HOW BRANDED??.....CHILD AND YOUTH CARE IN SOUTH AFRICA.

On Friday last week I spoke, in my private capacity at an Oath-taking Ceremony at IIEMSA ( Monash University South Africa).  They said dress comfortable but formal, so I needed a tie. At the venue, the Registrations Manager of the South African Council for Social Service Professions fitted me with a green tie embossed with the SACSSP logo. Comment "We didn't invite him as SACSSP but in his private capacity."... Oh Oh  incorrectly identified. Incorrectly branded for the occasion.

This spoke to me of the power of branding and its psychological capacity to market.

I was there as a child and youth care worker. Somehow just to say "I am a registered child and youth care worker and proud of it". doesn't resonate loudly enough to market what I do, what I stand for. I am poorly branded...if at all !   Sought after goods, even at a cost have a brand label, catchy slogan and identifying colours. Think LEVI, its sexy tick and "Just do it". Think our political parties in South Africa...  Yellow T-shirt "together we can do it". Blue T-shirt..."United South Africa", Red beret... "Economic transformation". 

Child and youth care ... jeans and takkies.

Advocacy makes out a case for recognition, a call for a buy-in to the real value of child and youth care work. Maybe if, at a high level advocacy fey slogans like "Nation Building" was coupled with an immediately recognised brand, we would reach our target market psychologically ready to hear 

Let's start with our brand name. Right now we are child and youth care workers. Certainly the child and youth care worker label has spread to be known internationally. But the South African Council for Social Service Professions met with a parliamentary committee for social development and the members didn't know what child and youth care was. Social work...yes.. But what is this?

Our field of study and even our job title does vary. Applied Psychology, Educateurship, Child and Youth Development and even Social Work 

What we are seems also to vary....an occupation, a calling       (rather like a God given ministry), a practitioner, a profession, a craft. In schools I heard "educational assistants", in justice "mediators". These are all better than "house mother, house father, uncle and aunt", as carriers of how we are branded.

Over the years we have thought over our title constantly.We sort of settled on child and youth care worker. When I think of tho concepts  raised in the minds of people with the words "Care" and "Worker" we have chosen, I become a little unsettled 

In an exercise to demonstrate branding , the facilitator said "Think of yourself. What do you do well for which you want to be known." Oh my word ( bad pun), he wanted an obituary key-word !  I wrote  "advocate". Considering that I no longer practice in the life-space of children and young people that seemed to be core for me. Ask me the same question when I was in direct practice and my word/s would have been different. I would not, for example, have said "worker" For me. it conjures up a picture of a trade worker. I would have hesitated to be known as a "carer". For me in the community mind, it talks of wiping of bums and counting underwear, feeding, clothing and keeping children warm -  - the physical aspects .  I would have said "Child and Youth Care Development". 

If then, I was to choose a title for myself it would be "Child and Youth Care Development Professional". (CYDP)"            I choose 'Professional" over "Practitioner. In the thinking of the new Bill for SACSSP there is a distinction made between occupations, emerging professions and professions. We have met all the criteria defining a profession.

Child and youth development professional. ,,,, hmmmm a brand.

Now for the catchy slogan. 

Apart from development, What are our key strengths, our key functions? I can't get away from...
"We reclaim the lives of children and young people at risk"... a bit lengthy. There should be a competition for our slogan .....any ideas?

We need to package ourselves. The Circle of Courage in all its colours appears to be internationally attractive.. I like its world wide appeal and recognition.

If this works then we can craft our branding approach with key-words.These come to mind: Developmental ( obviously), Strength-based, Culture of Child Rights, Participatory, Democratic. Relational, non-discriminatory, Restorative,......and more.

Statinf the positive of what we do and how we work is rather like the branding  "Makes whites whiter, colours brighter" It's the "We do it better" idea...and we do! In fact,...only we can ! 

Given all this, on Friday of last week, well branded ,they would have immediately said "Child and youth development professional ! That's exactly why we asked him to speak" .