Sustainability Spotlight: Quarter 1
Our commitment to social and environmental responsibility impact has always been important to us and our strongest company value is compassion. For the last 3 years we have been supporting various organisations however we wanted to do even more and as of January 2024, we have been focusing on how we can help more people, animals and the environment as one of our main pillars.
I was promoted to sustainability manager, which is not a common title for businesses like ours but because we want to make such a difference, we want to take this seriously and dedicate both time, energy, and our expertise to this.
Today I wanted to share some of the top highlights as our ‘’Sustainability Spotlight’’ that Wild Dreams has achieved over the first quarter of 2024.
Timbavati Foundation and Thornybush Community
- We have partnered with the Thornybush community and the Timbavati Foundation to offer workshops for the students that they have put through hospitality school. The first workshop was a great success, with the students giving us feedback that it was really helpful to enable them to choose the right career and something that would align with their values & experiences.
- This workshop, however, is just one step towards achieving our goal of preparing individuals from the community for the workforce. Moving forward, we are excited to continue the subsequent parts of the workshop, which will dive deeper into creating the perfect CV, searching for jobs using social media, and preparing for interviews. We intend to provide participants with all the tools necessary to become work-ready, ensuring they are equipped with the expertise necessary to thrive in their chosen fields. We are also not only conducting these in-person but offering further online training to help them prepare for online interviews.
- We have also partnered with the Timbavati Foundation to offer ‘’Train the Trainer’’ workshops which will take place 4 times a year. The team that we train will then go out into the community and teach what we have taught, enabling the information to be shared on a much bigger scale.
- We have also connected them with some of our recruitment partners to assist in finding placements for their students after they graduate.
Care for Wild
- Another new partner that we are very excited about is Care for Wild – the world’s largest rhino sanctuary. Our Social Responsibility extends towards conservation efforts and helping, however we can. The issue of Rhino poaching is something that is very close to our hearts and we have extended an offer to do all of Care for Wilds recruitment without a charge, to ensure they can focus efforts on doing what they do best, and we can source them employees who are aligned to their mission. Click HERE to view any vacancies we are currently assisting them with.
Farm Sanctuaries
- We have partnered with multiple farm sanctuaries in South Africa to assist them in sourcing a social media/PR manager for an exciting initiative to help bring in much-needed funds. Although this is not a paid role it would be a great experience for someone who is skilled in marketing and who really wants to make a difference in the lives of many animals. It’s totally remote & open to people globally! If you want to get involved reach out to me at dominique@wilddreams.co.za
Tracker Academy
- We are working with the non-profit organisation ‘’Tracker Academy’’ to help them source a Camp Coordinator This is a rewarding paid role to help give back to the local community, educating them to become trackers within the reserves.
- Find out about this role HERE
Vegan Jobs Community
- We have a dedicated WhatsApp group to share all of our vegan job vacancies on! We are currently working with some of the biggest vegan organizations in South Africa. This includes sanctuaries, nonprofits as well as a brand new wellness concept lodge which will be serving only plant-based food which will be a first of its kind!
- We are creating a database of vegan candidates, please contact me directly at dominique@wilddreams.co.za with your CV and a little bit of information about yourself.
- Follow us on @veganjobsafrica and join our what’s app group HERE
What do we have planned for the next quarter?
We are constantly coming up with new and creative ideas on how to do more and we often connect with new partners, but we already have some exciting things in the works, to share just a few of these…
Vegan hospitality conference
- Through Hayley’s work at Vegan Hospitality, she is currently organizing The Global Vegan Hospitality & Tourism Conference — Vegan Hospitality. Sign up for free on the link and make sure you are there to find out about something very exciting she is launching.
Community Workshops
- Our part 2-4 workshops with our community partners will be happening in May and we will also be doing our first ‘’train the trainer’’ workshop. We will share more about how these went in our next newsletter.
Online Workshop
- We are working on an online workshop to share the basics of writing a great CV – date TBC but keep an eye on our socials to find out when this will be. It will be our first webinar – exciting stuff!
Good Life Show
- I am going to go to the Johannesburg Good Life Show which is a combination of The Plant-Powered Show (Africa’s premier plant-based food, drink & conscious living event), Natural & Organic Show (Powered by Nature), FreeFrom Show (Embrace the Alternatives) & SustainEx (Live and love the sustainable life). Let me know if we will see you there – Get your tickets HERE – Use our code WILDDREAMS20 to get a 20% discount on your ticket. If you are planning to attend let me know by dropping us a message on our socials.
Written by: Dominique Janse van Rensburg, Sustainability Manager.
