Da Vinci Highlights: 2015

2015 HIGHLIGHTS

2015 HIGHLIGHTS 1

2 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

CONTENTS Introduction

1

Academic Development & Research

2

Client Engagement

3

Registry

4

Operations

5

Communications

6

Student Representative Report

7

Alumni Representative Report

8

Corporate Social Investment

9

1

INTRODUCTION

The Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management is a School of Managerial Leadership contributing towards socio-economic development and transformation. The Institute’s purpose is to cultivate managerial leaders through the core principles of business driven action learning by offering students a personalised journey of self-discovery and co-creation.

The Institute was established in 2004 as a result of a decision by Warwick University to exit the education landscape in South Africa because of the then revised regulatory requirements for overseas universities in the country. With the support of Mr Nelson Mandela and Dr Ben Ngubane, the Marcus family decided to continue with the work started by Warwick and as a result established what is now well known as The Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management. The Institute was provisionally registered

4 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

with the Department of Higher Education in 2004. The first Chief Executive Officer, Professor Benjamin Anderson, joined The Institute during 2005. Under his leadership The Institute received full registration and accreditation status from the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Council on Higher Education during 2006. The first Institutional Audit was conducted during 2006 by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC).

Being a Mode 2 educational institution, The Institute is focused on the creation of knowledge that is transdisciplinary in nature, socially relevant and of which the intent is to solve work based problems and to contribute towards the professional development of the people involved. It is in this context that The Institute facilitates a journey of self-discovery for prospective business leaders and entrepreneurs.

The Institute derives its passion from developing entrepreneurs and future managerial leaders who will contribute towards the facilitation of a sustainable and socio-economic transformed society. Together with its South African and international partners, The Institute offers a spectrum of learning solutions including aspects related to, amongst other, entrepreneurship, innovation management, systems thinking and managerial leadership. By offering students an opportunity to participate in an international immersion they could obtain a truly global perspective on managerial leadership development as it presents itself in different parts of the world. Students are able to participate in small classes, affording them the opportunity to reflect on their own learning and to integrate such with that of people who represent a wide range of cultural backgrounds and organisational realities.

The Institute which is situated in the serene and peaceful suburb of Modderfontein, offers Certificate, Diploma, Bachelor, Masters, and Doctorate programmes in the Management of Technology, Innovation, People, Systems (TIPS™) and Business Management(B).

By integrating the TIPS™ (B) framework, The Institute is able to engage, align and become agile in co-creating new workplace realities with students and sponsors. The framework enables The Institute to offer a truly customised service to meet its client’s ever changing organisational performance needs. The Institute is registered as a Private Higher Education Institution under the Higher Education Act 1997, registration no. 2004/ HE07/003.

The Institute’s qualifications are accredited by the Council on Higher Education and recorded with the South African Qualifications Authority.

2015 HIGHLIGHTS 5

2

ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH

The Academic Development and Research role was vacant in 2015.

Consequently, the Registry and Client Engagement team performed a number of tasks related to the academic portfolio. In the period May to August 2015, the team processed 23 MSc dissertations and 17 PhD theses, which included inviting 74 external examiners and conducting 32 oral defences for these.

In addition, interviews were conducted with prospective facilitators, resulting in 14 new facilitators being contracted. As part of faculty development, The Da Vinci Institute hosted a Facilitator Induction workshop for 29 facilitators.

Six individual meetings were held with facilitators in terms of corrective development. Nine Professors were also appointed in 2015, and a publishing workshop for students and alumni was arranged.

6 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

CLIENT ENGAGEMENT

3 2015 HIGHLIGHTS 7

3 CLIENT ENGAGEMENT

While great strides have been made in the last 20 years in improving access to higher education, student attrition remains a very real problem. There seems to be consensus in the higher education fraternity that formal access is not enough to ensure student success and that institutions have to take planned, deliberate action to ensure the success of students.

The Da Vinci Institute, as an institution catering for nontraditional students (older, working students with a range of responsibilities beyond their studies), acknowledges the need for additional support for students. This view is based on the current throughput rates and feedback from clients and so, over the past few years, The Institute has introduced a number of initiatives to address this need.

