The Village has created a helpful Skillup Digi-zine to help people looking to re-enter the job market or set up a side hustle to make extra money.
South Africa (15 May 2023) – There is a South African Facebook group made up of over 50,000 people who discuss family, parenting and so much more; it is a safe space for many. The group thrives because it values kindness above all else! It is called The Village because it takes one to raise a child.
While the group is usually parenting focused (although not exclusively) a recent discussion has been popping up more frequently. That is how to make a little extra money to make ends meet, or how to re-enter the job market after raising children.
Founder Vanessa Raphaely along with the Village team and a few external contributors, made up a useful “digi-zine” to help people skillup.
The team reached out to share the digi-zine with us in the hope of reaching more people who may need it. It is filled with useful things like “how to write a knock-out CV” or “creating a stand-out LinkedIn profile” – simple yet effective tips for getting things done. The best part is that the digi-zine is totally free for anyone to download.
“It’s a response to a combination of things:
- the massive unemployment in the country, and on The Village in particular, we hear of so many people looking for a side hustle, a way to earn extra income, and we hope this might help them take that step
- the move of moms to re-invent themselves, especially as their kids get older and leave the nest, and again, we hope this provides people with some ideas
But mostly, for us, it shows the Superpower of South Africans – that Can Do attitude for which we are so famous.
Yup, the world might be crumbling around us, and work is hard to find, but we do not crumble into a heap of despair. We find a way, we keep learning, we create a new hustle. We help each other, and we help ourselves.”
They provide loads of free support and ideas for making your next big move. To keep the digi-zine free, there is some advertising within its pages but like any magazine, its kept relevant to the content.
You can download your copy of the Skillup Digi-Zine here. The team hopes to release one each year, to help tap into the ever-changing social spaces.
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What is The Village?
The Village is an online community aimed at parents of tweens, teens and young adults, founded and managed by Vanessa Raphaely. Having raised three children herself, all while running a successful career, Vanessa is no stranger to the old adage that ‘It takes a Village to raise a child’. She has also watched in dismay as South Africa, in particular, has lost this sense of community as families retreat further and further behind their high walls and into their own small circles. Most especially during the Covid Lockdown years.
With a small inkling that she could recreate this sense of community in cyberspace, she launched The Village in 2017 – with some very strict rules, the most stringent of which is one simple rule we should all abide by in life: Just Be Kind. The result is an online community of over 50 000 parents, from all walks of life, who are supportive, non-judgemental, kind, and giving.
The content in The Village is primarily user-generated, which is to say it is created by members, posting their questions, advice, comments and thoughts on parenting in the modern age. From help and support surrounding teenage mental health to practical solutions for parents looking for alternative solutions for their neurodiverse kids, from subject choices to career guidance, and from skincare to real advice about sex, drugs and rock n roll from parents who have been there, and done that.
The entire group is expertly curated by Vanessa and a small group of trusted admins, to ensure that it remains a safe and respectful environment for its Village members.
To join The Village, click here https://www.facebook.com/groups/1718861155110611/
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