Introduction
Facilitating a Courage Child Protection & Empowerment Workshop at the University of Nairobi November 2023
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Dr Dee Blackie is an anthropologist and community worker in Johannesburg South Africa. Following a 15-year career in business consulting and change management, she started working with communities concerned with child protection, child abandonment and adoption in 2010. She facilitated the creation of a National Adoption Coalition for South Africa in 2011, and since then her primary focus has been on creating awareness and engaging with communities around child protection and community empowerment.
Her master’s research explored the lived experience of child abandonment and adoption in South Africa, and her PhD research has taken her into the field of disability, with a specific focus on atypical or neurodiverse children and critical autism studies. Dee launched Courage in 2015, a community engagement programme aimed at assisting child protection officers and communities to address the challenges they are experiencing every day. Over the past nine years she has used this programme and toolkit to empower meaningful change in the care and protection of children in communities around the world. Her most recent project has taken her into the world of sensory engagement and learning in the context of neurodiverse children. In 2023 she launched the Sensory-Space at the Children's Memorial Institute, an interactive sensory adventure with a range of themed rooms that are designed to help children and adults explore their various sensory systems in a fun and engaging environment. To contact Dee email [email protected] or see her organisational websites below. |
Websites
Detailed Work Experience
2023 - Present CEO of The Sensory-Space at the Children's Memorial Institute
In 2023, Dee was approached by the Board of the Children's Memorial Institute to develop a sensory environment in support of the many children experiencing neurodevelopmental difficulties and disabilities that attend the institute for school, sport and therapeutic services. Following the development of Courage Cloud Rooms at Fight with Insight and the Tara H Maross Psychiatric Hospital in 2018, and an African themed Sensory Garden at Tara in 2019, Dee decided to develop the sensory engagement idea further. Housed in the old creche of the Children's Memorial Institute the 'Sensory-Space' is an interactive sensory adventure, with 12 themed rooms that are designed to help children and adults explore their various sensory systems in a fun and engaging way. Dee intends to use this space to conduct more research with the aim of trying to understand how sensory environments impact on neurodiverse children's sensory language, sensory learning and sensory empathy.
2022 - 2023 Research Fellow at the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship University of Pretoria
Dee joined the Reimagining-Reproduction team at the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship (UP), a network of scholars in Africa working on a research agenda which re-imagines the ways in which reproduction and caring for children is connected to experiences and imaginings of the future. Collaborating with her existing Courage network, Dee is conducting a combination of workshops, participant observation, expert interviews and discourse analysis in communities spanning South Africa, Ghana and Kenya. Her research is primarily focussed on child protection officers such as teachers, social workers, and health care practitioners, but she also engages with community members, families and children. The aim of her research is to understand what values are prioritised in different communities around Africa, in the care and protection of children, as well as their resistance to the child protection challenges that they are encountering. She would like to examine the interplay of values, how they are structured, how they are used to organise societies, if there is a clear paramount value, or if the community is grappling with conflicting values in the tradition of pluralism. Ultimately, she is exploring how different communities solve different problems in the care and protection of their children, what they value most and work hardest to reproduce.
Due to time constraints, Dee is no longer a full time research fellow, but is still affiliated to the team, her research is ongoing.
2015 to Present - CEO Courage Child Protection Community Engagement Programme
Dee developed the Courage Child Protection Toolkit and Community Engagement Programme in partnership with the National Adoption Coalition of South Africa and the Swedish Foundation for Children without parental care in 2015. The programme was piloted in South Africa, Zambia and Lesotho and has since been rolled out to number of child protection officers and organisations in a range of countries including: South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Seychelles, Sweden, the United Kingdom, North America, Ghana and Kenya. In 2017, the various Courage stakeholders and partners decided that a stand-alone not-for-profit company should be developed for the Courage Toolkit and programme and applications were put forward towards the end of 2017. Courage Child Protection NPC and NPO was launched during Child Protection Week in May 2018. Under Dee's leadership, Courage has continued to build relationships and train organisations, communities and individuals in the identification and management of child protection challenges, and the empowerment of communities. In 2023, Dee presented the strategy for a new Courage Mental Health & Harmony programme, in support of the child protection programme, this new programme will be piloted and rolled out in 2024.