Since these initiatives lacked dedicated focus, a fulltime Client Engagement Manager was appointed with effect from July 2014 to develop and implement a comprehensive, deliberate student support and retention strategy. Promising results are being achieved.

STUDENT SUPPORT The Da Vinci Institute’s approach to student support is holistic and proactive. Each cohort of students is supported by one Key Account Manager and one Administrator who work with them throughout their learning journey. This personal contact enables the proactive identification of ‘at risk’ students and the introduction of timely support interventions.

A formal student support programme was implemented from May 2014. This pilot programme initially only served the BCom students. In 2015, it was then rolled out to all students on full programmes (in other words excluding status certificates), including post-graduate students. A more permanent arrangement was implemented from April 2015 with the appointment of Dr Linda Chipunza on a three-day per week basis, in addition to Dr Madaleen Claassens and Linda Steyn, who work for The Institute on a contract basis.

This student support programme is aimed at cultivating managerial leadership and entails completing a Shadowmatch profile and participating in three to four counselling sessions per year with a student support specialist: • The Shadowmatch profile assesses the study (and work) habits of individual students and highlights ‘danger’ areas to them in terms of their studies – for example, a low responsiveness habit may lead to late submission of assignments and needs to be managed.

8 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

• The counselling sessions are used to a) meet the student and build a relationship with them; b) explain their Shadowmatch profile and discuss their study habits; c) check on their progress with assignments etc. and d) do reflection on their learning journey at the end of their academic year.

Students are further supported through Moodle, The Institute’s online learning system, as well as a very comprehensive online library.

In addition, an intensive ‘search and rescue’ initiative was launched in August 2014 for Masters and PhD students who have fallen behind in their studies. This approach, consisting of proactive phone calls and follow-up meetings to make sure that students stay on track, was hugely successful and as a result, it was continued throughout 2015. The Student Support Specialist and post-graduate office made a total of 544 phone calls to individual students during 2015. Where necessary, individual meetings for these students were arranged with the Key Account Manager responsible for post-graduate students, to discuss progress and recovery.

The throughput (successful completion) of PhD students at Da Vinci is currently at 70% (1 December 2014 – 30 November 2015). That is excellent considering the national average of 12% (SAQA, 2013). In addition, the throughput of masters students at Da Vinci is currently at 29%

(1 December 2014 – 30 November 2105), which indicates a 9% improvement in the past year (the 2014 throughput rate was 20%). This is a major achievement for The Institute.

ACTIVITIES FOR 2016 The Client Engagement team continues to grow as the number of students at The Institute increases. A number of measures will be taken to ensure the improved efficiency of the team, for example through the improved integration of the various computerised systems.

The team also continues to support students in a proactive and caring manner, continuously addressing issues through the ‘early warning system’ where students failed modules or failed to submit assessments. The aim is to ensure continued excellent student success rates.

IN SUMMARY The Institute remains committed to the highest possible quality standards but also to supporting students adequately to meet those standards, through its student support systems.

2015 HIGHLIGHTS 9

The functions of the Registry of The Da Vinci Institute are to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, oversee quality assurance, including the management of the marking process and convening of Exam Committee meetings, maintain the Quality Management System (QMS) and policies, take responsibility for admission, registration and graduation of students, and maintain student records, including assessment records.

One of the main developments of 2015 was the restructuring of the Registry and the appointment of Ms Carin Stoltz-Urban as Registrar and Ms Karen Verster as Assistant Registrar with effect from 1 April 2015.

4

REGISTRY

Since then, a number of challenges have been identified and improvements made to the functioning of the Registry.

COMPLIANCE Compliance was a priority for the Registry as this includes managing The Institute’s registration and accreditation, as well as its reporting obligations.

In the last week of May 2015, the Registry completed the Self Evaluation Reports (SERs) that the Council for Higher Education (CHE) requires for certificate, diploma, masters and doctoral qualifications.

The BCom reaccreditation application required by the CHE was finalised and submitted in November 2015. In the same month, The Institute received a letter of compliance from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) after completing and submitting the annual report.

