Dear members, partners and supporters,
We hope that you are well and that you enjoyed our January 2024 newsletter in which we reported the impact we have been making through the implementation of our 2022-2027 strategy.
Just in time for the Youth Month of June Our team is thrilled to share the start of the exciting #MakersOfTomorrow campaign that is geared to amplify AWARE.org’s flagship #NOtoUnder18 pillar to all stakeholders. You’ll be hearing about why and how we’re addressing underage drinking across radio, television, print, online media as well as the gaming space.
Everyday is #DontDrinkandDrive day: #MaketheBetterChoice #JustDontDoIt This includes school holidays and major religious observations like Easter that see South Africans take to the roads for rest and relaxation and family catch-ups in other regions. Once again, AWARE.org was vocal in advocating for road safety and only driving when sober. We were acknowledged for our responsible drinking and driving campaign by partners, including the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).
With members as AWARE.org’s primary constituency, we bring to your attention new publications, resources and innovations tailored to your needs. These include the drunk driving simulator, our 2022/23 report, the membership pack and a membership badge, all of which can support your harm-reduction activities.
We encourage you to continue to engage with us – tell us what you find interesting or valuable. Your ongoing support is instrumental to AWARE.org and we appreciate the longstanding and newer relationships alike.
"…Make good choices ‘coz success is not microwavable It’s built and moulded, one choice at a time So choose to make the better choice, Choose to say no to underage drinking Say yes to becoming… creating…. being The Makers of Tomorrow! #NOtoU18"
This is the rousing call from the #MakersOfTomorrow manifesto which embodies the future-oriented meaning, purpose and channels of our new platform.
Tailored strategies under this robust youth platform, based on young people’s habits, preferences and motivations, will engage the 13-17 year olds (and their parents/caregivers) through different yet aligned and mutually reinforcing initiatives.
Rolling out our Youth Months special from April to July
Freedom Day, 27 April 2024:
Trust that you caught us on your car radios and in your favourite newspaper. The message we aimed to communicate is that true freedom in South Africa will only be realised when young people are able to navigate their world with confidence and in safety – of which being alcohol-free before 18 is a core principle that our society can realise.
From May 2024, you would have seen the #MakersOfTomorrow platform roll across social media and gaming screens. Recognising that traditional media channels can be saturated with marketing “noise”, AWARE.org seeks to engage youth in spaces they inhabit – places where they identify as natives. To further reach youth where they are, AWARE.org’s innovative project went into the metaverse to develop a gamification experience on the popular gaming platform, Roblox. With a focus on promoting responsible life choices, the game was based in the digital town Roville and titled “The Lost Items”. The release of the game was matched with creators of TikTok user-generated content (UGC) to deliver interactive messaging for active participation.
To round things off, we are collaborating with SABC 1 to introduce a special segment on Skeem Saam in June – July 2024. Skeem Saam is a popular local TV show that explores the lives of Turfloop residents, capturing their daily struggles and aspirations, providing a rich narrative that intertwines the experiences of both the rich and poor in Turfloop. With a focus on the youth character storyline, the partnership production will feature #NOtoUnderageDrinking content centred around young adult characters who navigate life’s complexities while staying connected to their communities and people.
We’ll be keeping you posted on the get-down-to-business roundtable on underage drinking that AWARE.org will facilitate at GIBS. We will gather various role-players in the underage harm-reduction field and facilitate open engagement and a solutions-oriented conclusion. Participants will include organisations operating in the liquor industry, government and public sector agencies and leaders and experts in youth health and development.
We are additionally looking forward to visiting implementing partners to see the work in action. The stopovers will deepen our relationships and understanding of the work our programme partners execute on the ground. Such visits are powerful and treasured opportunities for both AWARE.org and our partners as we get to meet face-to-face and jointly experience the great impact which we create, while exchanging impressions and feedback. Every time we spend quality time with the partners, we also return with testimonials and significant qualitative information which enriches our programme strategies and reporting.
Our Pillar Hattrick
#IWD (International Women’s Day): Honouring women in harm reduction #ResponsibleAlcoholUse means honouring #HumanRights #MakeTheBetterChoice #JustDontDoIt: Don’t drink and drive
In Q1 2024, we impact-fully honoured three major public and social occasions – the International Women’s Day, Human Rights Day and the March-April school and religious holidays.
We tactically aligned AWARE.org’s strategic priorities with these opportunities which made us a popular topic on social media, among journalists and the general public.
#ResponsibleDrinking#HumanRightsDay
We would like to acknowledge and celebrate our valuable and engaged partners who helped us in these efforts, including Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR), the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD).
