The DGMT Learning Lunch – Details, episodes & analysis

There is no safe amount of alcohol consumption for teenagers. Early binge drinking has long-term consequences on brain development, health and wellbeing. It also stokes social problems as teens lose interest in school, engage in risky sexual behaviour and find themselves in dangerous situations.

Alcohol advertising contributes to this. Young people are influenced by marketing so much that researchers have found the more they’re exposed to advertising the more likely they are to drink. The alcohol industry also uses other ways to promote their products, like using influencers on social media which is popular with young people. This type of marketing could be restricted if lawmakers passed legislation banning alcohol advertising, except at the point of sale.

The social toll of heavy and binge drinking is felt everywhere, but it’s most acute in communities where violence, crime, unemployment and poverty are rife. NGOs in these communities experience first-hand the impact of teen drinking and have to respond to the problems it causes. At the same time, little is being done nationally to prevent these problems from happening.

In this podcast, we explore the impact of alcohol advertising on teenagers, and the impact of binge drinking on communities. We talk to Kashifa Ancer, Campaign Manager for Rethink Your Drink, an alcohol harms reduction campaign; and Aadielah Maker-Diedericks, Secretary General of the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance (SAAPA).

Visit www.dgmt.co.za/would-an-advertising-ban-reduce-teen-drinking to read more and access the takeaway instructions.

The Learning Lunch podcast features three types of episodes: Deep Dives; Nourish & Flourish; and Best Bites.

Each podcast/learning lunch session is structured as follows:
The Main Meal - A ±30-minute podcast
The Takeaways - Instructions for a ±30-minute group reflection based on what you listened to.

To learn more about the work that we do, go to www.dgmt.co.za

South Africa has a constitutional responsibility to uphold children’s rights. The government does this in different ways, by setting laws, delivering public services, allocating funding from the national budget and by taking decisions that affect children’s lives. What’s been missing for a long time is a shared vision for all children and teenagers which effectively places their interests at the centre of government decision-making.

This is where the National Strategy to Accelerate Action for Children (NSAAC) comes in — a high-level, shared vision aimed at improving the wellbeing and life outcomes of all children and teenagers in South Africa, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns that disrupted public services and people’s livelihoods.

This new strategy can only succeed if everyone gets behind it, including civil society organisations, many of whom are already delivering services in areas where government capacity is poor or limited, reaching people in their homes and remote communities.

In this podcast, we explore the type of strategic thinking needed to galvanise different sectors of society behind a common vision, with Noxolo Gqada, Strategy Lead for the Hold My Hand Accelerator, a project that supports the vision and priorities of the NSAAC. She talks about how the Accelerator is thinking about fast-tracking change for children.

Visit www.dgmt.co.za/thinking-on-the-edge to read more and access the takeaway instructions.

The Learning Lunch podcast features three types of episodes: Deep Dives; Nourish & Flourish; and Best Bites.

Each podcast/learning lunch session is structured as follows:
The Main Meal - A ±30-minute podcast
The Takeaways - Instructions for a ±30-minute group reflection based on what you listened to.

To learn more about the work that we do, go to www.dgmt.co.za

Civil society organisations are a catalyst for innovation and positive social change in communities – filling gaps in service delivery. To be effective, these organisations must be agile and able to adjust their programmes and products to meet the needs of their communities.

Sometimes this means going back to the drawing board, rethinking programme delivery, and iterating to achieve desired outcomes. But in pressure-cooker environments, many organisations don’t have the time, financial resources or capacity to stop, rethink and start again. After all, they rely on grants, donations and fundraising to keep their operations going. So, when a project is not going according to plan, the pathway to achieving the organisation’s objectives can become less clear and staff morale takes a dip. How do some organisations find their way while others struggle to get back on course? 

In this podcast, we talk to Nomfundo Calana, the project lead of JobStarter – a tech-based initiative that supports young people to get ready for the world of work. The latest version of the JobStarter website and app launched in 2023 after years of refinement. Although this is not unusual for a tech-based product, JobStarter is a non-profit facing similar challenges that others in civil society face, such as capacity constraints and keeping donors onside.

