Neil Fraser
11 October 2002
WHEN I first started writing Citichat, probably some five years ago now, it was largely through frustration. In those days, the media didn't appear to be interested in publishing any 'good news' about the city, as minimal as this might have been then.
Citichat's objective was to spread as broadly as possible, the positives that the city offered as well as to make known the small victories which were being gained. The city critics and deprecators needed to know that there were processes being put in place, strategies being developed and people still committed to the revival of the city.
Over the years, as the strategies that were put in place started to kick in, as political commitment to the city's revival became more real and tangible and the victories considerably larger and more frequent, Citichat's focus broadened.
By reflecting on what might be relevant and irrelevant in other cities in South Africa, Africa and many other parts of the world, Citichat has tried to expose readers to the complexities of cities and the Inner City of Johannesburg in particular.
In the past two years it has increasingly recorded the good and the bad in the Inner City. The good has highlighted projects, people, processes and organisations that have and are making a difference.
One such organisation is relatively new in the city and not yet as well known as it deserves. It is an organisation called Common Purpose that I believe will increasingly play a critical role in equipping 'leaders' with a greater understanding of the dynamics of the city.
I was first exposed to the organisation when it was still in its formative stage in 2000 when I was visited by one of its UK staff who explained the aims and objectives of the organisation. I later met its South African Programme Director, Brian Scheepers.
Common Purpose had been established in the late 1980s and was operating in the UK, Sweden, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands. Many thousands had already participated in its programmes.
Its aims are:
- to invest in communities by giving emerging leaders from every part of society the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to benefit those communities.
- to initiate greater cross-sector communication, thus stimulating more effective cross sector working relationships.
- to inspire emerging leaders to find new and collaborative solutions to problems in their own organisations and in the wider context.
I immediately identified with the aims of the organisation. In a funny way and at a far higher and more intense level they were similar to those of Citichat, though obviously through a vastly different, focused and more intensive and effective process.
Citichat, like Common Purpose, aims to provide a greater understanding of the context in which we operate, Citichat informally by presenting all possible aspects of the city. Common Purpose by "creating an open outward-looking network characterised by enthusiasm, synergy and commitment, promoting the transferability of talent and ideas from one city to the next in order to maximise the benefits."
Common Purpose brings together groups of carefully chosen people and exposes them uniquely to the workings of the society in which we function. Carefully selected from public and private and non-profit sectors, it brings together people who are in or on the threshold of leadership and develops them to be more effective.
These are people who have the potential to make a difference in their own organisations, in the community and in society as a whole thus, of particular interest for me, in the city. They are exposed together in a highly structured way to leaders, opinion makers, processes, organisations and places that are part of or are currently shaping the world about us.
The process promotes open, critical analysis of all of these thus facilitating an understanding of the context in which they operate and encouraging participants to look for new and collaborative solutions to the issues that they are confronted with.
The organisations's literature describes their leadership programmes as "delivered in a unique way because they are rooted in the community. This doubles the return on investment, resulting in better leaders and stronger communities. The community is both our subject and our venue. Participants don't just sit in meeting rooms doing exercises. They go out into the surrounding area and consider society's real issues and problems first hand. They visit businesses, prisons, housing developments, hospitals, plants.
They discover that many of the issues they are grappling with are common to all sectors. Together, they tackle live issues with other leaders, including the people who carry real life responsibility for them."
So what does a Common Purpose programme look like in practice? This past year, the second in which during 2002, the Matrix programme "for emerging leaders in their cities, towns or areas" has been offered for the second year.
It started with a residential workshop over two days in February. Each succeeding month a one-day intensive session is held. This year these have focused on Economy and Employment; Education and Technology; Housing and Homelessness; Governance; Health and Social Services; Crime and Justice; Planning and the Environment; Poverty and Social Inclusion; Arts Culture and the Media.
Taking the Matrix Governance Programme Day as an example, (08h00 start finishing with dinner at 19h15) the programme consists of briefings, panel discussions, conversations with business leaders, a keynote address, positions exercises on governance related issues, site visits, a corporate governance case study, group led discussions etc.
Two new Common Purpose programmes are being introduced. The first of these is 'Navigator', targeting persons under 30 who hold key positions in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors and who have been identified as having high potential in their chosen field.
An intensive five-day residential programme (this year 4 to 8 November in Johannesburg) will expose participants to behind the scenes views of how society works, encourage them to challenge and debate with leaders in various fields and to "step out of their comfort zones and to explore the scope of leadership and creativity."
The second new programme is "Your Turn" and this is aimed at 15-year-olds and challenges potential future leaders to think about their town or city and the world about them in new ways. They are exposed to current decision makers in all walks of society.
'Matrix', 'Navigator' and 'Your Turn' are three outstanding programmes that will increasingly influence current and future leadership, current and future leadership that in one way or another will impact on our towns and cities.
You can get more information on Common Purpose on Common Purpose.
Much of the foundational success of this, in South Africa, very new organisation which has and is contributing to greater understanding of the city and the broader world in which it operates, is due to the passionate commitment of its first South African Programme Director, Brian Scheepers. Brian passed away a few weeks ago after a long and courageous battle against cancer.
His passion for the objectives of the organisation will live on through each Common Purpose programme participant whose personal boundaries will be expanded, capacity to lead strengthened and ability to contribute practically to the communities they serve enhanced.
Ave atque vale, Brian!