10 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

In addition, the Registry made preparations for the submission on 15 December 2015 of data to the Higher Education Quality Committee information System (HEQCIS).

The Institute currently has green status on the HEQCIS league table.

QUALITY ASSURANCE Several important steps were taken to strengthen quality assurance processes. First and foremost, the Management Committee reviewed the Quality Management System, and also reviewed and approved all operational policies.

Similarly, the Academic Board reviewed and approved all academic policies, as well as a number of Registry policies.

The work of committees chaired by the Registrar was aligned to their terms of reference and these committees were strengthened for proper functioning.

Other developments were the introduction of a Plagiarism Register and the launch of a proactive approach to dealing with plagiarism. The Registry also introduced a Complaints Register and a formalised deferral process and register.

ADMISSIONS AND REGISTRATIONS

of accepting fraudulent qualifications from students.

A deregistration project was introduced and implemented from June 2015 to November 2015 to ensure the deregistration of all students identified for this. A report on deregistration was submitted to HEQCIS in December 2015.

A new process for requesting and managing external examination was successfully introduced and implemented.

This includes holding marks meetings after each assessment point in the interest of good governance.

Client report audits were conducted for all cohorts and a colour-coded risk assessment system was introduced.

Records management was enhanced. A ‘clean-up’ of historical student files was done and all student files were recorded and filed. To increase control over student files, a file retrieval/movement register system was designed and implemented.

IN SUMMARY While the ‘proof of the pudding’ will be in the successful reaccreditation of all The Institute’s programmes and the findings of the annual site visit, considerable progress was made to improve the functioning of the Registry in the year under review.

The application form and screening sheets were revisited and improved. One of the key improvements was to include provision for the formal evaluation of foreign qualifications by SAQA, as well as new requirements for 2016 from the DHET. A contract was signed with a verification company, MIE, to do random qualification verifications to ensure the authenticity of students’ previous qualifications. This does not have major cost implications but will go a long way in addressing the risk

2015 HIGHLIGHTS 11

5

12 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

OPERATIONS

The Operations office is accountable for the integration of all activities and decisions involved in delivering a remarkable service to students and sponsors. Among others, Operations is responsible for The Institute’s financial performance, human resources, delivery of blended learning solutions, client satisfaction index, risk management and black economic empowerment programmes.

HUMAN RESOURCES Relationships were established with a network of people to enable Da Vinci to recruit best-of-class talent. This assisted in the appointment of 12 new staff members for the year.

The Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) survey process was improved by ensuring that feedback comes predominantly from external stakeholders. This survey encourages open dialogue and engagement among The Institute’s stakeholders, and assists in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of stakeholder engagement.

Improvements were also made to the Staff Satisfaction Index (SSI), aimed at ascertaining the satisfaction levels of Da Vinci’s staff and the extent to which they feel appreciated, valued and challenged. Questions were added to the survey to give staff members the opportunity to identify areas Da Vinci could improve, as well as to give overall feedback.

The Operations Manager chaired the Institutional Forum (IF), which guides and monitors the institutional culture at Da Vinci. The IF was involved in various projects, of which one involved the collection of donated books to be placed in The Institute’s library.

2015 HIGHLIGHTS 13

3 OPERATIONS

FINANCE The Finance Office secured an unqualified audit report for the 2014 financial year, and facilitated the monitoring of the annual budget while identifying cost-saving measures.

The TT100 Awards Programme, with the Department of Science and Technology as the main sponsor, was project managed and the 2015 Programme concluded in November 2015.

The financial indicators and overall business performance were monitored on a monthly basis.

The skills development report for the Department of Labour was concluded in May 2015, and The annual Employment Equity report was concluded in October 2015.

Towards the end of the year, a sizeable increase in outstanding debt was noted and will be addressed through more stringent measures during 2016.

In other milestones, the annual BBBEE certification process was concluded and the Health and Safety audit was successfully completed.

The Catering Manager provided almost 7 000 meals to students during 2015.

