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TODAY A GIRL,
TOMORROW
A LEADER.
Take a Girl Child to Work Day® 2010
An Initiative by Cell C
“We cannot speak of genuine liberation without integrating within that, the emancipation of women.”
President Nelson Mandela, Inaugural speech.
Take a Girl Child to Work Day® was first introduced to the South African business calendar in 2003.
Now in its eighth year, the initiative has enjoyed unrivalled success as being the platform to address
the needs and aspirations of girls of high-school going age. For many, the day spent in the working
world, job-shadowing your company’s valued and knowledgeable executives will open up a bouquet
of career opportunities, inspiring girl children to reach heights of success they never would have
dreamed previously possible.
For you, the participating companies, the benefits of taking part are numerous. Besides being a
great opportunity to demonstrate good corporate citizenship, it is also a chance to demonstrate your
commitment to the next generation of consumers, graduates, civic leaders and business-women.
Take a Girl Child to Work Day® Objectives
• To expose girl children to the “world of work”, positive role models and the opportunity to
make informed career decisions based on real work experiences
• To address the aspiration of girl children by inspiring and motivating them to pursue their
goals and ambitions, and to reach their full potential
• To provide a platform for dialogue around the needs of girl children and their role in the
country’s socio-economic development
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TO WORK DAY®
2010 Theme: “Today a Girl, Tomorrow a Leader”
This year’s theme for is a challenge to young women and girls around South Africa to believe in
themselves, to open their eyes to the possibilities around them and to make a difference in their own
lives. It provides an opportunity for girl children to ‘stop, think and evaluate’ the choices that they will
make with the information gathered on the day.
The theme provides you, our partner, with the opportunity to:
• Provide an enabling environment for women’s growth and development in the workplace
• Make opportunities and resources available that will empower young women with right
information, knowledge and understanding to change their lives and of those around
them for the better
• Empower them with the confidence to speak up for their rights and of those around
them.
• To believe in their capacity to create opportunities and lead to social change within their
families, schools, and communities.
• Take the lead in gender transformation and leadership development
Company Participation
The guide this year is designed to assist you in planning your involvement in the Take a Girl Child to
Work Day® initiative, from registration to successful execution on the day. .
Each year Cell C, in collaboration with the National Department of Education, identifies schools
from across South Africa on the basis of their overall performance, as well as the communities
in which they are located to participate in Take a Girl Child to Work Day®. This year, Cell C has
thus committed to match these schools with the first 160 companies nationwide that register their
willingness to host more than 20 girl learners on the day.
How to register
There are three ways in which organisations can support Take a Girl Child to Work Day®:
Option 1- Formal Partnership
Companies in the formal partnership are required to host a minimum of 20 girls from a school
selected by Cell C and the Departments of Education. Cell C will:-
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TO WORK DAY®
• Match each company with one of the selected schools
• Run regional workshops where representatives from both the companies and the
selected schools meet to discuss practicalities such as the number of students and
school representatives, the planned activities and logistics, transport issues and safety
issues
• Provide transportation for the school to and from the company
• Supply guidebooks, promotional material and other online tools to assist with the
planning and execution of a successful day.
Option 2- Supporting Partnership
In the supporting role, companies are encouraged to host a school of their choice. Transportation
of the learners will be at the company’s own cost. Again, Cell C will supply guidebooks, promotional
materials and online tools.
Option 3- Informal Partnership
In this category companies can encourage their employees to bring their daughters, sisters, cousins,
granddaughters and nieces to work on the day.
NB: Partner companies / organizations will be contacted by Cell C representatives to confirm their
participation and to discuss the logistics.
Beyond Take a Girl Child to Work Day®
Cell C would like to encourage your company to commit to a follow-up program with the school it
hosted in an effort to ensure sustainability and to reinforce the ideals behind Take a Girl Child to
Work Day®. This process of follow-ups, we believe, is essential in maintaining the momentum of
the project throughout the year. Such a program could be any initiative that you feel would add value
to the main campaign, whether the hosted school visits again or is visited by your company at least
once during the course of the year.
For more information on how to participate, please visit http://www.cellc.co.za/about/social-
investments
Preparing your organization to take part in Take a Girl Child to Work Day®
1. Get permission from your CEO or MD: This is vital if you need management support for
and participation in the programme.
