The SWW L+EARN Campaign builds on years of learning across the ASISA Foundation Campaigns that have targeted young adults in tertiary institutions bridging into the world of work. The SWW pilot, first launched in 2014, tested a life-cycle approach to consumer financial education. One of the targeted cohorts was young adults, customising content and campaign delivery to suit this cohorts’ needs and learning preferences. What emerged was a learning-rich experience for both the participants and ASISA Foundation. Young people were found to be the cohort most interested in learning about consumer financial education and had a strong preference for edutainment, known as media-designed educational entertainment.

The 2016 rollout was based on learnings from the 2014 pilot and targeted students attending TVET colleges equipping them with requisite skills before entering the job market and supporting their money management prior to earning an income. In this way, the 2016 rollout aimed to be more suited to targeted students given the specific needs they have at that particular point in their life journey – where a priority consideration for them is bridging into adulthood and the world of work.

In 2017, SWW L+EARN was implemented at Excel@Uni where the Campaign was first introduced to university students. While the Campaign was not without challenges, the ASISA Foundation accumulated learning and Campaign experience to prove advantageous when delivered to university students. The new topics included in the curriculum were: investments, risk management and ‘Black Tax, which were well received.

The subsequent iteration in 2018 delivered the same content as TVET 2016 with the addition of useful components found to be effective in 2017 – e.g., the use of a budgeting tool and ‘Black Tax’.

SWW L+EARN in 2019 ran in partnership with the ASISA Foundation and the Ikusasa Student Financial Aid Programme (ISFAP), targeting university-enrolled bursary students.

Grounded Media implemented the Campaign at six university institutions across South Africa to reach a combination of urban, rural and previously disadvantaged campuses. A core component of this Campaign was role-playing and in-classroom interactive case studies, which proved to be an engaging and effective means of reach ing young people.

In response to the sweeping COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 SWW L+EARN Campaign was forced to rapidly transition away from an in-person delivery model to a multi-pronged, digitally-driven, virtual offering. A major component of the evaluation assessed the effectiveness and appropriateness of the digital channels utilised, in the ability to engage participants and ensure learning, knowledge uptake and improved financial behaviours. The lessons learned through the 2020 evaluation deeply informed the approach for 2021 to ensure utilisation of the most appropriate channels; delivery of relevant content; and meticulous design of the learning journey. The intention was to bolster significant uptake of knowledge, facilitate positive change in attitudes and behaviour, ultimately building towards improved financial capability and well-being.

The evaluation focus for 2021 leveraged from the piloted content and digital delivery of 2020, which focused on consolidating lessons of the pilot with WhatsApp for Business (WAB) for TVET college participants, maintaining the transformative Campaign fundamentals.

The 2021 Campaign commenced with a late start in the second half of 2021 as the timelines for access to funding and implementation were misaligned. Portions of the implementation timeline were impacted as targeted students were involved in rotational learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with timetable, examination and practical clashes. As part of attending webinars and engaging in the WAB learning journey, participants received data and/or airtime on completion of quizzes and surveys. Certificates were provided to 33 university participants who attended at least five or more webinars and 155 TVET participants who completed at least five WAB journeys.

Here are two short heart-felt testimonial from the L+EARN #SecureTheBag 2021 webinar participants from the University of Johannesburg and TSIBA.

Interview with a student from the University of Johannesburg

Interview with a student from the TSIBA

Since that first pilot, five additional iterations have been tested, each one holding strong positives and key lessons for the ASISA Foundation. Most importantly, the SWW L+EARN curriculum has been tested and continuously improved. This includes the addition of new components such as contextual and topical issues as well as new digital delivery methods. The ASISA Foundation and implementing partners sought to explore elements of the Campaign that continue to add value, have an impact and need adjustments for scaling.

Over the course of the ASISA Foundation’s iteration of the SWW programmes, the ‘black tax’ learning component has had various names, given alternating views as to the appropriateness of this terminology. The learning component is reported here as it was first used in the Excel at Uni programme.