Applications for the 2017 Red Bull Amaphiko Academy will close on 31 December 2016.
It is centred on a 10 day residential programme bringing some of the smartest minds from South Africa and abroad together. In broader terms, it is a network of like-minded people who feed off each other’s energy to create and cultivate ideas that make a difference in our world.
The first Red Bull Amaphiko Academy took place in Soweto in 2014 and many of its alumni have received international recognition. In 2015, the Gugu S’Thebe Theatre in Langa, Cape Town hosted 16 young entrepreneurs who received daily lectures from international and local experts. Now it is time for the next generation to come together in a collaborative environment, to help equip them with knowledge and hands-on tools to take their projects to the next level.
“Your business can only survive and thrive if it is built on a solid foundation,” explains Thato Kgatlhanye, a graduate of the 2014 Academy, whose company, Rethaka manufactures school bags from recycled plastic. “That foundation is not a business plan, it is you. It is individuals who define themselves and are bold enough to call themselves social entrepreneurs,” she says.
Post the 10-day Academy, the chosen 15-20 social entrepreneurs will enter an 18-month personal and project development phase where they will be assigned to mentors and provided with the appropriate resources and knowledge base to help take their projects to the next level. The 18-month development phase gives participants an advantage of having one-on-one expert advice that covers business, personal and strategic support.
“Expect to refine your goals to a point where they will be actionable,” says Kgatlhanye, “The Academy will set the tone and the pace for the next chapter of your journey as a social entrepreneur. If you’re going to make this experience one for the books, remember to pack both your mind and your heart.”
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