Employee Volunteerism –Why we do it?
Volunteerism is often defined as the policy or practice of volunteering one’s time or talents for charitable, educational, or other worthwhile activities, especially in one’s community or otherwise the principle of donating time and energy for the benefit of other people in the community as a social responsibility rather than for any financial reward.

Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation. It allows workers to expand skills, build upon strengths and connect with their community. It is estimated that 90% of human resources professionals say that pro-bono volunteering is an effective way to develop leadership skills. Volunteering can also develop soft skills that are instrumental in a business environment, such as problem solving, mentoring and communications. Volunteerism is therefore an excellent breeding ground for new talent, innovation and allowing a neutral space for employee training and growth at a relatively low cost to the company. Research also suggests that through volunteerism a lot of societal ills are exterminated, and the courses undertaken by volunteers often change societal behaviour in a way that they too take charge and participate in building the type of environment and society that they like to live in, communities become more willing to be part of their own situational change.

Our caring employees’ initiatives:
JP Morgan Challenge
Chase Challenge aims to promote health, fitness, camaraderie in the workplace and raise funds for specific charity organisations. The Banking Association South Africa staff, family and friends participate in the course annually. JP Morgan Chase uses the funds raised from the Challenge to support various educational programmes.

Mandela Day – united actions to serve and celebrate the icon, Madiba
StarSaver ™ (formerly Teach Children to Save South Africa™) the flagship generic financial literacy programme of The Banking Association is an advocate of International Nelson Mandela Day (18 July), the ethos being to “Make Every Day A Mandela Day” through inspiring change and action. StarSaver™ aligned with Mandela Day since inception in July 2009. Volunteer bankers and financial sector professionals become “teachers-for-67minutes” and cover the length and breadth of South Africa inspiring learners to be lifelong savers.

MANDELA DAY CONCEPT
Nelson Mandela International Day (or Mandela Day) is an annual international day in honour of the iconic Nelson Mandela. It is celebrated annually on 18 July (Mandela’s birthday).
Mandela Day is not meant as a public holiday, but as a day to honour the values and the legacy of Nelson Mandela through volunteering and community service. Mandela Day is a global call to action that celebrates the noble idea that each individual has the power to transform the world and the ability to make an impact. The Mandela Day aims to inspire individuals to take action to help and change the world for the better and build a global movement for good.

67 Minutes of Giving
The Mandela Day campaign message is: “Nelson Mandela has fought for social justice for 67 years. We are asking you to start with 67 minutes.” This global call for action to all citizens is made to commit 67 minutes to community volunteerism to progress humanity. The 67 minutes StarSaver ™( formerly Teach Children to Save South Africa™) lesson to inculcate a culture of saving in children delivered by the volunteer bankers and financial sector professionals is a reflection and alignment to the Mandela Day messaging which is anchored on bringing together people around the world to fight poverty, promote peace and reconciliation. The volunteer bankers and financial sector professionals become “teachers-for-67minutes”.

CASUAL DAY
The Banking Association South Africa supports the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities (NCPPDSA), Casual Day project. In participating in the annual event we help to assist the NCPPDSA in improving education, accessibility and social inclusion for persons with disabilities.

Finance has been an integral part of human society, in one way or another, since the dawn of civilisation. It is a cornerstone of prosperity and security that builds confidence and knowledge in the lives of individuals and the country as a whole. Financial Literacy is the core platform for Financial Inclusion and the basis for equitable and sustainable socio-economic development. The Banking Association South Africa recognises this importance and has made Financial Literacy a priority.

Together with key partners, The Banking Association aims to improve Financial Literacy to promote the skills, knowledge attitudes and behaviours required to be financially independent. The Banking Association envisions a future where each person’s informed financial decisions help shape the country’s economy into the powerhouse it has the potential to be.

Our Financial Literacy Initiatives
StarSaver™ (formerly Teach Children to Save South Africa™) is The Banking Association’s flagship generic financial literacy programme through which the banking industry and the broader financial sector collaboratively teach children to save while encouraging volunteerism. Volunteer bankers and financial sector professionals deliver a 67 minutes savings lesson (aligned to 67 minutes of Mandela Day) to inspire learners to be lifelong savers. The aim of the programme is to inculcate a culture of saving in children.

Motto: “Ligotshwa Limanzi” – a Zulu idiom meaning a stick is best shaped whilst moist.

The integration of StarSaver™ with other financial literacy and employee volunteerism programmes ensures that the savings message and basic financial literacy is promoted throughout the year.

JSE National Financial Literacy Day
The Banking Association supports the JSE National Financial Literacy Day, a Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) initiative that aims to de-mystify the stock market and help develop confidence in future investors by educating the youth about how the JSE functions.

Teacher Development
The Banking Association South Africa supports a Gauteng Department of Education pilot Teacher Development programme that aims to re-orientate teachers within the Economic Management Sciences (EMS) field.

SABRIC
The Banking Association supports a banking safety education initiative, delivered by the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC) through the StarSaver™ platform. The initiative aims to spread information through communities to help the banked and unbanked avoid becoming victims of banking crimes.

It is through financial education and information that The Banking Association believes the road to a financially secure future is paved. Through support of various Financial Literacy Initiatives, The Banking Association aims to make that future a reality, today.