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TO WORK DAY®
2. Let us know that you would like to participate in Take a Girl Child to Work Day® by
registering online at http://www.cellc.co.za/about/social-investments
3. If you decide on participation Option 3, we advise that you consider the girls brought to
work by your employees and those from the school as one group.
4. Prepare your programme in advance. It is useful to establish a planning committee to
make the necessary arrangements for the company’s participation in Take a Girl Child to
Work Day®. That way, the whole company feels committed to making the day a success.
Ideally, the planning committee should represent all departments and employees at
every level in your organization. This will ensure that the girls get a comprehensive idea
of career opportunities in your organization.
5. The girls can learn from every employee and every department. It is important to
remember that what may be routine or commonplace to adults is exciting and different to
children. Aim to create situations where employees can talk about their work experience
and demonstrate what their job entails. Some suggested activities can be found at the
back of this guide.
6. Supply members of the committee with copies of this guidebook - it will assist in the
planning of a programme that fits with the principles and objectives of the day.
The Role of the coordinator
The coordinator is key to ensuring that both your company and your young guests get the most out
of Take a Girl Child to Work Day®. In addition to coordinating and supervising the activities on the
day, duties and responsibilities of the coordinator would include:
1. Liaising with the selected school on all matters relating to the visit to your workplace (if
applicable)
2. Ensuring that the school appoints an educator or other representative to coordinate the
day from the school’s perspective (if applicable).
3. Ensuring that all members of staff are informed on the day’s activities
4. Enlisting the participation of role models within the organization.
5. Identifying suitable employees, from each department, capable of being shadowed by
groups of girls. Candidates should be willing and able to talk freely about their jobs. If
you work in a particularly male-dominated environment, it is best to investigate your
fellow co-workers’ opinions on the ability and suitability of women doing their jobs before
appointing them.
6. Liaising with the Legal, Human Resources, Safety and Communications departments
(where applicable) to ensure that all legal requirements such as indemnity forms, third
party insurance, safety gear and so on, are in place before the visit takes place. (See
Workplace Safety.)
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TO WORK DAY®
7. Ensuring that consent forms are distributed, signed and returned by parents or
guardians prior to the children visiting your premises and that indemnity forms are
completed.
Workplace Safety
• Public Liability Insurance
You need to secure confirmation from your legal advisors that your company’s Public
Liability Insurance extends to your young guests. This is important to protect the
company in the event of any accidents occurring on your premises.
• The Occupational Health and Safety Act
In terms of the South African Occupational Health and Safety Act (January 1994)
both employers and employees are obliged to ensure a healthy and safe working
environment. If your guests are going to be venturing onto the factory floor, into the
kitchens or onto the constructions sites, it is important to provide a briefing session
on your company’s safety regulations, including the use of protective clothing. Where
necessary, you must ensure that adequate safety and protective gear – such as gloves,
hardhats, earplugs, goggles and aprons – are available for your guests and that they
are all worn. If you feel that parts of your workplace are simply too risky, consider
focusing on the sales, administration, HR and finance aspects of the company rather
than the factory floor.
Safety and Comfort Considerations
• All the girls should be paired off in a buddy system to ensure that no one is left to
wander around unaccompanied and risk getting lost. It is important that the girls
understand, however, that they must be able to account for their buddy for the duration
of their visit.
• Don’t make the day too long or too tiring. Aim to have the girls collected by no later
than 08:00 and delivered to your premises by no later than 09:00, and returned to their
schools by mid-afternoon or in time to catch their own transport home. Many may have
long distances to travel home, and you should bear this in mind when making travel
arrangements.
• Please ensure that there are sufficient refreshments for the children during tea and
lunch breaks.
• Ensure that the school group has the security of constant access to their adult
representative / educator.
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TO WORK DAY®
Important Forms
To participate in any school outings, permission is required from the children’s parents or legal
guardians. Such permission is usually granted in writing on school consent, indemnity and waiver
forms.
You may wish to consult your lawyers about the possibility of supplying the school with your own
consent, indemnity and waiver form to take into account conditions specific to your workplace.
A sample form is available on the Cell C website (http://www.cellc.co.za/about/social-investments)
Note: Only a girl’s parent or legal guardian may sign a consent, indemnity and waiver form. The
school will need to ensure that each parent or legal guardian is given the form to read and sign – in
its original form.