Visit www.dgmt.co.za/when-projects-dont-go-according-to-plan to read more and access the takeaway instructions.

The Learning Lunch podcast features three types of episodes: Deep Dives; Nourish & Flourish; and Best Bites.

Each podcast/learning lunch session is structured as follows:
The Main Meal - A ±30-minute podcast
The Takeaways - Instructions for a ±30-minute group reflection based on what you listened to.

To learn more about the work that we do, go to www.dgmt.co.za

Imagine a world where every child is loved, nourished, and protected—where they are read to, and encouraged to be curious. In this world, children don't just learn well, but they thrive, and so does the entire country. Nobel Prize Winner for Economic Sciences, James Heckman said: "Early childhood development is the most powerful investment in human capital that a country can make."  This is because early childhood development lays the foundation for a lifetime of success. But countries require synergy and accelerated delivery of services to ensure every child’s development needs are met, especially when poverty and inequality are high. 

In South Africa, essential services for young children are scattered across various state departments. They lack effective synergy and accelerated delivery. We are not the first country to recognise that collaboration and coordination are hurdles to overcome. In their effort to promote early childhood development and break cycles of poverty, a number of countries have established autonomous agencies specifically designed to manage key functions of early childhood development. Others have integrated ECD service delivery under a single government ministry. There are pros and cons to any approach.

In this podcast, we ask the question: What are other countries doing to put children first and what can South Africa learn from them? We speak to Kentse Radebe (Innovation Director in the All Children on Track by Grade 4 portfolio and incoming Deputy CEO), Senzo Hlophe (Director of Partnerships & Impact) and Shazly Savahl (Department of Psychology at the University of the Western Cape and Board Member of the International Society for Child Indicators).

Visit  www.dgmt.co.za/putting-children-first to read more and access the takeaway instructions.

The Learning Lunch podcast features three types of episodes: Deep Dives; Nourish & Flourish; and Best Bites.

Each podcast/learning lunch session is structured as follows:
The Main Meal - A ±30-minute podcast
The Takeaways - Instructions for a ±30-minute group reflection based on what you listened to.

To learn more about the work that we do, go to www.dgmt.co.za

Community-based organisations (CBOs) are non-profits operating at the local level, albeit with limited resources at their disposal. They tend to be reliant on volunteers, responsive to the unique needs of their community and best placed to diagnose problems and identify solutions with residents. Many are financially excluded from donor funding because they operate in rural and far-flung areas with limited visibility and recognition; they don’t have established track records; and they don’t have the administrative capacity or know-how to provide the financial, monitoring and compliance documents that donors expect. But despite these constraints, they play a crucial role in grassroots development, community empowerment, and social change. 

To help CBOs overcome these funding challenges, DGMT is exploring a trust-based grant-making model that improves access to cash streams while also placing more decision-making power in the hands of the grantees themselves and the communities they serve. The trust-based funding model acknowledges that communities and organisations often have the best understanding of their needs and are better positioned to determine how resources can be most effectively utilised to achieve positive outcomes. 

This is why DGMT, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project have partnered to launch the Sukuthula! Unmute & Act initiative supporting community-based organisations that respond to gender-based violence in four districts in the Eastern Cape and Limpopo. 

Ultimately, this initiative aims to demonstrate that South Africa needs a coordinated funding approach at the community level to adequately respond to gender-based violence.  

In this podcast, we talk to Zandile Mqwathi, the project manager for gender-based violence initiatives at DGMT.

Visit www.dgmt.co.za/trust-based-funding-for-ngos to read more and access the takeaway instructions.

The Learning Lunch podcast features three types of episodes: Deep Dives; Nourish & Flourish; and Best Bites.

Each podcast/learning lunch session is structured as follows:
The Main Meal - A ±30-minute podcast
The Takeaways - Instructions for a ±30-minute group reflection based on what you listened to.

