iZindaba Zokudla, a research project at the University of Johannesburg is partnering with Slow Plate, Slow Food International and communities and schools in Alexandra, and with selected organisations from Soweto to offer an open access course on the creation of sustainable enterprises and systems, titled “Nxazonke” to all interested entrepreneurs and activists.
Many entrepreneurs struggle to get their enterprises profitable. The reason for this may be that they are adopting business models that are just not sustainable, and these create enterprises that really waste a lot, and this may be the reason entrepreneurs do not get ahead.
iZindaba Zokudla would like to make available learning resources and opportunities for entrepreneurs to create sustainable enterprises. In this course we will examine how to build systems in an enterprise that creates value in itself, and in turn reprocess wastes, relationships and creates social value for communities. We will learn how to build these systems, how to build water, waste and energy processes that create value for the entrepreneur. We will integrate this with social media, events and other activities. In 2022 iZindaba Zokudla will host the Farmers’ Lab again at various sites in Alexandra and anyone will be welcome to join us. We will use the SMS system to announce these.
The course will take the format of a panel discussion on key themes and issues relevant to the creation of sustainable and circular enterprises, primarily but not limited to the food system, in the township economies of South Africa. In 2022 we will focus on Alexandra where the Slow Plate project is being implemented, although the course will be accessible from anywhere where there is an internet connection.
The course will be offered as a series of “self-study” units. Anyone can access and download the material indicated, and use these to prepare for the iZindaba Zokudla Farmers’ Lab that will take place every two weeks on the internet on the Facebook page of iZindaba Zokudla. In the Farmers’ Lab we will discuss these issues in order to clarify them and to enable people to implement the recommendations so they can create sustainable and circular enterprises. This course will be available by the end of this week on the izindabazokudla.com website.
All the material and videos’ and all other material will also be available on Facebook so anyone can complete this course in their own time.
However, this is not a normal course, and is rather a course that is offered as a panel discussion. In this way, we can reach all audiences and we can maximise learning amongst entrepreneurs as anyone can join and ask the key questions they need answered to move their enterprise to a higher level.
iZindaba Zokudla aims to offer this cutting edge course to all interested entrepreneurs, so we can develop our Townships towards becoming sustainable communities. These courses aim to create the means for entrepreneurs to develop true sustainable enterprises that are ecologically sound, socially beneficial and economically productive. Please join us on this journey as we learn and experiment how to deliver cutting edge insights, knowledge and skills to a broad base so we can create both sustainable communities, enterprises and sectors in our Township economies.
This course is part of larger research project at the University of Johannesburg that aims to develop systems and processes to create sustainable supply and value chains for enterprises in the Townships. The iZindaba Zokudla Virtual Lab has been active in 2021 and this is a continuation of this process.
The themes indicated below are part of the learning that UJ students in Small Business Development need to complete. These students have to assist and enterprise to achieve sustainability and they have to engage with such enterprises as they complete mini-documentaries on each. These documentaries will be uploaded to the iZindaba Zokudla website and will form part of the learning materials that is the course.
This course will be streamed on Facebook on the “Events” Tab (https://www.facebook.com/IzindabaZokudla/events) on the iZindaba Zokudla Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/IzindabaZokudla).
The course will create the material needed for entrepreneurs to realise sustainability in their enterprises. The course blends insights from design thinking and circular enterprise development and makes this available to the public. We are also encouraging entrepreneurs to form groups amongst themselves and these can be managed as Communities of Practice. We also want to explore how entrepreneurs amongst themselves can build a better economy and collaborate to satisfy the needs of our people.
The course will be streamed on Facebook and please click this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1087627465424230
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