Your coordinator should ensure that the signed forms are in his/her possession prior to the girl
children arriving at your premises.
Coordinator’s Checklist
The following checklist is intended as a guide and may be customised to reflect your specific
circumstances.
Two months before the event
1. Visit the official Cell C website http://www.cellc.co.za/about/social-investments for
more information, advice and assistance to make the most of Take a Girl Child to Work
Day®.
2. Let everyone know. Many employees may be unaware of the event. You will need to
inform them about the aim of the programme as well as the extent of your company’s
participation. Assuming you are going to encourage your employees to bring their
own girl children to work, you will need to inform them of the date and the process
to be followed if they wish to participate. This includes ensuring that they have read
the guidebook/handbook, informed their child’s school of their intention to participate,
signed indemnity forms and RSVP’d for headcount and catering purposes.
3. Identify suitable role models: Ensure that they are available and prepared to explain
what they do, how they got to the point where they are in their careers and why their
work is meaningful. Let them read the guidebook/handbook to understand the theme for
this year’s Take a Girl Child to Work Day®. These role models should be selected from
among the ranks of senior management (positions which many girls may aspire to),
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TO WORK DAY®
as well as those in entry level positions as this will be the starting point for most of the
girls. They should be good communicators, and be comfortable talking to girls of high-
school age.
4. Form a planning committee: This should represent all the various departments
and employment levels within your organisation. The committee’s responsibility will
be to coordinate the company’s participation in a Girl Child to Work Day® including
scheduling and orchestrating activities for the girls.
5. Draw up a budget: Include catering costs for breakfast and/or lunch, a snack, gifts,
materials for activities and name tags. If you are hosting a school independently of the
Cell C selected schools, you may also need to factor in transport costs to and from the
school for the day.
6. Prepare a programme of events: It is important to plan the entire day, from the
moment the girls arrive, either by bus or with your employees, to the moment they
leave. Consider the fact that the school group will probably leave your premises much
earlier than the girls accompanying your employees will.
7. Draw up an attendee sheet: Include the parent / mentor’s name, their department, and
contact information; the child’s name, age and career interests.
8. Reserve conference or meeting room space: You can never plan too early. Secure
space as soon as possible.
9. Determine the number of students: Meet with the planning committee to discuss how
many students you can accommodate. We recommend at least 20.
10. Send an invitation: If you have linked up with a school, either independently or via Cell
C, send a formal invitation to the class or group of students stating that your company is
looking forward to hosting them on Girl Child to Work Day®.
11. Sort out the legalities: Ensure that permission and indemnity forms have been drawn
up and distributed.
12. Arrange to capture the memories: Decide how best to keep a memento of the day –
whether it’s photographs taken on the day and posted on the company notice-boards
and websites or by devoting space on your website or intranet, to advertising your
company’s commitment to fulfilling the potential of the next generation.
One month before
1. Order gifts and wrapping/packaging.
2. Confirm attendance
3. Send reminders to parents/mentors to notify their girl children’s school of their
participation in Girl Child to Work Day®.
4. Notify the corporate communications department or public relations agency so that they
are aware of the extent of your company’s participation in the programme.
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TO WORK DAY®
5. Review the agenda with the planning committee and determine what is needed to
successfully execute the activities.
6. Meet with key role models, mentors and volunteers to brief them on their role.
Two months before
1. Confirm the participation of key role models, mentors and volunteers and ensure that
they are fully briefed as to the day’s proceedings.
2. Confirm catering arrangements for breakfast, lunch and/or snacks.
3. Allocate space for receiving and welcoming the girls and re-confirm reservation of
conference room space as required.
4. Create name tags
5. Draft notes for a welcome address by CEO, MD or designated company representative.
6. Check all relevant safety regulations and take additional precautionary measures.
The weeks before
Send a reminder to all staff. Consider those staff members not on email.
1. Ensure all participants have an updated agenda and a schedule of the day’s events.
2. If you have collaborated with a school, you will need to confirm that all is in order and
ensure that there are no last minute changes to the number of girls attending. It is
worthwhile to confirm all transport details and to allocate and arrange parking for the
bus that will be dropping off the girls and their educators
3. Collect all outstanding permission/consent forms from participating employees. If
you are hosting a school, check that the school coordinator has all the necessary
paperwork.
