Since fourth-year Sauder School of Business student Thato Makgolane left his hometown of Phalaborwa in South Africa, five years ago for school, he has been trying to find ways to give back to his community.
“Growing up in Phalaborwa I had lots of mentors and people supporting me, and I felt a responsibility to give back” said Makgolane. “I’ve been looking for ways and opportunities to connect my experiences at UBC and Sauder with my town.”
After a failed attempt to bring the One Laptop per Child program to his hometown, Makgolane was inspired by conversations with UBC accounting Professor Jeff Kroeker to try something out again this summer.
Makgolane and Kroeker have put their ideas together and are developing a pilot project that they hope could provide an alternative to the heavily criticized aid model currently used in Africa – where Western nations continuously give money and resources.
This July, Makgolane, Kroeker, students, faculty and alumni from Sauder and members of the Vancouver business community are traveling to Phalaborwa, on the north-eastern side of South Africa, to give it a whirl.
They are taking their skills and knowledge to the town and will be holding a four-day MBA style workshop for members of the Phalaborwa business community. In exchange, the students are working in some of these businesses and will learn about doing business outside of Canada.
“We like to say we’re building a bridge,” says Kroeker. “The knowledge travels in both directions.”
Makgolane stresses this to his peers: “you’re not going to give, and you’re not going to aid. You’re going to share, and you’re going to learn.”
The students have adopted this mindset, and named the project the Arc Initiative, with the arc symbolizing the bridge and the two-way flow of knowledge.
Even developing the program for the Business Leadership Workshop involves sharing knowledge. The group has asked their community partner, the Palabora Foundation, to help develop workshop topics.
Teaming up with the Foundation – a local NGO that is already plugged-in and established in the community – is an essential component of Kroeker’s new model.
“When we leave South Africa, the project isn’t over. We want to keep talking with our partners and we want students and alumni to return,” says Kroeker. “The key to making it sustainable is to have this partnership with the Foundation.”
“If this project succeeds, it could be applied around the world. It has a great deal of potential,” says Michael Bae, a fourth-year Sauder student and the team coordinator for the Arc Initiative.
Kroeker is hoping this pilot project can be fine-tuned so he can bring it to Ethiopia next year where he has been developing relationships with local NGO’s. The focus and content of the workshop will be continually refined; however, he is certain that the Sauder students will get a lot from the experience. They are the ones who will be trying to apply their skills in a new environment, “travelling across the bridge!”
The five students traveling to South Africa will complete a six-week co-op placement in a local business. They will intern in tourism or food production businesses that the Palabora Foundation connects them with.
The students are also running a business competition for emerging business leaders in Phalaborwa. They are raising $10,000 in SEED money which will be awarded to two business proposals.
When Makgolane and Kroeker started planning this project in February they felt Sauder needed more social enterprise and community outreach opportunities for students. They turned to UBC’s Go Global office which facilitates international learning opportunities for students.
Go Global works with faculty and community to integrate the learning and service goals within programs to ensure there is a sustained capacity for the community. They also work with the students to get them prepared before they go abroad, and help them reflect on their work once they come back to Canada.
The Arc Initiative will be one of 11 International Service Learning programs heading out this summer.
In total, Go Global has 56 students going to seven countries between May and August.
Team coordinator Bae applied to the Arc Initiative through Go Global because he knew it was an opportunity to broaden his business skills and knowledge.
“Collaboration is how international business is happening all over the world. I’m interested in doing business on a global level once I graduate.”
Kroeker isn’t surprised. He says there’s been a significant shift in what students want out of their careers. This generation wants to excel in their jobs, collaborate on an international level and participate in community outreach all at once.
“I’m constantly inspired by students who don’t see barriers,” he says.
Sauder student Thato Makgolane is bringing a group of UBC students, faculty and alumni to his hometown of Phalaborwa, South Africa to run an MBA-style workshop.
