Uber and Soul City Institute raise young women’s voices through social media

The project aims to equip and empower women by enhancing their information communication technology skills to innovate the ways in which they use social media and technology to advocate for their rights. This includes their right to safe transportation.

Various speakers were present to educate and inspire the young women on how to use social media effectively to boldly advocate against social injustices.

Tema Sebopedi, actor and motivational speaker, aimed to share a positive affirmation with the women to remind them that they are worthy, special and capable.

Tumi Sole from Country Duty, a platform that highlights socio-economic issues that women and children face, encouraged women to use social media to highlight pressing issues in their communities. Tumi also shared success stories of Country Duty’s activism, which include facilitating a woman’s rescue from a violent situation.

Activities of the day were conducted by Pearl Sekwati from Women’s Net. This is a non-governmental organisation that aims to strengthen movements for social change through the strategic use of technology and advocacy that promotes access to information and freedom of expression.

The women were tasked with creating a Facebook page that will allow them to engage with women facing difficult challenges. The Facebook page they created had to have a mission statement and a hashtag so that they can continue to further drive the conversation on social media.

Mosa Mkhize, public policy senior associate for Uber South Africa, says, "Uber shares the same sentiments as the Soul City Raising Young Women and Girls’ Voices project, which is that, as a society, we need to look at how we can create an enabling environment to respond to the challenges faced by young women and girls, especially as they relate to safety."

"We are honoured to be a part of such a project that gives women their voice to speak out about issues that are important to them, particularly in using technology as a platform to amplify their advocacy. Safety is a major priority for Uber as a company, globally as well as in South Africa," adds Mkhize.

Matokgo Makutoane, Soul City Institute advocacy manager, introduced the Raising Voices Project. The project aims to foster an appreciation of democratic values and gender equality among women and girls.

"We want to ensure that young women and girls fight for their rights through community activism, thus ensuring their voices hold government accountable. We want to create safe spaces for young women so that they can be the voice of change," says Makutoane.

The event was concluded with a roundup of reflections from the young women, one woman shared her experience of running a non-governmental organisation and the challenges she faces. She says she felt empowered using social media as an advocacy tool, which will assist her to make innovative changes that she has always struggled with and will help her change the lives of others.

For more information, visit www.soulcity.org.za.