On the day
1. Confirm parking arrangements with security
2. If you are hosting a school, make sure you are present when the bus arrives and
arrange a special welcome and registration for the girls and their educator/s. Introduce
yourself to the girls who have accompanied our employees on the day and take care to
explain in advance the programme for the day, including such information as to where
and when refreshments and meals will be served. Take care to orientate them, pointing
out the location of important facilities such as the restrooms as well as important safety
and security issues.
3. Be available throughout the day to ensure that the programme of events flows smoothly
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and be on hand to deal with any contingencies.
4. Ensure that girls who came by bus are ready to leave and waiting at the pick-up point at
the designated time. Ensure you have the necessary First Aid facilities
And afterwards
1. Thank all staff for their co-operation and assistance.
2. Post pictures of the day on notice boards or the company website or intranet.
3. Please share your experience with us by sending an email to:girlchild@cellc.co.za.
4. Send a Thank You note to the students and the school for their participation along with
ay photographs taken on Take a Girl Child to Work Day
5. Although this event is marked off as a single day on your business calendar, we urge
you to continue nurturing relationships with your little protégés on the day. Keep in
touch and make the initiative even more worthwhile by playing an instrumental role in
shaping a girl child’s future. And if you do, please let us at Cell C know about it.
Samples of a typical Take a Girl Child to Work Day®
Activities for the day
The primary objective of Take a Girl Child to Work Day® is to expose girl children to the world of
work and to provide them with the opportunity to meet successful role models. This we believe,
provides them with the motivation to pursue meaningful careers that bring numerous social and
economic benefits.
A planned, structured approach to the day will ensure that the girls get the most out of what your
company has to offer. The best activities are those that encourage active participation and stimulate
the girls’ natural curiosity.
Some suggested activities:
• A short presentation outlining the key activities and disciplines within the company.
• An opportunity to interview female and male employees regarded as role models and
mentors.
• Guided tours of the workplace.
• Job shadowing, i.e. have the girls follow different people in different departments,
learning what they do and how they do it. This may include performing some of the
duties of the professionals they are shadowing.
• Panel or round-table discussions to create a dialogue between the employees and
girls. Ensure the panelists’ jobs are varied and include high-ranking women in the
organisation as well.
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• Mock-programmes i.e. have the girls develop a mock advertising campaign, run a mock
trial or any other activity that is relevant to your working environment.
• Technology in the workplace: demonstrate the importance of technology in your
business. Schedule time for them to work on computers and learn how other office
equipment works. For example, let them view the company’s website and see how
business is conducted via the site or have them participate in a conference call with a
satellite office or business partner who is participating in the programme.
For tertiary institutions
Realise the impact this visit could have on a girl’s future. The world of tertiary study is possibly the
next step on the girl child’s ladder to success. Use the opportunity to attract future students wisely.
Begin with a tour and explain how different faculties work. Take the girls to faculties that relate
directly to their future study ambitions. Arrange for them to sit in on lectures or interview students
and lecturers to get a feel of the course matter.
For Retail outlets
Allow the girls to see what goes in stockrooms behind shop interiors. Involve them in stock-takes so
they understand the procedures.
Explain how your outlet receives its stock, where it comes from and how it has been selected. Ask
buyers to explain their job functions.
Then allow the girls to experience working behind a till-point and teach them the importance of good
customer relations.
For home offices
If you operate your business from home, there are many ways to share that experience. Develop an
agenda that will allow your child to see the many tasks you perform. Throughout the day, explain the
benefits and challenges of working from home and demonstrate how you communicate with clients
and colleagues.
Have your child fax items, sit in on meetings if possible, or, draft documents.
This year Cell C wishes to put to you a challenge to make your Take a Girl Child to Work Day® as
exciting as possible for the guests at your company. Think up unique programmes to entertain your
guests for the day and be generous in your approach. Cell C is looking to reward the most creative
programmes the Take a Girl Child to Work Day® Innovation awards.
When the time comes for society to look back upon the impact we the current leaders
have had, let them be able to say that we helped pave the way for the future leaders of this
country!
TAKE A GIRL CHILD
TO WORK DAY®
