ABF subcommittee agrees on bursary recipient

"I was intrigued by the level of creativeness," said Pluto Panoussis, Department Head: Film from The Open Window School of Visual Communication. "We saw real talent in these five portfolios before us but unfortunately could only award one bursary."

Sharlene Vallance, executive committee member of the ABF explains the process: "The ABF has been awarding a bursary to a student from AAA School of Advertising for three years now. Education is a massively important aspect of a young adult's life and we are finding that more and more students are resorting to juggling two jobs in order to make ends meet and pay tuition fees," she says.

"Although this is not the 'core business' of the ABF, we are ready to put our fundraising where our mouths are and at least make a very real difference in one young person's life. Giving an opportunity to a youngster like this might very well mean the difference between success and failure," says Sharlene.

This year, not only will the bursary award winner be financially rewarded and able to continue their studies, but for the first time the judges have agreed to provide this student with time to shadow them in their work environment. The bursary winner will be provided with time to be part of a creative team while they work on actual briefs and get firsthand experience every step of the way.

Says Pepe Marais, Executive Creative Director at Joe Public: "Education is very close to my heart so I was pleased to be given the opportunity to take part in this process. Providing a bursary is a fantastic initiative but we also need to be able to mentor this person. 'Future-proofing' a student in this manner will prepare them for the real work ahead and hopefully ensure that they became a valued member of our industry. We are committed to this process with the ABF and hope to be able to drive it in a more conducive manner in the years to come."

"We would like to thank our judges in this process, Pepe Marais from Joe Public, Pluto Panoussis from The Open Window School of Visual Communication, Chirene Campbell from Owlhurst Communications and the facilitator Marilyn du Toit from the AAA School of Advertising for their efforts and time in managing this process," says Sharlene.

"The handing over of the bursary will take place on the 30th November at the AAA School of Advertising. We wish the bursary winner well and trust that this financial gesture will inspire great creative work and an attitude of work lust."

ABF DNA
The ABF is a non-profit organisation helping those in the advertising, media and allied industries that have fallen on hard times. Amongst its many contributions, the ABF , in conjunction with Lifeline have a dedicated 24/7 call centre line for people in the Advertising, Media and related industries who need counselling or treatment for stress, HIV/AIDS and substance abuse problems. The ABF also provides study in the field to deserving, underprivileged students with institutions like the AAA School of Advertising.