gazer…
and for a moment I want God
to gaze through me.
I want others to see
His eyes
Heart
Mind
and Love
above everything else in me.
I want to be a God-gazer
captured by the brilliance
that springs from the radiance
of You.
Life-giver!
I want to be a Life-giver
not a life-sucker.
I want my life to be releasing
not appeasing or placating.
I want to be a Life-giver,
A drainpipe without blockages,
A circuit without stoppages,
A connector without breakages.
I want to be a Life-giver!
A ‘you can do it’ releaser,
A ‘have a go’ preacher,
A ‘you were born to do this’ pastor.
I want to be a Life-giver -
Seeing rivers flow, not die,
Seeing others rise and fly,
Helping friends reach for the stars
even if they sometimes miss.
At least they can say they tried.
I want to be a Life-giver,
Generous in spirit and in heart,
Letting the forgotten make a start
at being Life-givers, too.
I want to be a Life-giver
because I am a God-gazer
not because it’s about me
but because it’s about Him
because life can’t spring
from any other ‘thing’.
I want to be a Life-giver
connected to the Source
and pointing to the Son -
standing in the shadow of the Light
celebrating Him.
World-changer.
I want to be a World-changer
not just a furniture re-arranger
or an ‘it could be better’ winger
or a ‘have the left overs’ stinger.
I want to be a World-changer!
A doer, not just a talker.
I want to spread the clothes of heaven,
No more or less than a poor man’s dreams,
beneath the feet of Jesus.
I want to be a World-changer -
‘Cos on a morning many winters ago
the tomb was open
and the curse was broken.
Death had to let go
and re-creation burst out
of an old wineskin
like water from a geyser,
Like the cry of a child
pushed into the world
and nothing
would shut Him up.
I want to be a World-changer
because it’s started…
because the vanguards on the move…
and love is pushing out hate
and light is shining out
and darkness can’t understand it
beat it
change it
hide it
kill it
stop it
win.
I want to be a World-changer
because there’s safety in this danger.
There’s meaning in this purpose.
There’s joy in this mission
and too many others are missing
the power of life in all its fullness.
World-changer? Life-giver? God-gazer.
God, break in – then break out
Fill – then make me leak.
Plug me in and push me out.
In me, through me, around me.
Make me a Patrick.
Make me a Brendan.
God-gazing, life-giving, world-changing.
Captured by the brilliance
that springs from the radiance
of You.
Malcolm Duncan
January 2010
(c) Malcolm Duncan
For more info, please contact malcolm@churchandcommunity.org
The Art Of Mobile Counselling for MobieG: Day 1
Me doing my presentation
Guest post by Craig Ross:
Over the past weekend I was out in Johannesburg doing what we do best Reconstructing Communities Through Innovation. The purpose of the of the trip was to go and do 10 hours of training over two days, “The Art of Mobile Counselling” with an organization MobieG.
This is the topics that we have covered:
Mobile Phones for Social Good – this session was facilitated by Brent Williams (our Drug Advice and Support Ambassador) and he shared why we tapped into the Mobile space.
The Art of Mobile Counselling – This session was facilitated by me and basically I had to shift the trainees minds away from away from one on one counselling and seeing how we can fit that into a mobile Instant Messaging environment. Mobile chat environment has its own culture and language. Less is best, the counsellor have to use as little text to get the maximum message. “Hi” is a conversation, for many just a simple “hi” is a conversation that makes them feel connected in some way. Communicate in characters not words. Many of the mobile chat users communicate using characters to make the most of the small screen and limited number of characters per screen.
The Mind of a Mobile Counselor – Being the worlds first online mobile advisers we shared some of our experiences as a mobile advisor, do’s and dont’s and the floor was open for questions.
CALLING ALL CAPE TOWN KIDS – A SHOW JUST FOR YOU!
The cool and creative Kids Indaba concept was launched at the beginning of 2010 and is on its way to Cape Town to provide the mother city’s children with so much excitement they won’t know where to start! Aimed at a 6-12 year old market, the Kids Indaba will be running alongside the SABC Education Baba Indaba from 23 to 25 July at the Cape Town ICC. Bring your tweens and let them discover a world of fun and education with their wide variety of exhibitors.
An eleven meter climbing wall will challenge the more adventurous while Tots and Pots will bring out the culinary expert in your children. There will be a ball pool sponsored by Oros as well as a fully-equipped Sciencentre where kids can do experiments and have valuable hands-on learning experiences using world-class exhibits designed to enrich the school curriculum and equip learners by increasing their skill and understanding of science, technology and maths! Bring the entire family and make a day of it! No matter the weather, Kids Indaba is bound to keep you warm!
Running alongside the Kids Indaba will be one of South Africa’s most anticipated events in parenting circles – the Cape Town leg of the nationally acclaimed SABC Education Baba Indaba! This world of entertainment, information and all things baby offers all that a parent or parent-to-be needs in the way of products and services. There will be exhibitors selling furniture to create an extra special baby’s room for your precious bundle, unique clothing, fun and educational toys as well as beautiful maternity wear and experts imparting knowledge like the pharmaceutical and birthing authorities on hand. There will also be photographers to capture the fleeting moments that make our bonds as families so special. See if your beautiful baby has the right look to be the Face of Baba Indaba, bring them along for a photo at the House of Pixels and they could be part of Baba Indaba’s 2011 marketing! Cape Town School of Photography will be getting your kids to discover this amazing world of photography. There will be many other wonderful things to look forward to, including the Takalani Sesame Muppets who will be entertaining your little ones and will also be available for photos and don’t forget the many giveaways, the most exciting being our Bump & Beyond competition which will see one lucky mom-to-be winning a prize valued at R25 000!
Doors open at 9:30 and the show runs each day until 17:00. Tickets can be purchased for R50.00 for adults, children 6 and up pay R20 and little ones go free.
MobieG Launch #Departure
Our trip to initially Johannesburg had to be with Kalula Airlines at 9.30am but got an email saying that it has been delayed by an hour. Seeing our flight was delayed we decided to have a breakfast at Wimpy at Cape Town international airport.
When it was time to board our flight we went to the terminal that was on our tickets. But when we got to the aeroplane we saw that it was a British Airways plane and I somewhat started to panic. I thought or know, they going to send me on my way to the U.K or something. I quickly asked the gentlemen at the planes entrance where this plane is going and he assured me that it is going to Johannesburg with a smirk on his face.
He must have thought that I am such a doosh!! But can you blame me; this was only the second time that I was travelling via plane. Well the best thing was that we got a meal on the British Airways as where with Kulula we would not have gotten any mealJ. The flight went well and at this stage I was excited as it was my first time in Jozi as well and did not know what to expect.
But God knew what He had in store for us…stay tuned
MobieG Launch #1
On Friday Craig and I boarded a plane to Johannesburg to go and do training with the MobieG Team. We have partnered with them as they would like to start something similar to what we are doing here in Cape Town. Not only did we go down to go and do training with them but also it was the launch of their online counselling service, Mobie G.
On this service they will be giving advice on various social ills and issues to the youth of Johannesburg on this platform. Stay tuned as this story unfolds and what happened over the weekend while we were there. It is awesome to see what was birthed here in Bridgetown, Cape Town.
You can go to the MobieG FanPage and see what it is all about: http://tinyurl.com/33t64×5
