The DGMT Learning Lunch
The Learning Lunch is an opportunity for NPO teams to be exposed to new ideas, discover what others are learning, and reflect on what that means for their implementation and strategy. Visit www.dgmt.co.za/resources/learning-lunch for the full experience and to access the podcasts and instructions for a ±30-minute group reflection.
Episodes
40 episodes
The Learning Lunch - Birth without violence
Although obstetric violence is recognised as a form of gender-based violence in South Africa, it is not explicitly codified in law as a violation.This type of harm takes different forms — from physical abuse to subtle violations of auton...
The Learning Lunch - The mission to end stunting
Stunting is more than a height problem — it’s a sign that something deeper is wrong in society. Despite being an upper-middle-income country, South Africa ranks among 34 countries that make up 90% of the world's stunted children — among them ar...
The Learning Lunch - Wired for stress
Growing up in poverty doesn’t only mean fewer opportunities because of structural barriers — it also means growing up in conditions that make it harder to handle stress and rein in impulses. These stressors affect self-control — being able to g...
The Learning Lunch - Stopping violence before it starts
Gender-based violence is a national disaster in South Africa, reflecting the scale and urgency of the problem that has social, public health and economic costs.Preventing violence before it happens is a critical part of building safer co...
The Learning Lunch - What science tells us about babies’ brains
https://dgmt.co.za/what-science-tells-us-about-babies-brains/The first 1 000 days of life — from conception to age two — is a once-in-a-lifetime window to shape physical growth, brain development, health and the foundations of future learning. ...
The Learning Lunch - Reimagining our future
What would it take for every child in South Africa to grow up with enough food, love, safety and brain power to reach their full potential? A new national strategy aims to make that vision a reality. The National Strategy to Accelerate Action f...
The Learning Lunch - The impact engine
Civil society organisations, particularly community-based organisations, are often on the frontlines of responding to complex social challenges. Yet, they face a host of obstacles that limit their impact. Many are under-resourced and overstretc...
The Learning Lunch - The economic value of free books
Owning books can change a child’s life trajectory. This is a profound statement rooted in evidence from research around the world. Toddlers who are read to learn more words, aiding their ability to speak and read when they start school, and chi...
The Learning Lunch - The hidden dimensions of poverty
Youth development practitioners often focus on the supply and demand side of unemployment: greater investment in skills development and quality education on the one hand, with job creation and economic growth on the other.However, in Sou...
The Learning Lunch - Would an advertising ban reduce teen drinking?
There is no safe amount of alcohol consumption for teenagers. Early binge drinking has long-term consequences on brain development, health and wellbeing. It also stokes social problems as teens lose interest in school, engage in risky sexual be...
The Learning Lunch - Thinking on the edge
South Africa has a constitutional responsibility to uphold children’s rights. The government does this in different ways, by setting laws, delivering public services, allocating funding from the national budget and by taking decisions that affe...
The Learning Lunch - Is there an app for that?
Mobile apps are designed to simplify and digitise almost every aspect of our modern lives. You can buy groceries from your couch, order take-out, catch a ride within minutes, or find a date online. Apps are not only convenient, but they have th...
The Learning Lunch - Maternal Support Grant: It's social justice
What comes to mind when you hear the term ‘social protection’? For many, it’s social grants or government assistance programmes. But at its core, social protection is a safety net that keeps people from falling deeper into poverty, benefiting i...
The Learning Lunch - Litigate to advocate
Strategic litigation is a tactic that involves going to court to promote social change or human rights. This approach targets specific legal barriers that affect entire communities, aiming to reshape laws, policies or practices.But when ...
The Learning Lunch - What are policy windows?
In the world of policy change, timing is everything. According to political science scholar John Kingdon, a significant policy shift happens when three things are in place. First, the problem must be well understood. Second, there must be a via...
The Learning Lunch - The anatomy of a powerful idea
Civil society is a vibrant ecosystem of interest groups, activists, advocacy groups and organisations delivering a range of social services. These groups are often the first to design and test interventions, learning from their successes and fa...
The Learning Lunch - What does tomorrow’s workforce look like?
Imagine if solving unemployment was as easy as creating more jobs or ending food poverty by producing more food. It's never that straightforward.In South Africa, around 3 million young people aged 15-24 are not in education, employment,...
The Learning Lunch - Caring about the care economy
In recent years, non-profit organisations (NPOs) have grappled with dwindling donor funding and reduced support from government departments, affecting their ability to provide crucial social welfare and development services to communities. Thes...
The Learning Lunch - Using incentives for change
Social and economic incentives are powerful tools to motivate and influence behaviour in individuals, communities and organisations. Social incentives often involve recognition, belonging, or social approval, while economic incentives typically...
The Learning Lunch - When projects don't go according to plan
Civil society organisations are a catalyst for innovation and positive social change in communities – filling gaps in service delivery. To be effective, these organisations must be agile and able to adjust their programmes and products to meet ...
The Learning Lunch - Putting children first
Imagine a world where every child is loved, nourished, and protected—where they are read to, and encouraged to be curious. In this world, children don't just learn well, but they thrive, and so does the entire country. Nobel Prize Winner for Ec...
The Learning Lunch - Trust-based funding for NGOs
Community-based organisations (CBOs) are non-profits operating at the local level, albeit with limited resources at their disposal. They tend to be reliant on volunteers, responsive to the unique needs of their community and best placed to diag...
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The Learning Lunch - Community ownership is not a means to an end
If you work in civil society or the socioeconomic development sector, you have probably heard, or used, the term “community ownership” because it aligns with broader goals of promoting social equity, empowering local communities and sustainable...
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The Learning Lunch - Fellowships for social change
Civil society organisations, in their form and function, are distinct from corporations and the state. But this doesn’t preclude them from using programmes and strategies that are also used by governments and businesses to shape societal outcom...
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The Learning Lunch - Communications tools & active citizenry
Many civil society organisations (CSOs) have placed promoting active citizenry at the core of their strategies. Generally speaking, active citizenry refers to individuals participating in the social and political affairs of their communities to...