OPERATIONS A number of new processes and systems were introduced in 2015 to streamline The Da Vinci Institute’s service delivery and monitor performance.

IN SUMMARY

An institutional scorecard or dashboard was established to monitor The Institute’s progress on all key performance indicators and targets set for the year.

During the 2015 year, a considerable amount of work was done to establish new processes and systems at The Da Vinci Institute. During 2016, the emphasis will be on better service delivery and financial performance, as well as on the quality of the staff appointed.

A Project Office was established where ad hoc projects could be registered and their progress monitored.

The interactions and communications between Accenture and The Da Vinci Institute were monitored, and the 2014 Accenture Innovation Awards programme was concluded in February 2015 with an international conference, hosted by Accenture. The 2015 programme was launched in October 2015 and will culminate in October 2016.

14 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

COMMUNICATIONS

6 2015 HIGHLIGHTS 15

6 COMMUNICATIONS

As a School of Managerial Leadership, The Da Vinci Institute follows a specific philosophy popularised by American author and marketer, Mr Seth Godin. This philosophy takes shape through the principles of the Purple Cow, which celebrate the notion of ‘remarkability’.

In 2015, The Communications office acted as a channel for all communication from other departments, including Operations, the Client Engagement team, Purple Cow and the Management team. In this way, the office streamlined the process of communicating important information to staff.

The Communications office therefore has a vital purpose not only in telling the Da Vinci story but also in ensuring that strategies are implemented for effective internal and external communication.

The social media platforms for The Da Vinci Institute and TT100 improved considerably in 2015, as shown in the table below.

The Da Vinci Institute

2013

2014

2015

Facebook

115 likes

397 likes

811 likes

Twitter

324 followers

1290 followers

1742 followers

LinkedIn

315 members

449 members

523 members

Google Plus

-

67 followers 2665 views

87 followers 47 730 views

Youtube

-

30 subscribers 3192 views

87 subscribers 10 252 views

Pinterest

-

-

11 followers 75 pins

16 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

TT100

2014

2015

49 likes

127 likes

Twitter

27 followers

207 followers

LinkedIn

37 members

74 members

Facebook

In 2015, the Da Vinci blog published 78 posts on various developments and events. These included the launch of new cohorts, Curiosita colloquiums, the Da Vinci Annual Graduation, the 2nd Annual President’s Dinner, various thought leadership articles, alumni success stories, faculty stories, Corporate Social Investment interactions and Associate Memorandum of Understanding signings.

The Communications office participated in numerous events during 2015, which included 10 Curiosita colloquiums, the Annual Da Vinci Graduation, the 2nd President’s Dinner, an ANC Legal Research Group workshop, a workshop hosted

by Dr Idriss Aberkane, World Escape Day and TedXPretoria.

In an exciting development, the Communication office has secured a Brand Ambassadorship with Paralympic gold medalist Natalie Du Toit. An agreement was signed with Natalie to serve as guest speaker at Curiosita once a year, to hand over awards at Graduation and to participate in social media campaigning. She will also be a guest speaker at five school events or information sessions a year, host one of her events at The Da Vinci Institute and brand a Da Vinci event.

Involvement with the media in 2015 included publishing of advertorials for the ANC Legal Research workshop. These advertorials appeared in the City Press, Sunday Independent, Mail & Guardian and Natal Post.

Other Da Vinci mentions were made in Engineering News, Business Day Live (online), BusinessBrief, Mail & Guardian and Leadership magazine.

TT100 AWARDS PROGRAMME The Communications office compiled a review of the 2014 TT100 Awards Programme and published this on various social media platforms and the TT100 website. A review of the 2015 TT100 Awards Programme was published four weeks after the TT100 awards ceremony.

Further to this, the office facilitated the design process and publishing of the mailer calling for TT100 entries.

The Communications Manager was part of a panel that adjudicated 30 companies entering the 2015 TT100 Awards.

IN SUMMARY The Communications office entered its second year in 2015.

Whereas the focus in the first year, 2014, was on developing and implementing strategies for effective internal and external communication, the period from January to December 2015 has been aimed at maintaining and improving the effectiveness of communication within these areas.

