Saturday, 3rd May saw the coming together of Officers, employees, volunteers, and a vibrant team of qualified lecturers from Northlink College, Tygerberg. The workshop was led by our very own Ms Nolene de Costa (a soldier from Athlone Corps) and fellow lecturer Mr Hans Albers. Ms De Costa is currently a lecturer at the College and holds an Advanced Diploma in Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
The Marketing and Media Workshop focused on various aspects of creatively engaging with social media and intentional marketing to strengthen our Mission towards community engagement. Emphasis was placed on effective advertising and promotional campaigns across various media channels, including both online and offline platforms.
We also explored the importance of staying up to date with relevant social media trends and how best to use these platforms for impactful Mission publicity and advertisement. Suggestions and techniques were shared on how we can enhance and improve the current social media platforms of our Corps and Centres.
Being divided into Corps and Centre groups consisting of Officers and employees, we engaged in discussions and brainstorming sessions that allowed us to realistically assess our respective contexts. This helped us consider how best to produce a marketing strategy using the tools we were trained in, with the aim of developing an intentional Mandela Day campaign for 18–19 July 2025.
The Divisional Commander, Major Rob Wright, emphasised the importance of changing our mindset in terms of what we, The Salvation Army, can offer our local Communities. We have a rich legacy of community service and engagement, and there continue to be great opportunities for us as Officers, soldiers, employees, and volunteers to carry out the intentional Mission of “hand to man and heart to God!”
It was evident that all delegates who attended the workshop learnt new strategies and looked forward to implementing these tools to advance the Mission in relevant and creative ways. We are all excited about the upcoming Corps Mandela Day Campaigns as we join hands and hearts with local Communities, Partners and Stakeholders, looking forward to the long-lasting impact we can make.