2015 to 2020 – PhD (Anthropology)
Over a period of 6 years, Dee explored the lived experience of children defined as atypical. The focus of her study spanned an initial cohort of nine children from private schools in Johannesburg diagnosed variously with learning disabilities, ADHD, developmental delays, speech disabilities, sensory challenges, anxiety, and autism. She also conducted in-depth observational work with autistic children at a boxing programme based in the inner city, from more diverse socio-economic backgrounds. A final level of insight was gained from ‘deep hanging out’ amongst atypical adults in online ‘bio’ social media groups spanning autism, ADHD, learning disabilities and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Dee developed a model that illustrates a cycle of atypical embodied engagement with the world, spanning stages of Presence, Perception, Control, Participation, Flow, Communication and Adaptability. Using a range of creative interactive methodologies, she collaboratively explored what is understood and misunderstood around each of these stages from the perspective of the children defined as atypical. Much of the dominant academic and popular discourse surrounding atypicality focusses on either a medical or social model of disability. By mapping medical diagnoses to a social model of engagement, a new holistic perspective was revealed. This traversed the physical, intellectual, emotional, and social motivations, behaviour and agency of the children illustrating their unique and different ways of being in the world. New enabling characteristics were identified in behaviours previously defined and diagnosed as disabilities. He exploration brings to light the meaning that atypical children derive from their various stages of engagement with their world. A new kind of spectrum emerged that moved beyond disabling biomedical labels to one of enablement. The vectors of this spectrum could travel in either direction, without implying dysfunction or defectiveness. Dee's research revealed a multitude of cultural and social creativity and invention, which the children continue to expand in the ‘biosocial borderland’ that they occupy.
2013 to 2014 – Masters in Anthropology at the University of the Witwatersrand
Due to a lack of insight and knowledge around the increasing challenge of child abandonment in South Africa, coupled with the alarming decrease in adoption, Dee decided to return to university in 2013 to read for her master’s degree in Anthropology. Dee chose to study full time and completed her degree through coursework and dissertation. Dee graduated with an upper distinction and received the Faculty of Humanities School of Social Sciences Post Graduate Research Award for the best Masters by Coursework Research Report, and the John Blacking Book Prize for the best Anthropology Masters or PhD Dissertation in 2014.
Dee’s thesis was titled “Sad, Bad & Mad: Exploring child abandonment in South Africa. In it she explored the complex nature of child abandonment from a number of different perspectives including: How it is portrayed in the media; how it is represented and managed by the child protection officers; the lived experience of the abandoning mother and the abandoned child; and finally how it is understood in the context of Western bio-medical principles and those of indigenous African ancestral beliefs.
Dee presented her findings at the start of Child Protection Week on behalf of the National Adoption Coalition, creating significant media interest in complex social challenge. She also presented on her findings on Nelson Mandela day at the Constitutional Court and at the 2014 NACSA Conference on ‘Adoption and Culture’.
2010 to 2017 – Strategic Advisor to the National Adoption Coalition of SA (NACSA)
After seeing a picture of an abandoned baby who had been left to die on the outskirts of Soweto in 2010, Dee contacted key members of the adoption and child protection community to see if she could assist them in building awareness around this issue. With the help of a number of dedicated adoption social workers, communication experts and child protection advocates, Dee facilitated the formation of a National Adoption Coalition for South Africa in 2011 - www.adoptioncoalitionsa.org
She has continued to assist the coalition on all of their strategic projects which have included:
2007 to Present – Launched the Business of Brands Institute (BOBI)
Dee started BOBI, the Business of Brands Institute, with the aim of making a significant contribution to the global community through branding - see www.bobi.co.za
BOBI’s primary role is to develop and teach new methodologies that we hope will change the face of the corporate environment as we know it today. Methodologies developed to date include Branding Equilibrium (a sustainable approach to measuring brand equity), Codex (understanding the cultural codes of brands, categories and consumer groups) and Infinite Possibility cultural audits and personal empowerment workshops.