2015 HIGHLIGHTS 17

7

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL (SRC) REPORT

18 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

The SRC has tried in the last year to obtain meaningful input from the representatives serving on the sub-committees.

In the new calendar year, a different approach will need to be adopted in order to gain maximum participation and feedback from all student representatives.

DA VINCI COUNCIL SUB-COMMITTEES For the whole of 2015, it has been a challenge to receive regular inputs from the student representatives serving on the Council’s sub-committees. The SRC has received, albeit intermittently, inputs from two sub-committees, i.e. Exam and Ethics. The SRC has had no regular and formal interaction with the student representatives on the sub-committees. The interaction so far has been limited to requests for feedback.

During the course of the year, there was email correspondence between all the student representatives discussing the idea of arranging a teleconference for the student representatives to touch base with each other. Unfortunately, this initiative did not materialise due to miscommunication on the time of the meeting and last minute cancellation. Since then, there has been no further engagement between the student representatives to pursue the idea.

Council may wish to reflect on the effectiveness of the current model with regard to student representatives and their role on the sub-committees and Council. The question is: Does the current model and student representatives meet the expectations of both the Council and students?

2015 HIGHLIGHTS 19

7 STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL (SRC) REPORT

The student representatives on the other hand also need to ask themselves as a collective the same question. In this regard the idea of all the student representatives consulting together needs to be pursued.

COUNCIL FEEDBACK TO STUDENTS

The following feedback was received from the Ethics subcommittee:

• Holding a workshop for student representatives • Deepening understanding of the role and responsibilities of Council sub-committees student representatives • Sharing of Da Vinci strategic objectives with students • Inviting SRC members to contact sessions to share information on the SRC’s function and purpose, as well as obtain feedback/input from the students.

The ethics meeting was held on 13 October 2015. Plagiarism is high and is something that students need to focus on. The statistics are as follows: 10 cases in May 2015 • Nine cases were category 1 offences – minor, first-time offences: • internet source (six) • student paper (three) One case was a category 3 offence, where the student copied the entire work-based challenge assignment from another student.

During the period July to September, one incident of plagiarism was reported.

There was a request from a person who already has two PhDs to be allowed to do an MSc. A proposal on how this should be handled was accepted.

20 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

The suggestions, listed below, from previous reports need to be implemented:

The student representatives in collaboration with Da Vinci management will follow up on these matters.

IN SUMMARY It is clear that the student representatives need to do more to fulfil their responsibilities. The SRC would appreciate any suggestions from the Council.

Juliette Fourie and Joshua Masha Student Representative Council

ALUMNI REPRESENTATIVE REPORT

8 2015 HIGHLIGHTS 21

8 ALUMNI REPRESENTATIVE REPORT

“Quality is a behaviour” (Aristotle)

FINDING PEOPLE

attend the TT100 provides an opportunity for past students to participate meaningfully in the work of The Da Vinci Institute, and to bring their own brand of experience into the activities of The Da Vinci Institute.

I start this report by looking back over this past year, and considering what we set out to do and what was done.

FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS

We set out to ’find the people’, engage with them and find out what they wanted from the Association and what they would be willing to do for The Da Vinci Institute and/or for the Association.

We sent a questionnaire to the members whose contact details we had, and received 25 responses, with suggestions.

The suggestions ranged from more direct engagement through invitations to Da Vinci initiatives and functions, to being prepared to participate in induction programmes, more regular social network connections and being kept in the communication loop.

Storm Thomas, the Communications Manager, has been a wonderful support in the process of trying to find all the former students and between him and Sushie and others in the team, they have started to clean up the list and personally call former students. This back-to-basics initiative will yield positive results and provide us with a working ’document’ from which we can work in the new year.

ENGAGING PEOPLE In this past year an improved effort has been made to include Alumni in meetings and Da Vinci activities. We were invited to and participated in discussions with international guests, attended and participated (animatedly) in Curiositas, and were privileged to be invited to the ANC Legal Research Group debate, which was a wonderful opportunity to give input and engage with strategic and important issues.

