Williams sisters champion 'Breaking the Mould' campaign in SA
International tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams will be visiting South Africa in early November 2012 to launch the Breaking the Mould (BTM) campaign.
In addition to lending their support to this initiative, the sisters will attend a gala dinner at Montecasino in Johannesburg and play an exhibition tennis match at Johannesburg's Ellis Park arena.
BTM is a new campaign to catalyse, acknowledge and reward South African women who have risen above their own set of challenges and adversities to succeed and inspire. BTM was conceived by Octagon's MD, Qondisa Ngwenya (Q). BTM aims to promote and sustain a Breaking the Mould culture in South Africa. Over the years, Q has seen how the power of leading female athletes and personalities can inspire and encourage audiences from all walks of life to achieve great things.
Visiting six universities
Comprising a number of critical initiatives, BTM will launch the 2012 season with a series of Pop-up Colleges at six universities led by four of South Africa's current leading Mould Breakers. The 2012 campaign will culminate in the arrival of the Williams sisters who will attend a coaching clinic in Soweto, a gala dinner and a televised exhibition match - the first time the sisters will meet each other in competition on African soil.
The Williams sisters have signed on to champion Breaking the Mould because they exemplify how determination, passion, hard work and self-belief can turn dreams into reality, despite obstacles that one may face. "We're extremely excited to be coming to South Africa", says Venus Williams. "After Serena's Gold Medal at the Olympics, her win at Wimbledon and now the US Open too, I look forward to taking my younger sister on in this exhibition tennis match in South Africa!"
Serena adds: "We're proud and humbled to have been chosen for the inauguration of this women's empowerment platform and we hope we can help inspire South Africa's young women to break the mould too."
For the full story, to share your story of how you hope to break the mould or to see if BTM is coming to your university, visit the BTM portal that has been created to connect people - www.africabtm.com
