A team that plays together stays together – WID’s annual teambuilding event

At WID, we’re a family. We support and challenge one another to do the best work possible. We are united by a love of Woodstock and the community. We believe in giving our all and working hard – but we also believe in having some serious fun!

Last week we decided that it was time to explore our playful side again. The entire WID team, along with our service providers, Essential Cleaning and Securitas, participated in a few team building activities to build some bridges and strengthen relationships. The activities were put together by Team Building Activities and Events to facilitate a day of bonding and raising team spirit.

Our administrator Nicola Welby-Solomons was pleasantly surprised by the commitment demonstrated from everyone involved. “I am very proud to say that we certainly have an amazing group of people working to keep Woodstock great. They are not only dedicated but I never knew they were so competitive!” she said, laughing. “It was really great to see all the different sides to our colleagues.”

The team was divided into four groups and participated in cooperation and outcome-based exercises to achieve a shared goal. Unsurprisingly, as the day wore on, many participants realised the importance of a supportive team to meet goals.

Officer Ndlovu, “Foot Papa” at the WID (Securitas), was humbled by a seemingly simple activity. “When we played memory lane, I was motivating my whole team and showed them where all the blocks were to get to the other side, but when I was alone I had to remember all the blocks on my own, and that made me realise why I need a team.”

After this, there were also a few heated rounds of “minute to win it” activities. These mildly ridiculous exercises saw individual team members threading raw pasta onto a kebab stick in under a minute – using only their mouths!

Despite the silliness of some games, participants showed resilience and enthusiasm at every turn – there was certainly no letting up from any of the teams. After all of that activity, the team was looking forward to a hearty meal, and were not disappointed. Oor die Kole Spit Braai and Catering did a magnificent job. Their lunch was delicious and the service splendid.

It was a wonderful experience for the teams, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Officer Poni, the Supervisor for Securitas at WID, went so far as to say that it was by far the best function that we have had. The feedback from the Law Enforcement Team can be summed up in the words of Officer Gaidien; “I just want to say thank you for an amazing day with you WID, Securitas and Essential. You guys are awesome.”

In keeping with the spirit of the event, we want to thank all of those who made this amazing day possible. A special thank you to the Board of Directors and management for providing us with this opportunity to get to know each other outside the usual working environments.

Thank you to Woodstock Community Church for providing us with a venue for free, it met our needs exactly. Thanks also to Team Building Activities and Events for hosting an amazing day of activity, we truly appreciated your commitment to facilitating an atmosphere of fun and making sure that nobody felt left out.

Finally, we would like to thank each and every WID team member who attended. We are so proud to have you as part of the team and look forward to many more years of serving together.

Happy holiday programme helps homeless children

We have a vision to take care of, and support, children in the Woodstock and Salt River areas who live in shelters, informal settlements or severely underprivileged homes.

There are currently 120 children living on the streets of Cape Town – this is a significant decrease to the estimated 800 in early 2000. While this is a large improvement, the problem is far from over. Paul Hooper of Homestead Project for Street Children says, “Cape Town is still surrounded by chronically deprived communities where children continue to be abused, neglected and exploited.”

There is a need for greater care of the city’s children through collaborative community efforts. We have pioneered a project to address this need, by hosting holiday programmes for children twice a year – in July and December. There is currently one underway at Al Noor Orphanage Centre in Woodstock until 24 July.

The organisations involved in the facilitation of these holiday programmes include our WID team, Woodstock SAPS, City of Cape Town, ACVV and Law Enforcement. The programme includes fun activities such as face painting, colouring in, swimming, and playing outside.

A different meal is served every day, depending on the donations that are brought in on the day. These include hot dogs, cooked meals, soup and sandwiches.

Abigail, our social officer says, “I love that these types of programmes uplift and help children in need. It’s also an opportunity for them to gain some self esteem and self worth through the lessons they learn.”

We rely on community sponsors and donations for this programme to run. We would like to thank Power Flow Exhaust in Salt River for sponsoring R500 towards the holiday programme, and to Al Noor for hosting us and sponsoring food and fruit. More than that, we’d also like to thank Mr Parker for sponsoring juice to the holiday programme and continuing to make an impact in the lives of our children in Woodstock and Salt River.

If you’d like to find out more about this project, donate bread and other ingredients, or make a financial contribution, please email Abigail at WID at abigail@wid.co.za.