The invitation to participate either as panel members or to

22 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

The Da Vinci Institute is to be congratulated on its throughput rate for masters and doctoral students. This rate is above the national average and this is a considerable and laudable feat.

However, we need to think about innovative ways to ensure that more students graduate; and thereby to grow the number of Alumni members who are part of The Da Vinci Brand in all their respective working and living spaces.

I have thought a lot about this, and suggest that it may be useful to consider some ways of assisting those who have ’dropped out’ but who may still be able to complete their studies in the timeframe required. Working and learning is never easy, and current research is showing that the demands on men and women in the global workplaces are increasing, as well as being different. There are also increasing demands on employees at all levels to regularly be up-skilled and to become multi-skilled or to develop innovative technologies themselves, which can revolutionise their workplaces and products. With all these demands, many students become overwhelmed as they try to balance work-life and personal life; and this is where I propose that the Da Vinci staff and Alumni could find credible and feasible solutions. I would love to work with other Alumni and Da Vinci staff to conceptualise a massive online courses (MOOC) model or process or an Open Learning model which can work, to bring these potential master’s and doctoral students ‘back into the fold’.

The recent months and weeks have seen emerging disruption in a positive sense, which is leading to a system shift in the education and training area, especially in public higher education and training. It is important that there should not be undue concern about what could potentially be lost, but

rather that the significant opportunities that the disruption is bringing, are embraced. We are all grappling robustly and honestly with new ways of engaging learners across the education and training spectrum, across race, gender and age spectrums and across new and different ways in which teaching and learning is happening in a technology-rich yet still deeply unequal society.

The 2015 Higher Education Summit highlighted the fact that doing the same thing in education and training is just not good enough anymore. South Africans of all ages, but especially the so-called Millennial generation, are demanding improved, inclusive, transformed and engaging teaching and learning opportunities; whilst older learners are wanting real and actual opportunities to access lifelong learning opportunities and to have their knowledge, skills and experience recognised and validated towards achievement of qualifications or credits towards qualifications.

Social, economic, community and political development and growth have to be yardsticks against which the policies and activities of each of our interventions will be measured, and if the ways of doing do not pass muster, and address the very real issues of transformation, then they must be replaced or repealed.

• A number of reports and discourses frame what is developing in the higher education space; some of these include the: • Higher Education Summit and the depth and difference in the discourse at the summit; • inspiring and credible re-emergence of a strong student voice; • emergence of a stronger voice from academics; • function shift of TVET colleges and CET Colleges as part of the post-school landscape and the need to establish workable and sustainable public-private partnerships; • proposed new Sector Education and Training (SETA) landscape; and • finalisation of the Workplace-based Learning policy framework of the DHET.

The Higher Education Bill is available and this is probably one of the most important pieces of legislation with which The Da Vinci Institute should engage. It will be important to consider how to position The Da Vinci Institute as a private higher education institution to make its impact in the wider education and training space within the parameters of the HE Bill.

The Minister’s RPL and Articulation policies will be published.

These two national policy documents are ’disruptive’ in that they will change the education and training landscape dramatically in terms of access, progress, mobility and redress for South African citizens - because they are transformative policies. I look forward to engaging with The Da Vinci Institute to conceptualise how to incorporate the policy directives into the policy framework of The Da Vinci Institute.

CLOSING COMMENTS We need to win the battle for relevance. Relevance is not a compromise. As we seek to drive transformational changes we wish to see in our environment, and regionally, continentally and globally, we may need to • Recalibrate • Re-engineer • Engage • Reposition • Adapt and evolve.

I commit to working with the Da Vinci team and my fellow Alumni members to walk the talk of the Da Vinci ethos and to listen to what the messages are out there, and to really be present in each engagement, meeting and function.

Shirley Lloyd Alumni Representative: Council

2015 HIGHLIGHTS 23

9 24 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

CORPORATE SOCIAL INVESTMENT

Da Vinci has identified key projects which can make a meaningful contribution to people and organisations

GAUTENG OPERA The Da Vinci Institute believes that action learning comes in many shapes and facets and therefore does not believe in binding down any form of management that can be developed, albeit in a workshop or on a stage. The Institute places great value on artistic expression.

