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Students join mag rush [Cape Argus (South Africa)](Cape Argus (South Africa) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) A CPUT community engagement project involving The Big Issue vendors has changed the lives of both the students and those trying to make ends meet by selling the magazine on Cape Town's streets. The project forms part of the CPUT first-year marketing curriculum and counts for 15 percent of their communication course mark. Akin to reality TV show The Apprentice, groups had to compete against each other, and the losing team had to fire team members who did not perform. The project was supported by the service learning department at CPUT. Eight groups of first-year marketing students each teamed up with a Big Issue vendor. The first step was to do a needs analysis of the vendor's overall skills, including life skills. Based on their observations they had to develop an implementation plan, and put it into action. They were given about three months to implement their plan. The Cape Argus visited the campus on the showcase day on which each team had to present their project. It revealed that the vendors developed marketing, personal selling and interpersonal skills, as well as confidence and positivity about life. The students had made a visible difference in the vendors' lives. When one of the groups met vendor Charlene Matafin, 53, she told them she had been selling the magazine outside the Kwikspar on Kloof Street for the past 15 years. On average she sold one a day, two if she was lucky. Student Megan Pitchford, 20, said Matafin had good overall selling skills. "We didn't have to teach her a lot of marketing or personal selling skills because she had a good approach, always smiled with customers. But we realised that people do not know about The Big Issue and what it does. They didn't know much about |Charlene." The students created a flyer with a summary of who Matafin was. They also created pages on Facebook and used other social networks to profile her. With the students' help, Matafin was offered a six-month cleaning job by Horizon cleaners, and an opportunity to take part in a three-month, home-based care course by the Rising Women organisation. "I am so happy that I worked with this CPUT marketing group. I can't wait to start my job so I can buy a wendy house and live with my son," Matafin said. From November 1 she will report for four hours to her cleaning job in Mitchells Plain. After work she will go to Kloof Street to sell the magazine. Nicky Asher-Pedro, a social worker at The Big Issue, said the aim of the magazine was to help better the lives of those less |fortunate. Other vendors involved in the project have started their own small businesses, while others have applied to study and search for jobs. CPUT communication lecturer in charge of the students, Ayesha Reiners, said the assignment was to help students increase their knowledge in an authentic learning environment. They had gained much, "things like empathy with people less fortunate than themselves and a sense of good citizenship that is often lacking in the youth". Cape Argus (c) 2014 Independent Newspapers (Pty) Limited. All rights strictly reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |