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take a girl

Celebrating 20 years of Take a Girl Child to Work Day

Our Evolution from Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day Programme

Being responsive to a changing environment, evolution and reinvention are critical to staying relevant; and tackling emergent new challenges and opportunities.

Cell C had the pleasure and privilege of launching Take a Girl Child to Work Day programme 20 years ago, a revolutionary initiative to empower the girl-child by affirming to her that her dreams are valid and possible - by exposing her to an array of careers beyond the limitations of the commonly known professions.

With the partnership and participation of like-minded organisations, we have seen how this programme positively impacted girls. This is a proud legacy that we share in with these organisations.

However, since launch, society has changed tremendously and so have the needs of girls and young people in general. Against the stark backdrop of extremely high unemployment, child-headed households, a mental wellness deficit, teenage pregnancies, gender-based violence (GBV), a rise in the school drop-out rate particularly amongst boys, and many other social challenges; so much so that the benefits of a career's day for girls are diluted by what they have to contend with in the broader environment in which they live.

To empower the girl-child, we need to bridge the gender divide by viewing gender equality within the context of a broader youth development ecosystem that addresses issues beyond only a career consideration.

With this reinvention and responsiveness in mind, we are excited to announce that we are evolving how we play our role in the empowerment of girl-children. We are making significant changes to our approach that will see us evolve from the Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day programme to adopting a broader youth development approach.

We have been hard at work calibrating a programme that is inclusive of all youth and encompassing the broader issues that plague youth today. This revised programme looks at not only career guidance and development but the entire ecosystem - entrepreneurship, mentorship, guiding self-mastery and awareness, building emotional intelligence, toxic masculinity, teaching critical skills, e.g. financial literacy to name a few of the focus areas. And just as importantly, takes the boy-child along.

We want to invite our media colleagues, along on this journey with us because we value and look forward to your continued support and participation so we may collectively bring to life a movement of change for our South African youth.

Keep watch of our Cell C Girl social media pages for updates, Stay tuned!

  • Take a Girl Child to Workday: girlchild@cellc.co.za
  • Media queries: media@cellc.co.za
  • Social Media Handle: @CellCgirl