Despite having faced adverse operating conditions during the economic downturn, the Gauteng Opera, an opera production company formally known as The Black Tie Ensemble, founded in 1999 by legendary soprano diva, Mimi Coertse, continues to develop performers from disadvantaged communities and showcasing them on both South African and international stages. Such an organisation cannot rely on its performing talent alone and the running of the production company is met with organisational challenges as any other business. Da Vinci also looks at the balanced needs of its students and in light of this, are proud sponsors not only of two very talented Gauteng Opera tenors but have also provided a bursary for a Master’s Programme (MOTI) to Gauteng Opera’s artistic director. An action learning framework is followed in that this qualification will require the student to apply his knowledge in the Gauteng Opera Production Company.

I WAS SHOT IN JOHANNESBURG Da Vinci is proud to be involved with the ‘I Was Shot in Johannesburg’ Initiative that provides a platform for youth at risk to learn skills and generate an income. The Iwasshot Foundation is a direct assault on homelessness. The Iwasshot Foundation provides skills development programmes, with photography as the medium, to children living on the streets of our urban centres.

The Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental

2015 HIGHLIGHTS 25

9 CORPORATE SOCIAL INVESTMENT

organisation aimed at strengthening the potential of individual lives - educating, recognising and caring for children who hold on to the smallest light of hope for a better future. The Foundation stands independent of discrimination of religion, race, culture and gender boundaries. ‘IWasShot’ operates in close collaboration with shelters that provide a safe environment for these children.

The Foundation makes use of existing infrastructures as far as possible and builds upon them. The programmes are implemented by Bernard Viljoen, registered architect and professional photographer, through direct contact with the children. The Iwasshot Foundation initiates communitybased projects that focus on the personal development and enrichment of children who might otherwise not have had the opportunity to explore their creativity. The focus of the project lies within the inner cities where children are constantly exposed to the darker side of humanity.

Iwasshot Foundation works within communities affected by homelessness and highlights the vibrancy, paradoxes, multiplicity and talents of children who should be at play. The aim is to change the perspective of street children and reempower them through innovative programmes within their communities, to educate and enhance positive awareness.

The Da Vinci Institute provides master classes from a managerial leadership perspective.

LITTLE GREEN NUMBER Three Little Words that could Change the World! Little Green Number is an award-winning company that turn ads into bags! Each one of their bags, made from recycled billboards, is funky and unique. They are passionate about creating jobs AND saving the planet. One billboard at a time! Their Buy 1

Give 1 philosophy means that for every Little Green Number bag one buys, they donate a Little Green Number to a school child who needs it.

LITTLE More sales equal more jobs. And more jobs mean that hardworking, talented South Africans have hope - a chance, an opportunity to feel successful and great at what they do. Little Green Number has community-based micro manufacturing franchises all over Gauteng, and they intend to take this national. They are passionate about wiping out poverty through social business principles: doing good, whilst doing good business, one Little Green Number at a time.

GREEN Billboards have nowhere to go. There’s no billboard heaven (or hell!) when they die. They just stick around forever and ever and ever. By participating in their upcycling process they have taken them off the streets and the garbage heaps and given them a new lease on life.

NUMBER No one else has a Number exactly like anyone else’s!

Everyone’s number is funky, sexy and unique, made with love and to be worn with joy! Their products are all upcycled; they have character and a story to tell, so pardon the few scratches and scuff marks. The Da Vinci Institute supports this initiative by presenting each new student with their very own Little Green Number.

The Da Vinci Institute supports this initiative by presenting each new student with their very own Little Green Number.

26 2015 HIGHLIGHTS

Da Vinci House 16 Park Avenue Modderfontein Johannesburg South Africa T: +27 11 608 1331 F: +27 11 608 1332 I: www.davinci.ac.za E: info@davinci.ac.za The Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management (Pty) Ltd is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Institution Act, 1997.

Registration No. 2004/HE07/003

2015 HIGHLIGHTS 27

2015 HIGHLIGHTS