Community Partners Initiative (CPI)

The enke: Community Partners Initiative is a new program by enke: Make Your Mark to collaborate with community initiatives and organisations to provide leadership and social action programmes to young people by leveraging enke’s Youth Development Program. Through the enke: CPI, organisations may become enke Implementing Partners and be assisted to grow and develop their organizations, and implement high quality programs to youth participants in communities.

This August 2021, enke is launching our pilot of the Community Partners Initiative (CPI) and seeking to collaborate with 10 youth development organizations based in the two provinces as follows:

• Northern Cape: De Aar, Philipstown, Britstown, and Hanover
• Gauteng: All districts and regions in Gauteng, with a preference for Tembisa and Kagiso

If you are interested in becoming an enke implementing partner you can get involved by being part of the enke: Community Partners Initiative.

About enke

enke: Make Your Mark (enke) is a leadership development organisation that has been generating and incubating youth-led social impact and enterprise for over 12 years. “enke” means “ink” in SeTswana and “take it” in SeSotho; that’s what we’re about – empowering youth to be authors of their futures by taking opportunities to change their lives and communities (making their mark).

Our primary motivation is to build a society that is more socially and economically inclusive. We believe that promoting social entrepreneurship and innovation in youth is a powerful way to reduce inequality whilst equipping young people for success in their future endeavours (in the workplace and in education). Since 2009, enke has worked with over 5,100 young people who have generated over 1,200 social impact and enterprise projects that have positively impacted over 105,000 people in communities all over South Africa.

We have identified that the high rates of youth unemployment and youth who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) is one of the greatest threats to the ability of young people to achieve a more positive future and we are working towards changing that. To ensure meaningful change in this endemic issue, we recognise that we cannot do it all on our own. That is why we created the enke: Community Partners Initiative (CPI).

Benefits of enke: CPI for Organisations

With the enke: CPI, we aim to partner and collaborate with organisations that have the desire and drive to improve and develop more young people using proven methodologies and materials for impact. This is a 12-month pathway where organisations will be equipped to implement enke’s youth development program models in their own communities.

Organisations participating in the enke: CPI will: 

• Be part of implementing and developing exciting ways of addressing youth unemployment (NEET) in Southern Africa
• 4 months intensive organisational strengthening course to improve their operations and systems for effective implementation of youth programming. The organisation strengthening course includes topics such as: financial management, organisational strategy building, impact measurement (monitoring & evaluation), effective fundraising and more.
• Receive training and materials to implement an enke Youth Program Model in their communities. Our youth leadership development program models have been developed and successfully implemented over the last 12 years.
• Receive hands on support and mentorship from the enke team through learning resources (online and in person)
• Be assisted with growing and developing their organizations, and providing high quality programs to your participants in your communities
• Develop, in a collaborative manner, your internal operations processes, while increasing your impact/reach
• Receive R25,000 grant to support their operational needs (on completion of the Organisational Strengthening Course and submission of Program Implementation Plan)

Organisations participating in the enke: CPI are asked to commit to: 

• Participating in enke’s organisational strengthening course (September – December 2021). This will be in-person and online training for up to 2 staff members from selected organisations. These will be half-day workshops every 2 weeks for 4 months.
• Implementing an enke youth development program to reach a minimum of 50 youth (January – July 2022)
• Providing regular programmatic and financial reports to enke: Make Your Mark
• Enter into a formal partnership agreement with enke: Make Your Mark

Requirements for organisations to participate in enke: CPI

The following criteria need to be met by any organization wanting to partner with enke in this program:

1. Location: They should be in or near the area where the program is being offered e.g. the Northern Cape must be in De Aar, Britstown, Hanover, or Philipstown. For organizations based in Gauteng must be based in Tembisa, and Kagiso
2. Should be involved in youth/community development: Their work should be aligned with advancing youth development, entrepreneurship, non-cognitive skills development, interested in reducing youth NEET rate etc
3. Can demonstrate the work they have done in their community: Their impact e. g number of young people that they have trained, their curriculums, etc, this can be done via e.g pictures, reports, website if any, etc and
4. Should demonstrate a clean legal record: There should be no legal cases pending or launched against the organization. Applications will include application for MIE Background Check (R300 per organisation)
5. Open to learning a new way of running programs and adapting to different systems and learn and adjust their model as needed
6. Organizations are aligned with enke’s training principles in training and development approach/philosophy:
   • Youth centred,
   • Focus on sustainable community impact
   • Asset-based approach.

CPI Key Dates*

• Application Open: Tuesday 10 August 2021
• Application Closes: Tuesday 31 August 2021
• Communication on application status: Friday 03 September 2021
• Program Official Kick off: Saturday 18 September 2021
• Program Duration: September 2021 – July 2022

*Please note that these dates may be subject to change due to adjustments in national COVID-19 Regulation and lockdown alert levels.

Application Process

There are limited spaces for the program and selection is competitive. Please note that ONLY applicants based in Gauteng and Northern Cape (Emthanjeni Municipality: De Aar, Philipstown, Britstown, and Hanover) will be considered. 

Complete the application form online and submit a motivation letter by email to cpi@enke.org.za by the deadline of Tuesday 31 August 2021.

Please make sure to complete all parts of the application form, as incomplete application forms will not be considered. Note that the application form cannot be started and saved for completion at a later date. You can download the enke: CPI Application Form Guidelines & Questions to help prepare answers to the online applications.

Please note that before you start your online application you should have as many of the following documents available as possible:

• Latest Annual Report
• Most recent and current financial year’s operating budget
• Latest Audited Financial Statements
• NPO registration certificate (if available)

Successful applicants will be informed of next steps by end of day on Friday 3^rd September 2021.

Please also ensure that at least two members of staff from your organisation are available to attend program launch workshop and training Saturday 18 September 2021; this must include one Director/senior management and one Coordinator/Programme staff.

For queries contact cpi@enke.org.za