Sustainability Spotlight: Quarter 1
Our commitment to social and environmental responsibility impact has always been important to us and our strongest company value is compassion. For the last 3 years we have been supporting various organisations however we wanted to do even more and as of January 2024, we have been focusing on how we can help more people, animals and the environment as one of our main pillars.
I was promoted to sustainability manager, which is not a common title for businesses like ours but because we want to make such a difference, we want to take this seriously and dedicate both time, energy, and our expertise to this.
Today I wanted to share some of the top highlights as our ‘’Sustainability Spotlight’’ that Wild Dreams has achieved over the first quarter of 2024.
Timbavati Foundation and Thornybush Community
- We have partnered with the Thornybush community and the Timbavati Foundation to offer workshops for the students that they have put through hospitality school. The first workshop was a great success, with the students giving us feedback that it was really helpful to enable them to choose the right career and something that would align with their values & experiences.
- This workshop, however, is just one step towards achieving our goal of preparing individuals from the community for the workforce. Moving forward, we are excited to continue the subsequent parts of the workshop, which will dive deeper into creating the perfect CV, searching for jobs using social media, and preparing for interviews. We intend to provide participants with all the tools necessary to become work-ready, ensuring they are equipped with the expertise necessary to thrive in their chosen fields. We are also not only conducting these in-person but offering further online training to help them prepare for online interviews.
- We have also partnered with the Timbavati Foundation to offer ‘’Train the Trainer’’ workshops which will take place 4 times a year. The team that we train will then go out into the community and teach what we have taught, enabling the information to be shared on a much bigger scale.
- We have also connected them with some of our recruitment partners to assist in finding placements for their students after they graduate.
Care for Wild
- Another new partner that we are very excited about is Care for Wild – the world’s largest rhino sanctuary. Our Social Responsibility extends towards conservation efforts and helping, however we can. The issue of Rhino poaching is something that is very close to our hearts and we have extended an offer to do all of Care for Wilds recruitment without a charge, to ensure they can focus efforts on doing what they do best, and we can source them employees who are aligned to their mission. Click HERE to view any vacancies we are currently assisting them with.
Farm Sanctuaries
- We have partnered with multiple farm sanctuaries in South Africa to assist them in sourcing a social media/PR manager for an exciting initiative to help bring in much-needed funds. Although this is not a paid role it would be a great experience for someone who is skilled in marketing and who really wants to make a difference in the lives of many animals. It’s totally remote & open to people globally! If you want to get involved reach out to me at dominique@wilddreams.co.za
Tracker Academy
- We are working with the non-profit organisation ‘’Tracker Academy’’ to help them source a Camp Coordinator This is a rewarding paid role to help give back to the local community, educating them to become trackers within the reserves.
- Find out about this role HERE
Vegan Jobs Community
- We have a dedicated WhatsApp group to share all of our vegan job vacancies on! We are currently working with some of the biggest vegan organizations in South Africa. This includes sanctuaries, nonprofits as well as a brand new wellness concept lodge which will be serving only plant-based food which will be a first of its kind!
- We are creating a database of vegan candidates, please contact me directly at dominique@wilddreams.co.za with your CV and a little bit of information about yourself.
- Follow us on @veganjobsafrica and join our what’s app group HERE
What do we have planned for the next quarter?
We are constantly coming up with new and creative ideas on how to do more and we often connect with new partners, but we already have some exciting things in the works, to share just a few of these…
Vegan hospitality conference
- Through Hayley’s work at Vegan Hospitality, she is currently organizing The Global Vegan Hospitality & Tourism Conference — Vegan Hospitality. Sign up for free on the link and make sure you are there to find out about something very exciting she is launching.
Community Workshops
- Our part 2-4 workshops with our community partners will be happening in May and we will also be doing our first ‘’train the trainer’’ workshop. We will share more about how these went in our next newsletter.
Online Workshop
- We are working on an online workshop to share the basics of writing a great CV – date TBC but keep an eye on our socials to find out when this will be. It will be our first webinar – exciting stuff!
Good Life Show
- I am going to go to the Johannesburg Good Life Show which is a combination of The Plant-Powered Show (Africa’s premier plant-based food, drink & conscious living event), Natural & Organic Show (Powered by Nature), FreeFrom Show (Embrace the Alternatives) & SustainEx (Live and love the sustainable life). Let me know if we will see you there – Get your tickets HERE – Use our code WILDDREAMS20 to get a 20% discount on your ticket. If you are planning to attend let me know by dropping us a message on our socials.
Written by: Dominique Janse van Rensburg, Sustainability Manager.