BOBI also aims to serve a range of client brands to ensure that they realize their full potential. Key clients to date include Wilderness Safaris, Stoned Cherrie, Standard Bank, Trainiac, Foschini, Wimpy, Debonairs, Appletiser, Vodacom, SAB Miller and Edgars.
2006 to 2007 – Launched Xfacta Boutique Brand Consultancy
Dee launched a boutique brand consultancy in partnership with Kees Schilperoort, ex global creative director for Enterprise IG. Key clients included Hollard Insurance, Mirage Leisure and Development, Peermont Global, Investec, Vox Telecom, Metier and Fancourt, to name a few.
Acting CEO of the Marketing Federation of Southern Africa (MFSA)
Following extremely negative publicity over the 2004 Loeries Awards event and the resignation of its CEO, the board of the MFSA approached Dee to turn this ailing industry body around. Dee delivered on her mandate, some highlights include:
2004 to 2005 – Independent Strategic Marketing Consultant (Johannesburg, RSA)
Strategic marketing consultant to MTN RSA and MTN Group (Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Rwanda and Swaziland). Dee managed a number of key projects for the group, reporting directly to Executive Director Marketing: Santie Botha, she also facilitated quarterly chief marketing officer forums across the group to align all brand, marketing and communication activities. Key projects included:
Marketing consultant to Wilderness Safaris:
Marketing consultant to Stanlib:
2002 to 2003 – Strategy Director Enterprise IG (Africa-Middle East)
Although Dee oversaw all work on major client business across the group, key projects that she directed include:
At Enterprise IG, Dee was also tasked with setting up the SA/Africa EIG Business and Brand Engagement offering (internal marketing and brand alignment). Key clients/projects included:
1998 to 2002: Global Added Value Group (Cape Town/Johannesburg RSA)
Strategic marketing consultant at the Global Added Value Group directing both local and global projects for major blue chip clients. Dee also started and ran the Johannesburg office of the Added Value Group from 1999 until her departure in 2002. Major clients and project highlights include:
1997 to 1998: Account Manager Ogilvy & Mather RSTM (Cape Town, RSA)
Account Manager on the Old Mutual Life, Asset Management & Investment business.
1995 to 1996: Retail Manager CM&A Advertising (Harare, Zimbabwe)
Developed and ran a specialist retail division within CM&A Advertising, managing key accounts for 5 of Zimbabwe’s major retail chains.
1995: Launch Editor for GO Magazine (Cape Town, RSA)
Managed the editorial and business launch of the leisure industry publication.
In 2023, Dee was approached by the Board of the Children's Memorial Institute to develop a sensory environment in support of the many children experiencing neurodevelopmental difficulties and disabilities that attend the institute for school, sport and therapeutic services. Following the development of Courage Cloud Rooms at Fight with Insight and the Tara H Maross Psychiatric Hospital in 2018, and an African themed Sensory Garden at Tara in 2019, Dee decided to develop the sensory engagement idea further. Housed in the old creche of the Children's Memorial Institute the 'Sensory-Space' is an interactive sensory adventure, with 12 themed rooms that are designed to help children and adults explore their various sensory systems in a fun and engaging way. Dee intends to use this space to conduct more research with the aim of trying to understand how sensory environments impact on neurodiverse children's sensory language, sensory learning and sensory empathy.
2022 - 2023 Research Fellow at the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship University of Pretoria
Dee joined the Reimagining-Reproduction team at the Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship (UP), a network of scholars in Africa working on a research agenda which re-imagines the ways in which reproduction and caring for children is connected to experiences and imaginings of the future. Collaborating with her existing Courage network, Dee is conducting a combination of workshops, participant observation, expert interviews and discourse analysis in communities spanning South Africa, Ghana and Kenya. Her research is primarily focussed on child protection officers such as teachers, social workers, and health care practitioners, but she also engages with community members, families and children. The aim of her research is to understand what values are prioritised in different communities around Africa, in the care and protection of children, as well as their resistance to the child protection challenges that they are encountering. She would like to examine the interplay of values, how they are structured, how they are used to organise societies, if there is a clear paramount value, or if the community is grappling with conflicting values in the tradition of pluralism. Ultimately, she is exploring how different communities solve different problems in the care and protection of their children, what they value most and work hardest to reproduce.
