The Inaugural Marutlulle & C/O Exchange
“Do More Than Your Bit To Lift As You Rise, A Challenge To All Sisters In Charge”
“Millennials are such an entitled and lazy generation, who want everything handed to them on a platter.”
That is a generalised view of what has been coined as “the most ambitious female generation than any other female generation” the world has ever experienced, according to a study on millennials in Africa, released by PWC in 2015. This study also found that 88 percent of the South African female millennials surveyed expected real time, high quality, and future-focused feedback. Despite being extremely tech-savvy, they preferred such discussions to take place face-to-face. These young people are craving an experienced “ear” that will listen to their challenges and guide them through a world that sees them as a generation going no-where.
Nurturing Cubs Sizakele Marutlulle of Marutlulle & co, a Strategy and Ideas Lab based in Johannesburg, has a tribe of about eight millennials or “young cubs”, as she refers to them, which were originally looking for a mentor/coach/big sister. They show up for themselves, and are ready to not only learn from her but share of themselves as well. While she engages these “cubs” on a regular basis, she still felt that they would benefit from an intentional inter-generational engagement with other fierce, generous, smart, kind “lionesses” who are leaders in diverse industries and spaces. A rainy Saturday in November saw the inaugural EXCHANGE take place at Johannesburg’s MESH Members Business Club.
Cubs and Lionesses came together for a memorable exchange of ideas, experiences, lessons, and plans for world domination (yes!). The icebreaker was a “Speed Dating” session that offered fun, yet emotional at times, introductions between the cubs and lionesses, followed by deeper conversations over a meal, rounded-off by an introspective session of dismantling challenges faced by the cubs and how they feel they could be supported.
The day ended off with the cubs pledging to “pay-it-forward” with their peers and young ones coming up after them. In a world that seems so harsh on cubs and lionesses alike, the EXCHANGE is the elixir needed heal the growing pains and progress the ambitions of young women all over Africa.
