Last year, three young women all under the age of 23 years old with no experience about the digital space were tasked with one of the most daunting and biggest roles in the corporate environment - to start one of it's kind Youth Centric Branch for the leading media company, Independent Newspapers.
Do they take the challenge and make it a success or do they fail and say we are too young for this task? continue reading...
Jane Folodi writes… Cheers to strong women!
Their names were Jane Folodi, Nadine Willis and Saajida Francis.
We had to conquer the digital space.
We had to give birth to a youth centric website, one of it’s kind in SA within a short period of time.
Right: Jane Folodi, Nadine Willis, Mike Ntsasa and Saajida Francis. Photo credit: TYI
It was a exciting and scary experience.
Each of these women studied in different fields. One held an Honours degree in Digital media/ Journalism Studies from Rhodes University, one was a talented graphic designer and one was completing her undergraduate qualification in PR & Communications.
Regardless of their different career fields, all of these women had one thing in common.
They were all hungry for success and leaders in their own right.
They fell out many times, they laughed, they cried, they had many sleepless nights. At some point they thought their baby was gonna die, but guess what?
They never lost hope, they carefully nurtured this child, learning a lot about ‘parenting’ along the way from those who already knew the path.
On March 2016, they gave birth to the most beautiful creation the digital world has ever seen and that baby was called The Young Independents.
This is such an emotional time in my career and this is also one of the proudest time in my career. The Young Independents was a tool that showed me that I am capable and it also showed me how strong I am.
Within a short period of time I have learnt so much from the welcoming family of Independent Media.
I have met a lot of great people along the way and they have all have played an amazing role in my career development.
To mention a few, firstly I would like to extend my greatest gratitude to the Chairman of Independent media group Dr. Iqbal Surve. I thank him for believing in us and giving us the opportunity to show our capabilities.
The editor of The Young Independents, Saajida Francis for teaching me so much about words, Nadine Wills taught me how to manage time and photography, the digital guru’s Razia and Janice taught me everything I know about social media hacks, Viwe Ndongeni taught me the fundamentals of journalism. Walter Madzonga & Mike Ntsasa teaching everything I need to know about business and revenue creation and many others that I didn’t mention but know who they are.
There are always opportunities out there. Be humble, ask if you don’t know.
Work hard and add a dash of fun and never ever lose hope in your dreams.
Everything is possible if you set your mind to it.
On Wednesday morning, our baby will officially be a year old!
Again, I am so proud of our creation.
Lessons I’ve learnt along the way:
Jane Folodi addresses young leaders during the Mzansi Top 100 event held in Johannesburg. Photo credit: TYI
1. The day you think you know everything is the day you know nothing – learn as much as you can. 2. Surround yourself with people who are as determined as you are. 3. Always ask elders for advice. 4. Never lose focus. 5. Love what you do- Have fun with it! 6. Believe in yourself. 7. Take initiative.
And always keep a bottle of wine around because you never know when you have to celebrate!
Most importantly, don't be afraid to ASK, ASK, ASK until you master the concept.
In 2017, TYI was nominated as the best site to engage with youth audiences out by The International News Media Association (INMA). Which is the world's leading provider of global best practices for news media companies looking to grow revenue, audience, and brand amid profound market change
Originally published on TYI, written by Jane Folodi.
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