To learn more about the work that we do, go to www.dgmt.co.za

If you work in civil society or the socioeconomic development sector, you have probably heard, or used, the term “community ownership” because it aligns with broader goals of promoting social equity, empowering local communities and sustainable development.

Community ownership goes beyond passive involvement or consultation and aims to empower communities to actively participate in decision-making and take responsibility for outcomes. In principle, civil society organisations and development experts use this term to describe communities with a significant degree of control and influence over projects, initiatives, or resources that directly affect them.

The principle underpinning “community ownership” is that people from within a community are more adept at articulating the barriers and enablers to their own development than technical experts from outside.

In this Nourish & Flourish podcast, we talk about barriers and enablers of community ownership. We speak to Sinazo Nkwelo, Director of DGMT’s Place-based Synergies portfolio.

Visit www.dgmt.co.za/community-ownership-is-not-a-means-to-an-end to read more and access the takeaway instructions.

The Learning Lunch podcast features three types of episodes: Deep Dives; Nourish & Flourish; and Best Bites.

Each podcast/learning lunch session is structured as follows:
The Main Meal - A ±30-minute podcast
The Takeaways - Instructions for a ±30-minute group reflection based on what you listened to.

To learn more about the work that we do, go to www.dgmt.co.za

Civil society organisations, in their form and function, are distinct from corporations and the state. But this doesn’t preclude them from using programmes and strategies that are also used by governments and businesses to shape societal outcomes. Running a fellowship programme is an example of this. Generally speaking, fellowships are funded, short-term opportunities, focused on professional, academic or personal development. Fellowships facilitate interpersonal connections and provide individuals with the opportunity for self-reflection, experiential learning, cultural immersion and community-building. These experiences can lead to the development of mutual understanding, trust, and shared values.

Through fellowships, civil society organisations can build energetic communities or networks that have a creative life of their own. However, the scaling properties of fellowships are notoriously difficult to define and measure.

In this Deep Dive podcast, we speak to Carol-Ann Foulis from DGMT’s Innovation Fellowship; Rumbi Görgens from the Mamandla Fellowship, and Andisiwe Hlungwane from Teachers Can about how they are using fellowships for social change.

Visit www.dgmt.co.za/fellowships-for-social-change to read more and access the takeaway instructions.

The Learning Lunch podcast features three types of episodes: Deep Dives; Nourish & Flourish; and Best Bites.

Each podcast/learning lunch session is structured as follows:
The Main Meal - A ±30-minute podcast
The Takeaways - Instructions for a ±30-minute group reflection based on what you listened to.

To learn more about the work that we do, go to www.dgmt.co.za

Many civil society organisations (CSOs) have placed promoting active citizenry at the core of their strategies. Generally speaking, active citizenry refers to individuals participating in the social and political affairs of their communities to promote equity and inclusion, improve living conditions and hold elected officials accountable.

The role of civil society organisations in building an engaged citizenry should not be understated. They play a crucial role by creating platforms, providing resources, and fostering an enabling environment for individuals to engage in civic and social activities. By harnessing the power of communications tools, active citizenry can be promoted effectively by increasing awareness, facilitating dialogue, mobilising individuals, and fostering a sense of collective responsibility and participation.

In this Best Bites podcast, we are talking about communications tools for promoting active citizenry. We speak to two people who are involved in digital advocacy and network building in civil society: Zamayirha Peter, Communications Manager atACTIVATE! Change Drivers, and Emma O’Shaughnessy, Project Lead of Amplify, Mobilise, Change.

Visit www.dgmt.co.za/communications-tools-active-citizenry to read more and access the takeaway instructions.

The Learning Lunch podcast features three types of episodes: Deep Dives; Nourish & Flourish; and Best Bites.

Each podcast/learning lunch session is structured as follows:
The Main Meal - A ±30-minute podcast
The Takeaways - Instructions for a ±30-minute group reflection based on what you listened to.