Education – Teach the Tools for a Better Life
Education builds a better society and is an essential element of democracy. Education forms a crucial conduit through which the ideals, values, knowledge, attitudes, skills and relationships cherished by a society are made available to learners of all ages.

The CSI Handbook 2012 (15th Edition), published by Trialogue, conducted research with 108 companies and 182 not-for-profit organisations to build a comprehensive picture of corporate social development spend in South Africa. 93% of companies included an educational component in their social projects, which totalled R6.9 billion investment in the 2011/2012 period, an 11 percent increase on the previous year. For the first time in ten years, corporate investment in Education is above 40%

British philosopher Francis Bacon is widely accredited as saying “Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est”, which means knowledge is power. Education is a key area of support because The Banking Association recognises that Education, both literacy and numeracy, helps identify, nurture and encourage talent.

Our Education Initiatives
Men in the Making
The Men in the Making initiative of Tracker organisation in collaboration with Metro FM radio station was launched on the 25th of March 2009 with support and endorsement from the Department of Basic Education. The Department saw this initiative to be in line with their Girl Education Movement (GEM) and Boy Education Movement School programmes; the (BEM) in particular.

The Banking Association South Africa partners with tracker to make an impact on grade 10-12 boys from pre-¬selected schools who are familiarised with what The Banking Association and the industry as a whole is about and sensitised on issues surrounding their own gender journey. In recent years the Association has also partnered with SA Mint and SA Bank Note – South African Money Making houses to expose the learners to the makings of the real deal! The education from such institutions goes as far as learning about “investment money or making money out of buying and selling money”. Who would have thought such a thing was possible, “asked one young boy during the tour”?

“To know self, respect self and share self in volunteerism is to be ‘world-needs-aware’ Which in turn is an open orchid of goodness from which to harvest. For one cannot plant seeds of apples and hope to harvest oranges”- The Banking Association Financial Inclusion CSI motto!

Take a Girl Child to Work Day
The Banking Association South Africa also supports the Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day® annual campaign under the notion “empower a girl, empower a nation”. Cell C’s Take a Girl Child to Work Day® is targeted at Grade 10 to 12 South African girl learners, giving them the opportunity to visit a place of work and to experience first-hand, the “world of work” and various career opportunities available within industries, businesses and the public service sectors.

Knowledge Tours to SA Mint and SA Bank Note Company
As part of the Teach Children to Save South Africa™ programme, The Banking Association South Africa has been inviting learners from various schools to learn through tours within the two money making institutions, how money is made.

What is SA Mint and SA banknote?
SA Mint – The Mint and the SA Banknote are wholly owned subsidiary of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). SARB is authorised to ‘coin coins or cause coins to be coined’. The Mint is made up of 2 divisions: Circulation Coins (CC), Numismatics (Nums). The CC division manufactures the legal tender coins that we use in our everyday transactions, as well as coin blanks, which are sold to customers for minting. SA Mint produces all South African Coinage. Through the coins one is able to learn the history of South Africa, mostly political events and major changes that brought the country to where it is.

Both groups of Man in the Making and Take a Girlchild to Work have benefitted immensely from participating in previous tours and had this to say:

  • We didn’t know that South Africa manufactured money here at home
  • We didn’t know that the CEO of the SA BAN KNOTE is a WOMAN… WOW
  • We didn’t know that you could study to become part of the SA BANK NOTE staff

Makeba Centre for Girls
The Makeba Center for girls which is a home to young vulnerable girls of ages between eleven and eighteen in Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa was founded in 2003 by the world’s renowned musical diva, the late legendary Miriam Makeba. Over the past decade, the Center has been a shelter and a preserve for girls that have been abused, destitute and have been removed from their circumstances through a court process.

As part of The Banking Association South Africa’s commitment to girl empowerment, the center has received and continues to receive support in various ways. We assess overall needs that the girls have each year and we intervene with strategic measures to improve their lives. We understand that Financial Literacy which is our core platform for engagement to pursue better financial inclusion cannot happen effectively without addressing inherent social ills.

Fear for Maths
The Banking Association South Africa takes interest in this subject area as Mathematics forms the basis of all money matters. Since 2008 has sponsored the Siyakhanyisa Study Support Initiative (‘Siyakhanyisa’), a complementary initiative to the Teach Children to Save Programme, which offers maths motivational workshops aimed at eradicating the maths anxiety that is so very well known to every teacher and a majority of learners, and consequently encouraging teachers and learners to maximize their potential through application and persistence.

The Maths Fear Programme allows learners to accept help in facing up to their fear and taking charge of their overall performance at school and ultimately in choices that affect their future.

Spelling BEE
The Banking Association South Africa is a proud supporter of the Camp I Am initiative which also drives the recently launched Spelling Bee South Africa Competition. A spelling bee is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell a broad selection of words, usually with a varying degree of difficulty. The concept is thought to have originated in the United States in 1925.

Benefits of Spelling BEE
The spelling bee not only provides a valuable educational experience for learners, but also allows them to engage in healthy competition. There are many other benefits from this fun activity:

  • Learning Grammar
  • Enhancing Vocabulary
  • Competitive Spirit
  • Greater Knowledge
  • Cognitive Skills
  • Confidence
  • Banking Association South Africa’s Involvement

As a steering institution for Financial Literacy within the Banking and Financial industry we support initiatives that improve basic literacy levels amongst learners.