Due to time constraints, Dee is no longer a full time research fellow, but is still affiliated to the team, her research is ongoing.
2015 to Present - CEO Courage Child Protection Community Engagement Programme
Dee developed the Courage Child Protection Toolkit and Community Engagement Programme in partnership with the National Adoption Coalition of South Africa and the Swedish Foundation for Children without parental care in 2015. The programme was piloted in South Africa, Zambia and Lesotho and has since been rolled out to number of child protection officers and organisations in a range of countries including: South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Seychelles, Sweden, the United Kingdom, North America, Ghana and Kenya. In 2017, the various Courage stakeholders and partners decided that a stand-alone not-for-profit company should be developed for the Courage Toolkit and programme and applications were put forward towards the end of 2017. Courage Child Protection NPC and NPO was launched during Child Protection Week in May 2018. Under Dee's leadership, Courage has continued to build relationships and train organisations, communities and individuals in the identification and management of child protection challenges, and the empowerment of communities. In 2023, Dee presented the strategy for a new Courage Mental Health & Harmony programme, in support of the child protection programme, this new programme will be piloted and rolled out in 2024.
2015 to 2020 – PhD (Anthropology)
Over a period of 6 years, Dee explored the lived experience of children defined as atypical. The focus of her study spanned an initial cohort of nine children from private schools in Johannesburg diagnosed variously with learning disabilities, ADHD, developmental delays, speech disabilities, sensory challenges, anxiety, and autism. She also conducted in-depth observational work with autistic children at a boxing programme based in the inner city, from more diverse socio-economic backgrounds. A final level of insight was gained from ‘deep hanging out’ amongst atypical adults in online ‘bio’ social media groups spanning autism, ADHD, learning disabilities and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Dee developed a model that illustrates a cycle of atypical embodied engagement with the world, spanning stages of Presence, Perception, Control, Participation, Flow, Communication and Adaptability. Using a range of creative interactive methodologies, she collaboratively explored what is understood and misunderstood around each of these stages from the perspective of the children defined as atypical. Much of the dominant academic and popular discourse surrounding atypicality focusses on either a medical or social model of disability. By mapping medical diagnoses to a social model of engagement, a new holistic perspective was revealed. This traversed the physical, intellectual, emotional, and social motivations, behaviour and agency of the children illustrating their unique and different ways of being in the world. New enabling characteristics were identified in behaviours previously defined and diagnosed as disabilities. He exploration brings to light the meaning that atypical children derive from their various stages of engagement with their world. A new kind of spectrum emerged that moved beyond disabling biomedical labels to one of enablement. The vectors of this spectrum could travel in either direction, without implying dysfunction or defectiveness. Dee's research revealed a multitude of cultural and social creativity and invention, which the children continue to expand in the ‘biosocial borderland’ that they occupy.
2013 to 2014 – Masters in Anthropology at the University of the Witwatersrand
Due to a lack of insight and knowledge around the increasing challenge of child abandonment in South Africa, coupled with the alarming decrease in adoption, Dee decided to return to university in 2013 to read for her master’s degree in Anthropology. Dee chose to study full time and completed her degree through coursework and dissertation. Dee graduated with an upper distinction and received the Faculty of Humanities School of Social Sciences Post Graduate Research Award for the best Masters by Coursework Research Report, and the John Blacking Book Prize for the best Anthropology Masters or PhD Dissertation in 2014.