To learn more about the work that we do, go to www.dgmt.co.za

Gender norms are shared beliefs, ideas and expectations about how men and women are supposed to be and act, according to a classification system that categorises people as either male or female, known as a gender binary. These social principles are internalised from a young age and can shape people’s livelihoods and life chances by giving boys and men the advantage over girls, women and other genders. 

Gender norms are not static; they vary according to culture and can change over time. But harmful norms that perpetuate inequality and discrimination persist, impacting people’s access to healthcare, education, employment and other economic opportunities. Harmful gender norms also perpetuate power asymmetries between men and women, manifesting in different forms of gender-based violence (GBV). In South Africa, and the rest of the world, harmful gender norms and discrimination are considered to be key drivers of gender-based violence. 

This is why comprehensive strategies aimed at preventing GBV also seek to reshape gender norms in a positive way. Disrupting harmful gender norms requires strategies and programmes that challenge inequalities. It involves rethinking gender hierarchies, roles and binaries while questioning the root causes of inequality and systems of oppression. It must start early in homes, schools and communities. Although parents play a big role in enforcing or disrupting gender norms, adolescents are also heavily influenced by their peers. This is why we need to embed positive norms early in a child’s life in educational spaces. Outside the home, schools are spaces for socialisation and personal growth where young people are exposed to role models. 

In this Deep Dive podcast, we look at ways to entrench positive norms from a young age, starting from children attending creches to young adolescents in school. We speak to Lindokuhle Msele, Project Lead at Bumb’Ingomso; Kwanda Ndoda, innovation manager at DGMT, AND Wessel Van Der Berg, MenCare Officer at Equimundo.

Visit www.dgmt.co.za/disrupting-harmful-gender-norms-with-role-models to read more and access the takeaway instructions.

The Learning Lunch podcast features three types of episodes: Deep Dives; Nourish & Flourish; and Best Bites.

Each podcast/learning lunch session is structured as follows:
The Main Meal - A ±30-minute podcast
The Takeaways - Instructions for a ±30-minute group reflection based on what you listened to.

To learn more about the work that we do, go to www.dgmt.co.za

Civil society organisations and innovators are rightly concerned with scaling their interventions to reach more people. In the socioeconomic development sector, terms like scaling up, out and deep are commonplace. But depending on who you speak to you may get a nuanced interpretation of each term. For instance, ‘scaling up’ typically refers to output, but it could also mean impacting laws and policies. ‘Scaling out’ generally refers to replicating projects in different settings, in so doing impacting a greater number of people. And, the term ‘scaling deep’ refers to the quality of the intervention or its rootedness in culture and practices. 

Clearly, experts have varying opinions on the topic. Lately, researchers supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) are questioning our inherent assumptions about scaling, and are forcing us to think about whether ‘bigger is always better’. Their approach known as ‘Scaling Science’ is understood as a justified and coordinated focus on impact at optimal scale, and it may already be part of your work in one way or another. 

There are different ways to think about scale and it’s useful to think about the topic with a specific real-world challenge in mind. The food system is an ideal example. We all need nutritious food to live healthy lives so it stands to reason that the topic of scale and food are inextricably linked. But the global network of diverse businesses, growers and suppliers has scaled in such a way that it’s had negative consequences for people and the environment. More than a third of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to the way we produce, process and package foods, according to a study backed by the United Nations.

In this Best Bites podcast, we explore different ways to scale by looking at interventions to promote sustainable food systems. We speak to Scott Drimie who has been part of the leadership collective of the Southern Africa Food Lab since its inception and is also an adjunct professor at Stellenbosch University’s Department of Global Health.

Visit www.dgmt.co.za/what-does-it-mean-to-scale to read more and access the takeaway instructions.

The Learning Lunch podcast features three types of episodes: Deep Dives; Nourish & Flourish; and Best Bites.

Each podcast/learning lunch session is structured as follows:
The Main Meal - A ±30-minute podcast
The Takeaways - Instructions for a ±30-minute group reflection based on what you listened to.

To learn more about the work that we do, go to www.dgmt.co.za