LONDON — Liane McGowan, who is responsible for the operational side of the CEO SleepOutâ„¢ Movement, gives us an update on South Africa’s largest charity fund-raising project – and a reminder of the event’s major beneficiaries and their close links to patron Makaziwe Mandela‘s father, the nation’s iconic Madiba. – Alec Hogg
In this episode of the CEO SleepOut™ we update the project itself and have a look forward to the big day, Wednesday, 11th of July, and the chief operations curator, (what a lovely title), is Liane McGowan who joins us now. Liane, that’s an interesting title, I’ve heard of chief operating officer but not chief operations curator.
It is very unique, and as you know, Alec, we tend to colour outside the lines, so we wanted to come up with something unique and curator seemed like a good idea, protecting the art, and setting up beautiful exhibitions and experiences.
Yes, it’s going to be a beautiful experience. A little chilly from everybody that I’ve spoken with and certainly the more feedback I’m getting now from participants, they are really looking forward to the 11th but a little concern that it could rain in the middle of winter – tell me if that’s fake news, and secondly that it’s going to be very cold?
It is going to be very cold. Rain, so far, not forecast so we should be fine. But yes, everyone is very excited. The participants can’t wait for this experience, all their guests, all the information that’s been going too-and -fro. It’s really going to be a very special evening.
Yes, Liliesleaf on the one hand and then secondly the transformative experience, and that’s been something else that’s been really interesting. As an outsider looking in at the CEO SleepOut™ as it happened in previous years, you hear cynics saying, ‘what are these guys taking their fancy cars, they go and sleepout for one night, what’s the point?’ Talking to people who’ve actually done it and talking to those who are participating, I’ve got a completely different view now and my view is that, sure, it’s one night, but it’s a beginning of a road towards an empathy that these hardened capitalists wouldn’t have had in the past.
It’s completely true, Alec, and the one thing we’ve said to a lot of people, especially to the cynics, is ‘come and experience.’ It’s very easy to stand on the side-lines and point fingers and try and find fault where people are trying help those less fortunate, and your NGO – every NGO in SA has a specific way of running things and in order to make huge change you need to do something different, and that is exactly what we did. It has proven, you can tell by the numbers, to be a very successful experience because people gain a certain amount of empathy that they never had before. We all say, ‘we feel sorry for the homeless, and we feel sorry for organisations, etc.’ But until you’ve actually just spent a little bit of time getting a real feel – you have no concept. And it does, it changes every single person who we’ve had. We’ve had nearly 500 CEOs over the last few years. There is a change and a lot of the change then goes back into their CSI programs where they continue to support these people.
Yes, and look at thing in the boardroom, when the discussions are coming up very differently but it was a very ambitious project this year. We’ve got the Liliesleaf, which is the CEO SleepOut™, which we all know about. The same that’s been going for the last 3-years, but there was also Robben Island, a SleepOut™ on the 18th, on Madiba’s 100th birthday on Robben Island. That’s been postponed.
Correct, so a couple of weeks ago we were approached to postpone the event, which the Trust took a decision that would be a good idea, based on what was suggested for later on in the year, and we agreed. It is an international market. The local market is doing so much for Madiba on his birthday so we thought it would be a good idea, and we’ll see what comes of that later on in the year. The focus is now on Liliesleaf and all the excited participants for next week.
So, it’s Liliesleaf time, later on in the year, Robben Island will come back and whatever is going to happen there, I suppose we’ll cover that in time to come. But getting back to Liliesleaf, how have the challenges been going? I see there’ve been a couple of declines and that is really disturbing but let’s hope that those challenges that have been declined have been done for the right reasons.
Yes, we have quite a few of our CEOs, who in fact spoke to us last year and said, we have to be at next year’s event, who will be in Spain, unfortunately over this period and Russia but some of the CEOs who are not here have then nominated other people to take their place which has been lovely. One of the companies participating did the most gorgeous activation and they sent out a challenge to all of their staff to say, ‘write to us, let us know why you feel you encompass Madiba’s values and if you are selected then you can join us in sleeping out at Liliesleaf,’ which I think is marvellous. So, the whole company gets’ the opportunity to take part in this great event.
I love that, so the CEOs might actually be watching the World Cup Football, of course ‘doing business development’ but they’ve at least not abandoned the event but said let’s give the other members of our team an opportunity.
A chance.
Yes, but I love that, asking all the staff because again, something that’s come through Liane, and what is interesting about the SleepOut™ for me is that I’m coming in with very fresh eyes and talking to people, to see what the people in the organisations think about the CEOs going there and what they think about the whole project and just to be associated with it. For instance, somebody who is working at Standard Bank, not very happy that the CEO has just declined the invitation, well maybe he’s watching the football. Similar at Vodacom. I had a guy I know very well at Vodacom saying to me he can’t believe that the CEO is not coming this year – what’s going on? I’m not sure the people in the ivory towers actually get that their decisions have this filtered down effect, both positive and negative.
That’s 100% true, and I think the CEOs who really support (A) the cause and (B) the beneficiaries don’t want to not participate, which is why they extend it down their channels and allow other members of staff to enjoy the experience, something which Madiba himself would have cherished the thought of that initiative being extended. Especially when you look at how valuable the beneficiaries are this year – they need to be supported and in order for them to achieve the goals that they have set out funds have to be raised to support them. We want to eliminate nutrition issues and hunger – no one should go hungry SA in 2018, but they do. If we have a beneficiary who has a project that is going to target and eliminate that, it is something that is supported. Whether you, as a CEO, are watching the World Cup or not, to filter it down into an organisation, the people who have been allowed the opportunity are so-so excited to be able to share in in this experience.
I’m remembering, it’s the 55th anniversary of the Liliesleaf raid and that’s the reason why it’s been held on the 11th of July at Liliesleaf. Not because we didn’t know the World Cup was being held as well.
It’s impertinent.
Yes, it isn’t really an issue on that side. Liane, just having a look towards next week and the point that you’ve made now about the beneficiaries. Unpack that for us again quickly, who is going to benefit from the even this year?
Our two primary beneficiaries for the 2018 project is Liliesleaf, as a facility for education and community upliftment, and then the Qunu Food Security Project, which is run by Dr Brylyne Chitsunge, who is aiming to teach 250 members in Qunu, actually using Madiba’s farm, commercial farming so that they can (A) ensure their families and communities are fed, but also start earning an income from their land and that project then is set to rollout throughout SA and in fact, into Africa so, it truly is remarkable.
So, it’s a template in many ways. When I spoke with Brylyne she suggested that once this template is proven, it’s almost a cookie-cutter that you can take to other parts of the country as well and address food security, which is a key issue. Also, I suppose at a time when SA is grappling with how best to make its land operate efficiently.
Correct, and bringing it back to Mandela – he was a farm boy, he grew up there. This was his passion. This is what he wanted to see. This was one of the biggest legacies that hasn’t yet been brought to life and this is an opportunity to use Qunu, his farm, to bring this whole vision to life. Not only that, all the schools that we’re supporting, all the under-resourced schools that we’re raising items for. The Prison-to-College Pipeline initiative, which is being launched in SA this year. There’s so many beneficiaries who fall under the 2018 movement who are set to benefit.
I look forward to being together with Liane and the rest of the team on the 11th, that’s next Wednesday, when we have the CEO SleepOut™ at Liliesleaf. As you heard, the Robben Island’s edition has been postponed to later in the year. It was due to have been held on the 18th, which I think was a big challenge for everybody involved, but with international participation we’ll focus on that one later. It has been pushed out to later in the year to a more appropriate period. This has been the update of the CEO SleepOut™. Until the next time, cheerio.
