Brand squares up to the challenge

The Hip brand, started after Mark Shuttleworth's historic “First African in Space” venture, has committed in excess of R25 million to date on its campaign to inspire young learners to take up the challenge of studying maths and science. As part of this commitment, the Hip2B² magazine has already increased its distribution from 426 schools in three provinces to 720 schools in nine provinces.

Historically, many school kids have been conditioned to see maths and science as “square” when compared to alternative career paths. But Kate Evans, communications manager of BSquare Communications, points out that maths and science are essential for the development of technologies that are driving the new world.

“Nowadays there are many activities vying for a child's time,” she says. “They spend hours each day on computer games, MTV, itunes, cell phones, SMS and movies. However, all of these activities depend on science or maths for their development and underlines the wide scope of work opportunities available.”

Shuttleworth himself is a passionate believer in maths, science and technology as a career path. He has always maintained that an hour's extra work a day on a challenging mental pursuit can give a huge payback down the line.

“Traditionally, these subjects are challenging and require discipline and concentration,” he says.

“The Hip message is that analytical minds are much in demand, and there is no better training than maths, science and technology. Our aim is to convince young children, before they take career decisions, to think of these subjects as an interesting and challenging way to unlock their dreams.”

Hip2B² operates in conjunction with The Shuttleworth Foundation, which is a philanthropic, non-profit organisation that funds education projects in Africa. The Shuttleworth Foundation also serves as IT adviser to President Mbeki and is represented on the board of bridges.org, an international non-profit organisation that seeks to narrow the so-called “digital divide” between rich and poor nations.

Link to 6MB low res video clip of Mark Shuttleworth: www.fishproductions.co.za/hip2b2384.wmv