Dee’s thesis was titled “Sad, Bad & Mad: Exploring child abandonment in South Africa. In it she explored the complex nature of child abandonment from a number of different perspectives including: How it is portrayed in the media; how it is represented and managed by the child protection officers; the lived experience of the abandoning mother and the abandoned child; and finally how it is understood in the context of Western bio-medical principles and those of indigenous African ancestral beliefs.
Dee presented her findings at the start of Child Protection Week on behalf of the National Adoption Coalition, creating significant media interest in complex social challenge. She also presented on her findings on Nelson Mandela day at the Constitutional Court and at the 2014 NACSA Conference on ‘Adoption and Culture’.
2010 to 2017 – Strategic Advisor to the National Adoption Coalition of SA (NACSA)
After seeing a picture of an abandoned baby who had been left to die on the outskirts of Soweto in 2010, Dee contacted key members of the adoption and child protection community to see if she could assist them in building awareness around this issue. With the help of a number of dedicated adoption social workers, communication experts and child protection advocates, Dee facilitated the formation of a National Adoption Coalition for South Africa in 2011 - www.adoptioncoalitionsa.org
She has continued to assist the coalition on all of their strategic projects which have included:
- Assisting in the development of a national communication campaign to raise awareness for the plight of our orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children in South Africa (this campaign is now worth R50 million in pro-bono media, creative and strategic consultation - see www.adoption.org.za
- The development of a picture based community engagement programme around Unplanned Pregnancy, Child Abandonment and Adoption, which she rolled out nationally to the newly formed Provincial Adoption Coalitions in 2011.
- The facilitation of 3 National Adoption Coalition Conferences which have been attended by more than 600 community leaders and child protection experts.
- The development of their volunteer’s strategy.
- Representation of NACSA and key note speaker at the Nordic Adoption Councils annual conference in the Faroe Islands in 2013.
- Assisting in the development and launch of the Choose to Care crisis Pregnancy campaign launched in June 2015.
- The development, launch and management of Courage, a picture based child protection community engagement programme aimed at empowering child protection officers, organisations, individuals and communities to identity and address the child protection challenges they encounter every day - see www.couragechildprotection.com
2007 to Present – Launched the Business of Brands Institute (BOBI)
Dee started BOBI, the Business of Brands Institute, with the aim of making a significant contribution to the global community through branding - see www.bobi.co.za
BOBI’s primary role is to develop and teach new methodologies that we hope will change the face of the corporate environment as we know it today. Methodologies developed to date include Branding Equilibrium (a sustainable approach to measuring brand equity), Codex (understanding the cultural codes of brands, categories and consumer groups) and Infinite Possibility cultural audits and personal empowerment workshops.
BOBI also aims to serve a range of client brands to ensure that they realize their full potential. Key clients to date include Wilderness Safaris, Stoned Cherrie, Standard Bank, Trainiac, Foschini, Wimpy, Debonairs, Appletiser, Vodacom, SAB Miller and Edgars.
2006 to 2007 – Launched Xfacta Boutique Brand Consultancy
Dee launched a boutique brand consultancy in partnership with Kees Schilperoort, ex global creative director for Enterprise IG. Key clients included Hollard Insurance, Mirage Leisure and Development, Peermont Global, Investec, Vox Telecom, Metier and Fancourt, to name a few.
Acting CEO of the Marketing Federation of Southern Africa (MFSA)
Following extremely negative publicity over the 2004 Loeries Awards event and the resignation of its CEO, the board of the MFSA approached Dee to turn this ailing industry body around. Dee delivered on her mandate, some highlights include:
- Re-positioning and restructuring of organization.
- Revamping and re-launching of all communication tools.
- Extensive stakeholder relations and government lobbying.
- The development networking events such as the MFSA Marketing Festival, the Brand Excellence Awards, the Marketing Directors Circle, entrepreneurs@MFSA, monthly breakfast events and more.
- Refocusing of the Chartered Marketers programme.
- Dee managed to halve the organizations debt in this 9 month period.
