Students volunteer to lend a helping hand
PR students at IIE MSA launched a campaign to recruit volunteers for a local NGO.
The third-year Public Relations students at IIE MSA in Ruimsig launched the Lend A Helping Hand campaign on November 5. The purpose of the campaign was to recruit volunteers for The EARTH Centre in efforts to make meaningful contributions to their local community.
Heinrich de Beer, consultant for the marketing department at The EARTH Centre gave an introductory message on what the NPO does and what volunteering entails. “As students you will mostly come into contact with the therapy riding that we offer.” Heinrich explained volunteers enable the centre to help the communities they cater to on a regular basis.
“The volunteering experience is a fantastic opportunity since we have a well over 80% retention rate, especially for new volunteers. Volunteers do come in contact with some physical work and that depends on what you are or aren’t able to do yourself. You are put through a screening process to see what your abilities are and how you can assist us.”
The campaign is a PR integrated learning programme where students put theory into practice. “The students write a PR campaign and then they have to roll it out. We work with a few NGOs, and The EARTH Centre is one of them. The students have written a campaign for the centre to up their volunteers. This is a very important practical exercise for the students because it is in a safe environment for them to make mistakes,” lecturer Helena van Wyk explained. It runs under the hashtag #LendAHelpingHand
The EARTH Centre is an NPO that works to strengthen, empower and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and special needs through horses.
Contact the EARTH Centre on 011 958 5044.
