Guys, we’re just going to come out and say it: WTF!?
South Africa has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world. THE WORLD. If SA’s youth is the future, it’s time we started thinking long-term and doing more to help them out.
When Vodacom asked us to help showcase their NXT LVL Early Careers Expo we jumped at the challenge. Leveraging our extensive youth network, we pulled together SA’s future leaders and changemakers to not only showcase the amazing career opportunities available at Vodacom, but to also offer students and matriculants inspiration, skills, and insights into how to LVL up their hustle.
With panelists voted for by our 250,000 strong Student Village fans, the expo hosted topics like how to set up your online store, mental health and wealth, and going from the DM’s to the board room.
Students could ask questions, participate in polls and engage directly with speakers through the live stream. Plus, we even gave them the shot to apply to Vodacom’s Discover Graduate Programme, Bursaries, and Internships, resulting in 10,000 applications and counting.
Together NXT LVL hosted 5000 unique attendees, resulting in 800,000 influencer engagements, 3,000,000 impressions, and the campaign trending on Twitter. But we didn’t stop there. NXT LVL content is now also being used in 100 schools, inspiring the next-next generation of changemakers.
Like Vodacom’s Group Emerging Youth & Talent Lead, Elegance Gozo, said: “Vodacom Early Careers Expo extends way beyond just career opportunities; it is also designed for social impact by empowering youth with life skills in the areas of personal finance, health & wellness, entrepreneurship, gamification and many more”.
Now, we can list some more statistics, or talk about the Gold NXT LVL received at the 2021 Sagea awards for the best integrated campaign. But what really matters is that, together with Vodacom, we did more than just run another recruitment drive – we helped SA’s youth unlock their NXT LVL for a better future.
About Student Village
We are youth market specialists. For over 20 years we have nurtured deep and direct connections with youth, enabling us to create and facilitate insight-driven and authentic marketing for our brands. Our services include youth insights, strategy, and creative, digital and influencer marketing campaigns, and managing corporate bursary programmes – reaching youth where they live, work, learn and play.
