6 minute read
PERSONALITY PROFILE
In conversation with… Lauren October, researcher with the Safety and Violence Initiative (SaVI) at the University of Cape Town
“I have found a way of realistically following my dreams of being a writer and doing something worthwhile.”
Born and raised in Eerste Rivier in the Western Cape (although her ancestral home is the small town of Bredasdorp, where her entire family lives and where she spent a lot of her childhood), Lauren Sue October has forged a career that combines her love of writing with making a difference to people’s lives – her dream, since as far as back as she could remember.
Her road to SaVI, where she has been employed for the last five years, wasn’t straightforward or easy, she says, but with her characteristic determination, she never lost sight of her goal.
After matriculating from De Kuilen High School in Kuils River, Lauren enrolled at the University of Stellenbosch. By the time she graduated, she had been awarded a BA degree in International Studies, Honours in the same field and her Masters in Political Science.
Before she made an attempt at her PhD, however, she set out to gain some real-world experience outside of the academic ivory tower.Yet, despite her impressive qualifications, she struggled to find a job.“I applied to several NGOs (non-government organisations) over the course of nine months, while keeping myself busy doing volunteer work. I especially enjoyed being a reading helper for primary school children with the Help2Read organisation.”
Finally, her perseverance paid off and she found a position as an administrator in a travel logistics company. “This wasn’t actually my first job,” she smiles. “While I was at varsity, I was employed to manage the sports teams for the Aurora private student organisation, which paid R1 500 per term. This entailed ensuring that students who didn’t stay in residence could, nevertheless, be part of a sports team. I myself played tennis, netball and soccer for the organisation, so it was a very good fit!”
“I remained at the logistics company for a month – just long enough to land an internship at the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR). After a year, which I thoroughly enjoyed and which allowed me to meet lots of interesting people and attend loads of fascinating seminars, I began looking for a position that offered me more scope to do research. No one could have been more excited than I was when my application for the position of field researcher for a xenophobia and social cohesion project at SaVI was successful.”
“I have been with SaVI for five years now, gaining experience, taking on more responsibility and working on various very interesting projects. As time went by, I noticed that a lot of my research interests were psychological, so I enrolled at UNISA where I completed an undergraduate degree in Psychological Counselling, last year.”
What does your job entail?
As an all-rounder, I do everything from designing research instruments, conducting surveys, focus groups and interviews, sourcing and writing content on violence prevention for a web platform, and managing the social media content for three of our websites. Then there’s research, presenting my papers and findings, and even translating from Afrikaans to English where required. I also consult for other organisations – last year I handled a project on policing oversight mechanisms, and this year I’m involved with a project on violence against children in schools.
What do you love about it?
No two projects are the same, so I’m always learning and finding new ways of doing things. I travel and meet fascinating people – such as community leaders with no education and who are ten times smarter than me. I hear interesting ideas and I have my own thinking challenged, which broadens my horizons and helps me realise that there is always a different angle to look at when solving a problem. All of this makes me believe that I’m working towards something greater than myself, which could benefit Africa in the long run.
And the challenges?
The challenges are mostly those typical of working in an NGO – including the dependence on funding, which often gets cut short. Sometimes funders have preconceived ideas which are at odds with our findings, which may make you feel like you’re running in circles without actually helping anyone. But then you get a project where you get to make a real impact in people’s lives and those times outweigh the challenges.
Your mentors and influencers?
Dr Derica Lambrechts from Stellenbosch University, who was so young when she was my lecturer, yet she was unafraid to tackle the dangerous issue of gang violence. She made me realise that even though I was a student, I was already a social scientist with thoughts to contribute. Also my director, Dr Guy Lamb, who helped me to narrow my focus when I got overwhelmed by everything I wanted to study. He helped me hone my ‘voice’ and method, when it comes to academic writing, and he made me a better scientist. And Ms Laura Freeman, my first supervisor at SaVI, whose work ethic and attention to detail was something I strove to emulate, and whose praise and criticism broadened my mind and influenced the way I work today.
If you could change three things in South Africa today, what would they be?
It’s a difficult question to answer because anything we fix would only be getting rid of a symptom and not the cause, where the real problems are structural and historical. Equality, dignity and restitution are needed before any solutions would be lasting. But, if I could choose three symptoms to change, they would be:
Firstly, teaching boys positive masculinity from a young age so that they are able to express their emotions and learn positive conflict resolution without resorting to violence;
Secondly, adapting the education system to align with interests and skills rather than pushing out cookie-cutter graduates. By that I mean that there is too much emphasis on everyone matriculating and getting a degree: some people are better at music than maths and this should be encouraged, not ridiculed.
And thirdly, getting the basics right. How could people get jobs or become entrepreneurs if they don’t have access to water, electricity or reliable public transport? Investing in community infrastructure is critical to opening the doors that will solve many problems in society today.
Interests and hobbies?
I have too many and often get distracted by them! I love reading, writing, tennis, swimming, woodwork, knitting, drawing, painting, cooking, and travelling. I’m also passionate about enhancing gender equity and getting rid of gender stereotypes in my immediate environment – interestingly, the most important men in my life are all feminists!”
What’s on your bucket list?
I want to speak a language from each continent, and I want to visit at least half of the countries in Africa as well as Peru, India, Ghana, New Orleans, Kenya, Russia, and Japan.
Your 3 favourite books/movies?
I’m a huge sci-fi/fantasy lover, so it’s Eragon, Harry Potter, and His Dark Materials for books, and for movies it’s the Lord of the Rings, the Matrix trilogy, and Star Wars. Throw in Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any Disney movie or musical, and I’ll be happy!
Your advice for the youngsters of today?
Figure out what you want from life and then decide on the most realistic way to achieve your goals without starving. Don’t let society dictate your life path and don’t chase things like money or marriage. Stay true to your path and everything else will fall into place.
Any comment on Covid-19 and its effect on South Africa/the world?
I’m hoping that we’ll see a major change in the way education and professions are managed. Many people work from home and on flexible hours during the lockdowns. I hope that employers are able to see that they could still get all their deliverables without sacrificing the mental health of their employees. I also hope that people in remote locations finally get access to online education. With the divide between the rich and the poor more obvious than ever, I’m hoping that eyes have been opened.
