There is a strange thing that happens when we talk about “community” now. We say the word, but what we often mean is “people who make me feel good about myself”. We want community that understands us, reflects us, validates us, supports us, reads our long messages, likes our posts, shows up when we are low, disappears when we are tired, and never asks too much in return. In other words, we want community that behaves like a very patient therapist with better snacks. But real

Parkmore, Sandton Youth “Purple Max” Awarded 2018 Bronze Standard for Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award / The President’s Award for Youth Empowerment (South Africa) “The Award equips young people for life and work. Not all learning happens in the classroom. Young people need experiences outside the classroom to become committed, responsible and fulfilled citizens of the world.” – DofE Award Website There are many people I know that I am extremely proud to keep company w

I have a friend who has been yearning to return to the coast and has decided to relocate from Johannesburg at the end of October (2018). She would most probably prefer me to be the type of friend who shows some level of remorse at her departure but I simply cannot contain my excitement at the prospect of a good old garage sale! Admittedly, I go gaga for these type of sales. There is something that screams ‘success!’ at finding a good piece of vintage furniture, or simply a “b

I once read that volunteering allows you to age with grace. For me, the actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn is a prime example of that statement. If volunteering provides me with a fraction of her grace then I will consider myself truly blessed. Ms Hepburn said, “Giving is living. If you stop wanting to give, there’s nothing more to live for.” I recently wrote an essay about my volunteering journey for the #MyGivingStory as part of the #GivingTuesday global initiative. I

I recently blogged about the way that entrepreneurship seems addictively fashionable in What Is All The Hype About Entrepreneurs? As it turns out, I have seemingly more friends who are independent entrepreneurs than Suits. They have such a diverse range of services and products between them that I am wondering why I ever actually need to shop online or even step foot into a physical store again. Meet Sam Mhlungu. I’ve known Sam for nearly a decade now. As with most of my soci

Originally posted on Twitter Blanket Drive #TBD2015: Cape Town Host @merentia Fire & Ice Cape Town @FireAndIceCT Charly’s Bakery @CharlysBakery @iCaptainCupcake Voice of the Cape studios @VOCfm @Zahrah_ Love Pilates studio @LovePilatesCT Kronendal Music Academy of Hout Bay @Robyn_Smith @wren_tweetz Anywhere in the Peninsula – @PicUpSA Johannesburg Host @serenacg Fire & Ice Melrose Arch Pretoria Host Stephanie @tresorsstudio Fire & Ice Menlyn Park Durban Host @fredfelton Drop

Lend a helping hand to the Pampers-UNICEF campaign by putting up a widget on your site/blog! Every year, 58,000 babies die within the first month of life from maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) – a completely preventable disease. By posting this widget on your site/blog you will in turn be helping to raise lifesaving tetanus vaccines for children in need. Clicking on the widget will take you through to the Pampers Facebook page and for every new ‘like’ Pampers receives on th

Being nice isn’t difficult. We just forget that sometimes. There really is something gratifying and fulfilling about knowing you did something for someone with no strings attached. Giving is a gift in itself. We could all do with a bit of kindness in our lives and heaven knows there are a lot of people who are in desperate need of faith in humanity. Being ‘nice’ may not change the world but it does change the world you find yourself living in. Here’s a 100 ways to just be Nic

We have always used the holidays to give the message to our kids that if you don’t make room for good to enter then it can’t. It works well to get the kids into the ‘spirit’ of giving and thinking about other people who may benefit from toys and clothing that they don’t need or value anymore. The activity also makes them more aware of other people around us in the world they co-inhabit. The kids are quite good at the clearing process and even clean up their rooms at the same

Until 3 years ago, we didn’t have a front wall at our house. It was quite refreshing actually, especially during the Christmas holidays when the Carolers come around and sing at our front door while we are settling down to have dinner. Here are some song words to my favourite Christmas Carols: Away in a manger Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay, The little Lord Jesus asleep

Kim Feinberg I was introduced to Kim Feinberg about 6 years ago when the corporate I worked for had sponsored one of the 94.7 Highveld Christmas Wishlist wishes. If I recall correctly, it was Simon Parkinson from Primedia that got me into a meeting with Kim and The Tomorrow Trust. We had the opportunity to grant a wish but, in line with our sustainable and empowering views, we knew we had to do more beyond a simple donation and once-off annual contribution to a cause. The cha

This story, now campaign, really touched my heart. Given the 16 Days of Activism period we are now in, this is a very real and relevant example of how abuse destroys lives – long before death is even an option. The deadline for the appeal was last night but, again, this is a story that must be heard. Related articles on this blog: What type of activist are you?

Food colouring made a huge appearance at my house today. It started when I added some Cherry Red to the lava mix to make it look more realistic. Then the obvious next step was to show the kids how water “walks” from 1 cup to another – this time using blue colouring. By lunchtime the only acceptable meal was going to be Rainbow Pasta which went down very well (as toys and sustenance). I was exhausted after lunchtime and managed to convince both kids to have a nap before swimmi

I was trawling through my Twitter timeline this morning and came across a fun tweet WITH a call-to-action! I couldn’t resist and so followed the links into the mystery of what lay beyond. Turns out that #blogsecretsanta (the hashtag used on Twitter) is very simply a Secret Santa concept for blogger and other online enthusiasts around the country – gifting and surprises, 2 of my favourite things combined. Apparently this spontaneous happiness factory has been going on for quit

All the events in South Africa (#TBDZA) and Zimbabwe (#TBDZW) have been set up on twtvite.com. Please do visit the site and see details of all the events taking place on 26 May 2012. And, more importantly - please RSVP so that we can keep a check on numbers :-) Full list of events: Thanks

The 3rd annual South African national Tweetup for good, #TBDZA (previously known as #TBD), will be held on Saturday, 26 May 2012 at venues around the country. Same time, same date. More details to follow. Details will be posted on the official website: www.twitterblanketdrive.co.za

With #TBD events all wrapped for the weekend, it's time to reflect before I report back. Need to remember to celebrate all the good that happened these past months - total strangers coming together to make a difference. There is so much good to reflect on. I'll post an official #TBD report on my blog as well as on www.twitterblanketdrive.co.za by the end of this week.

Thank you to a very over zealous South African Twitter community, the official #TBD website has borked! Here's all the info you need to know about events taking place around the country today. There are 14 events taking place in 4 provinces: Province Area Venue Time Twitter host Gauteng Sandton Crowne Plaza Hotel, Rosebank 6pm – 10pm @MelanieMinnaar Benoni The Coffee Shop, Rynfield 6pm @jackiejvr West Rand SilverStar Casino 6pm @ReneeEverett Pretoria The Blades 6pm @sdiederic

In 2009 I signed up for Twitter. Hardly an early-adopter. I lost interest very quickly as no one was apparently interested in what I had to say, and ‘they’ were downright rude as they didn’t even acknowledge my presence on the social media platform. It took 6 more months before someone explained to me how Twitter worked. It was only in January 2010 that I really started exploring the bustling social media platform. I was on maternity leave, it was a cold autumn day. And as I

The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rosebank has been confirmed as the venue for the 4 June Tweetup for the blanket drive in Sandton. The hotel has generously provided a conference room, complete with AV support necessary to make the tweetup a techie success. The tweetup venue is conveniently located in a private area with close access to rest rooms, deck (for smokers) and the hotel bar (in case there is a sporting event on the telly which we've overlooked in selecting the date). The h