31 July 2009
Johannesburg — WITH the Department of Science and Technology's National Science Week scheduled to take place for the fourth successive year from the beginning of next month, the spotlight will again inevitably be trained on SA's worrying shortcomings in producing enough quality science and maths students to make a dent in the country's skills shortages in years to come.
For the next week, the department says, it will provide "many exciting opportunities for learners, students, teachers, academics, parents and the general public in all nine provinces, including teacher and learner workshops, open days, public lectures and seminars, career exhibitions, learner outreach activities, and tours of the country's major science facilities".
The objective of the annual initiative -- which is led by Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor , and is themed "Tomorrow's science and technology are in our youth's hands" -- is to highlight the important role science plays in everyday life, and to encourage the country's youth to enter and remain in science-related studies and careers.
But while the government enthusiastically ignites Bunsen burners at schools and other institutions for one week each year, other organisations -- such as technology entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth's HIP2B² initiative -- take the issue so seriously that they base their entire business models on driving the message home to scholars that Stem (science, technology, entrepreneurship and maths) subjects are "cool", and that a more serious approach to them can help students realise an exciting and prosperous future.
And, with the appointment in January of a dedicated GM and the roll-out of new initiatives this year, it is a drive that shows no evidence of running out of steam.
HIP2B² was established by the Mark Shuttleworth Foundation after the successful road show undertaken by Shuttleworth to local schools after his First African in Space venture in 2002.
"There is a great need in our country to inspire young learners to devote time and energy to Stem subjects," said Shuttleworth when the initiative was launched. "These subjects are challenging and require discipline and concentration. But you don't have to be a genius at those subjects to see real benefits in your life, in the long term, from effort spent on them at school. All around the world it has been shown that an extra few hours every week at school on maths and science pays off handsomely later in life, whatever your career choice."
Two years ago the brand broke away from the foundation, in order to develop into a self-sustainable entity. In January, HIP2B²"s parent company, BSquare Communications, which is a wholly owned division of another Shuttleworth company, HBD Venture Capital, appointed its first GM, Cathryn Treasure.
A business science graduate from the University of Cape Town, Treasure joined HIP2B²' from Incite Sustainability, where she consulted on sustainability and communications. Prior to that she spent several years as head of marketing and communications at the South African office of the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature. This post also took her to Fiji, where she communicated the objectives and activities of the WWF during a year-long contract.
She says: "The move from communicating conservation and sustainability into what is effectively education has not been difficult at all . Mark's ideals and beliefs are so inspiring, as are the energy and potential of the brand's audience. It is by no means a hard sell."
BSquare Communications is essentially a communications agency with HIP2B² as its central focus. The organisation publishes 100000 magazines that are distributed free among 966 high schools six times a year. It broadcasts a weekly television show, operates an interactive website and distributes a "mobizine" -- a mini-newsletter that is delivered to subscribers' handsets by SMS.
The company also organises a national road show, which conveys the message via theatre and other interactive means.
HIP2B²'s brand ambassador programme seeks out young individuals with a passion for science, maths, invention, computers and entrepreneurship. These youngsters serve -- for a year at a time -- as role models in their peer groups and are active participants in HIP2B²'s media channels.
The first HIP2B² iThink Challenge, which involves 1400 learners, will be broadcast live on SABC2 on Monday at 3.30pm. Participants will be competing against one another in a variety of Stem-related tasks, riddles and challenges.
"It is a bit like an intellectual Amazing Race that gives television viewers the opportunity to participate live as well," comments Treasure. "There is a strong career theme that will run through the competition to encourage participants to imagine what they might some day achieve and to inspire them in terms of the opportunities associated with Stem subjects and related areas of study."
Shuttleworth -- who, she says, remains as fervent about HIP2B²'s objectives as ever -- mandated Treasure to "take the brand to the next level". In addition to making it self-sustainable "within the next two years", this means reviewing the organisation's channels of communication to ensure that they are as relevant and effective as possible. She is also determined to develop and implement measurement systems that will provide accurate feedback about the short- and long-term impact that the HIP2B² brand has on its target market.
"We know that the kids love the magazine," she says. "We can measure the reach of the television show each week. We can also monitor the interaction on the website and via the mobizine. We receive excellent response to our brand ambassador programmes and to our road shows.
"So, there is no doubt that the HIP2B²' brand is strong in our target market. However, what we would like to do is to have the ability to measure exactly what kind of impact the brand and its message have beyond the immediate response to our channels of communication. We want to see how our audience's lives unfold in relation to what we do and how our communication shapes the choices youngsters make in terms of the Stem subjects, and their academic and career decisions."
Accordingly, Treasure is reviewing a number of research and measurement options and models. Further , she decided recently to extend HIP2B²'s reach and to incorporate more activities for a younger market.
"Our original model targeted high school children. Now, however, we want to engage with learners from the age of 10, because we realise that, at that stage, they make crucial decisions regarding future studies," she says.
While she is confident about the prowess of the brand among learners, Treasure says that there is work to be done in big business to increase awareness at that level. This is necessary, she explains, because HIP2B² realises that its objectives will be most effectively achieved where it partners with big business.
Absa and Kellogg's currently sponsor the brand's road show and brand ambassador initiative, respectively.
"Corporate involvement in projects such as ours generally comes out of corporate social investment or marketing budgets," comments Treasure.
"The problem, at the moment, is that many of these budgets have been cut as a result of economic uncertainties. We are confident, however, that companies will realise the value of partnering with us. Not only do we access an exciting and specific sector of the market, but our activities have a direct impact on the future prosperity of many of our potential corporate partners."
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