2004 to 2005 – Independent Strategic Marketing Consultant (Johannesburg, RSA)
Strategic marketing consultant to MTN RSA and MTN Group (Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Rwanda and Swaziland). Dee managed a number of key projects for the group, reporting directly to Executive Director Marketing: Santie Botha, she also facilitated quarterly chief marketing officer forums across the group to align all brand, marketing and communication activities. Key projects included:
- Global brand positioning, customer centricity proposition and communication strategy development, including "iconic" brand metrics development to ensure sustainability of strategy recommendations.
- Global segmentation, product portfolio and brand architecture development (corporate, channel & retail products).
- The development and training of the MTN Marketing Guide (marketing training programme) across the group.
- Innovation development and facilitation on key projects.
- Internal brand engagement, specifically in the SA market.
- Global “iconic” brand metrics development.
- Strategic scenario planning.
Marketing consultant to Wilderness Safaris:
- Global brand positioning development for North Island and the Wilderness Group. Brand Architecture and product portfolio development.
- New business development, including acquisition strategies.
- Facilitation of annual business planning leadership forums.
- Development and implementation of cultural audit to assess brand vision engagement among management and employees.
- Internal brand engagement programme development and roll out.
Marketing consultant to Stanlib:
- Business Vision development in support of their new CEO, and key input into annual leadership workshop.
- Development and implementation of a cultural audit to assess the impact of the Standard/Liberty merger.
2002 to 2003 – Strategy Director Enterprise IG (Africa-Middle East)
Although Dee oversaw all work on major client business across the group, key projects that she directed include:
- Absa brand positioning, consumer segment proposition development and brand architecture development.
- National Brands Corporate Brand Positioning development.
- MTN global brand positioning and brand architecture development.
- Strategic brand development work for the El Futain Family in Dubai.
- Guaranteed Trust Bank strategic brand positioning (Lagos Nigeria).
At Enterprise IG, Dee was also tasked with setting up the SA/Africa EIG Business and Brand Engagement offering (internal marketing and brand alignment). Key clients/projects included:
- SA Post Office business and brand engagement programme.
- SA Government Public Service – Bathu Pele (People First) programme.
- Tanzanian Breweries Ltd: Development of a consumer trend model relating to the beverage industry with the aim of creating a consumer centric organisation.
1998 to 2002: Global Added Value Group (Cape Town/Johannesburg RSA)
Strategic marketing consultant at the Global Added Value Group directing both local and global projects for major blue chip clients. Dee also started and ran the Johannesburg office of the Added Value Group from 1999 until her departure in 2002. Major clients and project highlights include:
- SAB Miller: New product development (Solanti’s, Dakota Ice) and Brand Re-positioning (Castle, Castle Lite); South Africa/Africa market segmentation development; SAB Marketing Way - The development of a definitive guide to marketing the SAB way in SA, UK, USA, India, China and Russia; Young Adult Pulse – development of a leading edge trend scope
- Unilever SA: Emerging middle market and mass market trend work; Market segmentation (Skin Care and Personal Care), and brand positioning work; Ola Ice Cream new product/brand development.
- Kimberly Clark: Market Segmentation (Personal Care and Child Care); Brand & Product Portfolio Strategy (Kleenex, Huggies, Kotex).
- Old Mutual: Market insight and strategic brand proposition development for Old Mutual’s emerging middle market segment.
- First National Bank: Emerging middle market segmentation and brand proposition development (specifically around channels to market); Student banking brand positioning and communication strategy.
- Telkom: Internal brand and customer service programme.
- Coca-Cola Co: Led the SA/Africa arm of a global youth trends programme - building relationships with the youth market.
1997 to 1998: Account Manager Ogilvy & Mather RSTM (Cape Town, RSA)
Account Manager on the Old Mutual Life, Asset Management & Investment business.
1995 to 1996: Retail Manager CM&A Advertising (Harare, Zimbabwe)
Developed and ran a specialist retail division within CM&A Advertising, managing key accounts for 5 of Zimbabwe’s major retail chains.
1995: Launch Editor for GO Magazine (Cape Town, RSA)
Managed the editorial and business launch of the leisure industry publication.