Teambuilding in South-Africa

Collaboration opening up new horizons
Corporate social responsibility through teambuilding in South-Africa

At Houthoff Training & Coaching, teambuilding is in great demand as a tool to create a strong team out of a group of individuals. An outdoor training is, without a doubt, very good for the spirit of the team and the relations between team members. However, there is another way to achieve all this.

By combining teambuilding with Volunteer work you can truly unite a team. Furthermore, it puts the business culture in which lease cars and bonuses are taken for granted in proper perspective, showing the participants that there is more to life than these company perks.

A changing context
One can find volunteer work as a teambuilding activity close to home, for instance at the local homeless centre or at the children’s farm nearby. However, the real power of this combination is unleashed by venturing into the unexplored. A context that is different from the (trusted) home environment offers unexpected situations, calls for different behaviour and puts the standards and values of both the team and the individual up for discussion. It stimulates people to think out of the box.

South-Africa offers a whole range of possibilities for teambuilding and volunteer work. Participants will have to be open towards other cultures, other customs and a different set of values. The ‘WE-feeling’ will flourish when people have to cooperate in an unknown environment. Team members and the team as a whole will be put to the test and they will be ‘forced’ to adapt. Not against their will, on the contrary; it will feel natural under the given circumstances.

A day in the life of…
But does the real thing live up to these promises? Below is a real-life example of a day in the life of a group of volunteers in South-Africa:

“…The first rays of light from the sun gently pierce through the curtains. Drifting in along with the smell of burnt wood are the sounds of children playing and of taxi vans honking their horns. A new day has dawned in South-Africa.

Today is our third building day. During the past few days, we have worked hard together with the villagers on the inner and outer walls of the house. Yesterday was a long day, because we all had to work an extra hour. The walls of the house had to be finished or else the roof could not be put on today.

We start with a wholesome breakfast cooked by mama Zama, followed by a briefing on today’s programme. We lay out strict targets and divide the tasks among us. However, in practice things always turn out differently. So far it has been impossible to avoid having discussions about how things can be done better. And on top of that we constantly have to help each other with the really heavy work. That inadvertently means that some tasks do not get done, putting us behind on schedule. As a result, we somehow find ourselves building a little brick wall with six people. How efficient can that be?

We have lunch together and there isn’t a single moment of silence. The interaction between the two cultures is fantastic. Yesterday afternoon we had the spontaneous idea to cook a genuine Dutch dish today, and to organise a soccer match with the rest of the village…”

These experiences are part of the ten-day teambuilding programme which includes a five-day volunteer project called ‘Build a house with the local population’. Families in need in South-Africa are given a new home through this volunteer project. The house is built in close collaboration with the home owner and a group of volunteers from the local community. Equality and parity are central to this project.

In order to successfully complete this project, no engineering skill is necessary. Prior to the work, a basic training is given and during the building there will be professional guidance on-site. There will also be professional attention for the team dynamics and there will be several planned moments that give the participants time to reflect on the experiences, as a practical part of the teambuilding programme.

Tailor-made volunteer work
Building houses is not the only option when it comes to volunteer work in South-Africa. Depending on the wishes and the specialisations of the individuals and the group as a whole, other volunteer work in other areas can also be arranged. For example, it is possible to let your team help with nature conservation in South-Africa. Working in a wildlife reserve or taking part in a whale project are amongst the numerous possibilities. It is also possible to make a contribution in an existing village to a whole range of daily activities, such as education, health, sports and culture, entrepreneurialism, telecommunications and building management.

It works both ways
Doing something valuable for and with the South-African community is the ultimate teambuilding experience. The participants will not only learn about their own values and sources of motivation, but they will also discover unexpected qualities in the other team members and qualities of the group as a whole. Because of the intense collaboration you will not only form a special bond with your group, you will also form a special bond with the local community.

The satisfying feeling you will have as a group because of truly making a difference in other people’s lives, strengthens the ‘WE-feeling’ in a permanent way. Furthermore, volunteer work combined with teambuilding has a positive effect on the image of the company. People will appreciate the social responsibility the company shows by making a valuable contribution to the community. It is for all these reasons that corporate social responsibility is a growing phenomenon in the business community.

Interested?
In close collaboration with Plan to Event teambuilding programmes, Houthoff Training & Coaching offers volunteer work in South-Africa for groups of up to ten people. If you are interested and would wish to know more about what a teambuilding programme in combination with volunteer work can mean to your organisation, do not hesitate to contact us.

More information?

Houthoff Training & Coaching
Van Vredenburchweg 170
P.O.Box 1108
2280 CC Rijswijk
The Netherlands
Phone +31(0)70-3623617
Fax +31(0)70-3623917
Email info@houthoffgroup.com