Get involved: as we approach the National Women’s Month in August, we invite you to share member stories about wonderful women who are contributing to harm reduction. Email info@aware.org if you would like to participate.
Unpacking the 2023 programme results
We are delighted to share an overview of AWARE.org’s positive outcomes and impact last year, made possible through your involvement and support.
These insights stem from audited reports provided by our implementing and stakeholder partners and evaluations of AWARE.org programmes, which are developed and rolled out in line with the approved organisational business strategy. Below, you’ll find a summarised breakdown of our achievements:
Impact-full Aware-Ness news to share!
- 10 000 under18s enrolled in school recreation programmes
- 75% claimed reduction of consumption of alcohol by learners
- More U18s enrolled and helped through early detection and rehabilitation
- JMPD partnership: 7 500 roadblocks 5 200 arrests 3.7% less drunk driving
- 64% of arrests during 2023 festive period
- 11% increase in Evidentiary Breath Alcohol Testing (EBAT)
- Reached and educated over 10 000 individuals of all ages/roles on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
- 38 participants enrolled for Early Childhood Development (ECD) support
- 75 pregnant women reached by Healthy Mother Healthy Baby© programme
Give these new AWARE.org resources a go:
Learn, experience, decide with the AWARE.org drunk-driving simulator
Our drunk driving simulator offers users an immersive experience of the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol.
This online challenge aims to help people learn about the profound impact of alcohol on their perception, experience – while sober and clear-headed – how scary it is to have alcohol wreck their driving abilities, and decide there-and-then to never drink and drive.
How it works: In the comfort of your own space and in your own time, you can go to a virtual bar, enjoy as many drinks as you feel like and then attempt to drive in our simulated environment.
Throughout the experience, helpful information and commonly held misconceptions about drinking and driving are displayed on your screen. You discover important truths – for example that all alcohol is a nervous system depressant and will affect your driving and that only time can reverse intoxication – coffee can’t sober you up.
Our latest annual report is here!
We have published the AWARE.org Annual Report 2022-23, offering an extensive review on our year-long activities aimed at promoting responsible behaviour relating to alcohol. The report explores our strategic focus areas and efforts to generate and maintain value for our members and stakeholders. Nine personal accounts of different individuals’ and programme partners’ alcohol harm-reduction journeys make for particularly heart-warming reading.
Join the business of alcohol harm reduction: Membership Pack and Membership Badge
The membership pack is on the website: https://www.aware.org.za/about-us.
As our MD, Carmen Mohapi, noted in the annual report, “Our diverse membership, stratified into 360+ members, is the lifeblood of AWARE.org and our most important constituency.”
Through your company’s commitment to our joint cause, you gain reputational credit and access to solutions to enhance your company’s harm-reduction commitments and initiatives. Membership of AWARE.org opens doors to relevant information, recognition and resources that can positively impact your operations and performance.
Further details are contained in the Membership Pack which you can access from the dedicated membership portal. The pack covers what we do and our focus areas; how your membership sets you apart from others in the liquor value chain and the difference AWARE.org makes; what you get from your membership and how to join; and testimonials from our stakeholders and partners.
AWARE.org welcomes new team members
Lebogang Mashigo – Senior Programmes Manager
Lebogang is a passionate communicator who combines many years’ experience in communications and public relations with in-depth knowledge of the liquor industry.
Lebo joined AWARE.org in December 2023 after working for several agencies, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust, Heineken South Africa and Diageo South Africa where his commitment to harm reduction had him managing sustainability programmes across the Africa region.
He is already leveraging insights from his previous roles and relationships with strategic stakeholders to advance AWARE.org’s “whole of society” approach to driving responsible drinking.
Lebo is dedicated to giving back to the communities and supports social and youth upliftment programmes. His family roots are in Hammanskraal, where he enjoys mentoring young people and contributes to the strengthening of water and hygiene facilities in schools.
Shawn Chauke – Office Administrator
Equipped with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Heriot-Watt University, Shawn has devoted much of his professional career to administration and managing operations, stock, facilities, customer service and events in the retail industry.
Seeking to attain a different skillset, he worked at the Department of Social Development before joining AWARE.org in late 2023.
Shawn is inspired by opportunities to help others and offers acts of service to those who need it. He is keen to share his skills and personal interests with AWARE.org and its stakeholders to support realisation of harm-reduction objectives.
In closing
We are eager to make the upcoming quarter count in all the right ways as with you, our members and partners, AWARE.org doesn’t just observe the Youth Day or even Youth Month this year but rather Youth Months.
Stay safe and stay connected with AWARE.org as we continue to drive impactful initiatives for a South Africa in which our children and their children can be truly free.
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